Line #13 VideoGame/Speedrunners


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/speedrunners_title.jpg]]
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3	Developed by [=DoubleDutch=] Games and published by Creator/TinyBuild, ''[=SpeedRunners=]'' is a four-player, fast-paced, 2D action game that integrates concepts from the platforming and racing genres. The goal is simply to outrun your competitors until they are unable to stay within the moving camera, while also avoiding the deadly borders. The objective is easier said than done, as not only are there numerous obstacles, but there are also plenty of power ups designed for hectic, competitive gameplay that can mean the difference between first and last place. The game was released on Steam on August 26th, 2013 and finally exited Early Access on April 19th, 2016.
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5	!!''[=SpeedRunners=]'' provides examples of:
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7	* {{Acrofatic}}: Subverted with The Falcon, he only looks heavy with his bulky costume. Played straight with Burger, who is noticeably overweight but can run with the best of them.
8	* AdvancingWallOfDoom: The camera will automatically start following whoever is in the lead, but only to an extent. If anyone is too far away from the leader, they will be eliminated.
9	* AmbidextrousSprite: [=SpeedRunner=]'s grappling hook is always on the arm facing the camera, same goes for characters who run with items like the Scout or Moonraker.
10	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: In the XP System, leveling up will sometimes unlock new skins for certain characters.
11	* {{Angrish}}: Hothead speaks nothing but pure anger. It's unclear whether he's really angry, in pain from being on fire continuously or both.
12	* BilingualBonus:
13	** All of Cosmonaut Comrade's title cards are in accurate Russian, including his Steam trading card. Translating them reveals most of his lines are either references to drinking Vodka or dealing with depression.
14	** Luc Jadore as well, but in French. He occasionally uses English instead, though.
15	* BlatantBurglar: Jailbird, one of the many unlockable characters who either wears the classic black-and-white striped outfit with domino mask or a more modern orange jumpsuit.
16	* BookcasePassage: Part of the "Mansion" race course is a bookcase that swings aside as the runners approach to reveal the next part of the course.
17	* BuildingSwing: Each player gets a grappling hook they can use on surfaces marked with solid white lines. Grappling tends to be faster than running.
18	* BurningWithAnger: Hothead, not big surprise.
19	* CelebrityEndorsement: In-Universe with [=SpeedRunner=] promoting a fictitious beverage called "[=BoostaCoke=]" on a billboard in some maps. The [=YouTuber=] characters existing in the game with their own title cards reading "Let's Play Some [=SpeedRunners=]" could qualify as an out-of-universe example.
20	* ChummyCommies: Cosmonaut Comrade fills this role to an extent, although he's just another competitor in the Speed Runners competition.
21	* CityOfAdventure: Every map takes in New Rush City.
22	* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: The game includes many different characters with their own appearances and animations, but they all play identically, so that any player can use whatever character they prefer the look of and it is only player skill that determines the outcome.
23	* CrateExpectations: Subverted, crates in ''[=SpeedRunners=]'' are nothing more than tripping hazards. There is an item that allows you to drop three crates of your own.
24	* DeadlyWalls: If you touch the borders of the screen, you're out.
25	* DeathThrows: Happens whenever a runner hits a laser or a spike with lethal obstacles turned on. They're back in the race by the very next round.
26	* DestructiveSavior: Applies to just about everyone in the [=SpeedRunners=] competition, as the "Jumping the Shark" and "Rise of the Falcon" comics reveal that while these so-called "heroes" do good deeds, they tend to cause more destruction at crime scenes than good.
27	* DifficultButAwesome: Many levels include a split between a safe route and a hard route. The hard route requires tricky use of momentum to reach, but either contains boosters and item boxes or a significant shortcut, nearly guaranteeing the elimination of other players. On the other hand, the safe route includes a lever that will close the shortcuts in the hard route, making it worth taking if you think you can reach it before the other players reach the shortcut.
28	* DoubleJump: All runners have this ability. Some of them have animations showing them activating a jet pack or some other device, but others appear to be just that athletic.
29	* EasterEgg: Secret characters can be selected by typing special commands in the in-game chat:
30	** /gangbeast gets you a... VideoGame/{{GangBeast\|s}}.
31	** /hoxton, /dallas, /wolf, and /cloaker give you the respective VideoGame/{{Payday2}} characters.
32	** Missingno from VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} is hidden within the game files. There's no way to unlock him without messing with game files, in which case he shortly crashes your game.
33	* EnergyWeapon: There are laser obstacles in the game, which will kill anyone who touches them.
34	* ExcusePlot: The Origins story deals with the titular hero [=SpeedRunner=] stopping a bomb plot set by MadScientist Stalnik. The current story mode mainly consists of different runners challenging [=SpeedRunner=] at his own game.
35	* ExpressiveMask: Any of the masked runners in general. Taken to the extreme with Hothead whose mask may or may not be their real face.
