I have never played a game like this before, but I am so glad I did, because the closest I have ever achieved an experience like this is the ‘choose your own adventure’ books in the ‘Goosebumps’ series, and even then, they were the GOATs of entertainment. ‘The Run’, developed by PRM games but filmed with Benacus Entertainment Production in association with RNF Productions, is an FMV, horror thriller incorporating real-life footage with decision-making, creating a movie-like atmosphere that you can control the ebb and flow of.

The narrative mainly follows the character of Zanna, a renowned social media influencer of fitness and well-being. Vacationing in the rustic mountains amongst the olive trees of Northern Italy, an innocent run quickly turns into a fight for her life as she is stalked by a brigade of heinous serial killers. The plot is a bit of a slow burn, but it does keep you roped in enough to be intrigued as to what direction it will take.

I do find the 5 endings, though, a disappointing fizzle out as it does take a more cliché, ‘done a million times’ route rather than a more creative approach. There are some real, actual WTF moments, though, that were very cool with 20 unique death scenes that are quite fun to find throughout the story. The overall tale, though, does really lack any sort of emotional tension or worthwhile investment into characters, which is a pity.

Because the game is real-time footage, there are no controls. This game is literally a lazy person’s and an achievement hunter’s dream. The only gameplay is having to switch back and forth between what decision you are choosing, which can be done on either keyboard and mouse or with a controller. The game also gives you a timed version for a more suspenseful time or a paused version for playing with others; perfect to pause on stream to decide together a direction of action. A neat little inclusion.

Another decent inclusion, for the nerds like myself, is a progression map of choices and a recap of your deaths. This was innovative as I could think about my options and even strategise my next run through for a better result. Thankfully, you can fast-forward any scenes you have seen before. The whole experience is short; I played through 2 and a half runs in about 6 hrs, one night, and it gets shorter the more you fast-forward through as you unlock more in each run through.

Opening up, I don’t know what to expect visually, but the whole thing is a decent production of footage, surprisingly. There are sweeping shots of mountainsides and dense forests, spanning drone footage to track characters and tight enclosed film