36	* {{Expy}}: [=SpeedRunner=] himself looks like a combination of Batman and The Flash.
37	* TheFaceless: Nobody knows (or probably ever will know) what Cosmonaut Comrade looks like behind his glass dome helmet. Same applies to Fort Knight with their box helmet.
38	* FlamingHair: Hothead, naturally.
39	* FunnyAnimal: Salem the witch cat and possibly Neko. Also Buckshot, who may or may not be an UpliftedAnimal.
40	* FurryConfusion: In his comic, it's revealed that one of Buckshot's rooms is full of mounted deer heads. It's a little unsettling knowing that he's a stag.
41	* GratuitousFrench: Most of Luc Jadore's quotes and title cards are in French.
42	* GratuitousRussian: All of Cosmonaut Comrade's title cards are in Russian.
43	* GreatDetective: Gil is revealed to be this in the "Jumping the Shark" comic, who has taken it upon himself (with encouragement from The Falcon) to go undercover and participate in the [=SpeedRunners=] competition in secret to put a stop to [=SpeedRunner=] and his competitors.
44	* GuestFighter:
45	** Two [=YouTuber=] DLC packs have been released with characters such as Linkara and WebVideo/{{Markiplier}} to promote the game, with each pack belonging to a different team. The sales featuring the winning team will be donated to cancer research.
46	** Also, [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 The Scout]] is a playable runner.
47	** [[VideoGame/PAYDAY2 Dallas, Wolf, Hoxton, and the Cloaker]] are now playable by typing their name in as a chat command on the character select screen.
48	** A Gangbeast from the game ''VideoGame/GangBeasts'' is also playable by typing /gangbeast into the chat.
49	** And now in an update with SuspiciouslySpecificDenial, the runner from QWOP is playable by typing /qwop into the chat on character select.
50	* HarmlessFreezing: The Freeze-Ray will temporarily slowdown/stop opponents in a solid block of ice, but will not kill anyone directly.
51	* HolidayMode: In late October the game automatically switches to a set of Halloween-themed graphics, with eerier colors and decorative skulls and pumpkins, and a title card declaring it to be "Scream Runners".
52	* HomingProjectile: The Missile Powerup which also has BoomerangComeback. It can be avoided either by dropping crates in the middle of its path, exploiting the terrain and even running past other players to use them as shields.
53	* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Buckshot's whole motivation for challenging [=SpeedRunner=] is this, as he's bored with being top of the food chain.
54	* InstrumentalWeapon: Salem uses her broom as a guitar for her taunt.
55	* InvincibilityPowerUp: The Invincidrill, which allows players to temporarily breeze through obstacles and plow through opponents.
56	* {{Irony}}: Buckshot, a runner who looks like both a deer and a hunter.
57	* ItsPersonal: As revealed in the Rise of the Falcon Trailer, the runner known as the Falcon was a chicken farmer who swore vengeance on [=SpeedRunner=] when said runner refused to help him put out a house fire.
58	* JugglingLoadedGuns: Moonraker's taunt features this, however whether it's loaded is debatable.
59	* JumpPhysics: All runners can jump high, DoubleJump, WallJump, fall any distance without taking damage, and change direction in midair, but cannot grab onto ledges to help themselves up if they fall short.
60	* LanternJawOfJustice: Every runner who isn't completely masked has a face like this, even Moonraker.
61	* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Even though some racers such as the [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 TF2 Scout]], Moonraker and Skullduggery carry weapons when they run, they never use them against the other racers.
62	* MadBomber: Stalnik, the main antagonist of the Origins story mode. There's no explained reason why he's trying to blow up New Rush City.
63	* MakeSomeNoise: The Shockwave powerup, which creates a spherical Area of Effect sonic boom that can destroy missiles, slow down opponents and reflect fireballs.
64	* MalevolentArchitecture: Maps such as Industry, Powerplant and even the Library have spikes and other hazards. May be justified since they're retrofitted for the [=SpeedRunners=] Competition.
65	* NominalHero: [=SpeedRunner=] in a strange sense, as he seems to care more about being able to run quickly than any actual heroic work. The in-game comics show that his running damages crime scenes, getting in the way of law enforcement, and the bombs he can use are causing panic among civilians, casting further doubt on his title of hero.
66	* NonMammalMammaries: The way Veloci-T-Rex stands and moves suggests that she's a real theropod dinosaur and not just a human in a suit; nevertheless, her profile picture shows her with distinctly human female chest development.
67	* OneHitPointWonder: In Origins Mode, taking any kind of damage will result in a restart.
68	* OpaqueLenses: The Falcon's eyes are hidden behind rectangular spectacles that shine in his victory pose.
69	* PaletteSwap: Most of the runners have alternate versions that have their own names and color schemes but otherwise the same appearance and animations.
70	* PunnyName:
71	** Skullduggery, the skeleton with the shovel.
72	** Buckshot, an anthropomorphic deer who carries around a hunting rifle.
73	* RaygunGothic: Moonraker was designed like this to deliberately invoke a sense of {{Zeerust}}. Cosmonaut Comrade may qualify as well.
74	* RealMenWearPink: LetsPlay/PewDiePie wears a pink princess costume.
75	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Manekae Neko gives off this impression, although he may be a [[KillerRabbit Killer Cat]] considering that he/she competes just as aggressively as the rest of the competitors.
76	* TheRival: The Falcon to [=SpeedRunner=]. Not only was he ignored by the [=SpeedRunner=] in his time of need, he's appalled by how he uses bombs to overtake opponents in his obsession with speed. He ultimately challenges [=SpeedRunner=] to a race where the loser is exiled from New Rush City in the last level of the story mode.
77	* RocketJump: The Bomb item can be detonated immediately after being placed, providing you with a small speed boost.
78	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Moonraker is revealed to be the queen of the moon in the distant future in the "Race Against Time" comic, however in an odd example [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything She is only seen competing in the speedrunning competition.]]
79	* SayMyName: The Falcon in the Rise of the Falcon Trailer when [=SpeedRunner=] refuses to help put out a housefire, instead deciding to run away.
80	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: The in-game comic "A Race Against Time" reveals that Moonraker joined the [=SpeedRunners=] competition by using a one-way means of time travel to defeat [=SpeedRunner=] so that her future won't be plagued by the Falconeers. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Thanks to the player, this plan is doomed to fail.]] To be fair, it's not clear whether this is a bad thing: the only thing the Falconeers are shown actually doing in the comic is preventing people from speedrunning, and subsequent comics suggest that [[DestructiveSavior they may have a point]].
81	* SherlockHomage: [[PunnyName Sherlock Bones]], a massive pit bull in a Sherlock Holmes style suit.
82	* ShoutOut:
83	** Unic, who's basically a superhero with a unicorn gimmick with tongue-in-cheek references toward the brony fandom.
84	** One of Skullduggery's alternate costumes has [[Franchise/{{Superman}} a blue suit and red cape]].
85	** Fort Knight has one that involves [[ComicBook/IronMan red and orange armor]].
86	** Gil, a shark character, references ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' ("You're going to need more than a bigger boat to catch this fish!") and ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' ("There's AlwaysABiggerFish... ME!")
87	** [=SpeedRunner=] has an alternate costume that looks like [[Comicbook/TheFlash Reverse-Flash/Professor Zoom/Zoom]].
88	** [[Creator/MicrosoftStudios Excel]], a boring WhiteCollarWorker.
89	* SkullForAHead: Skullduggery.
90	* SmugSuper: Even if he doesn't have superpowers, [=SpeedRunner=] is determined to keep his title as "the fastest man alive", and won't forget to remind you about that.
91	* SongsInTheKeyOfPanic: The background music changes when the borders start closing in.
92	* SpikesOfDoom: One of the many hazards encountered on harder maps, and they can be lethal depending on the game settings.
93	* SuperSpeed: Downplayed, even though there are speed boosts and the [=SpeedRunners=] are naturally gifted runners, it's implied that [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower none of them have superpowers.]]
94	* StylisticSuck: As part of an April Fool's Day update, players can change the settings on the graphics to render the game in a poor-man's NES, EGA or Game Boy style reminiscent of PacManFever.
95	* SwissArmyGun: Moonraker's raygun has been shown to function as a grappling hook and a freeze ray throughout the game, comics, and trailers.
96	* TokenGirl: Moonraker, who seems to pride herself on this proclaiming, "There's only one chick in this race!" Later averted, as several female characters have since been added, making her title card a bit of an artifact.
97	* UnsoundEffect: Happens whenever players use powerups on each other or accomplish something like "SUPER SPEED!"
98	* ViolationOfCommonSense: Players can actually use the bomb powerup to propel themselves for an extra boost. They can also fire missiles at ceilings right in front of them to slow down other players, or even propel themselves forward.
99	* WallJump: Possible with specially marked walls. Most courses have at least one section that can only be navigated by wall-jumping up it.
100	* TheWallsAreClosingIn: After one player is eliminated (or if a certain amount of time has passed without anyone being eliminated), a bomb goes off, causing the borders of the screen to gradually cave in. [[SubvertedTrope Granted, they don't close all the way in.]]
101	* WithMyHandsTied: Jailbird does the entire run with her hands cuffed behind her, but is dextrous enough to still use grappling hooks and other items just as effectively as any other character.
102	* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Subverted, while the Golden Grappling Hook powerup can be used to pull yourself ahead of any opponent in front of you while stopping them in their tracks, it can be dodged by ducking or exploiting the terrain.

Context VideoGame / Speedrunners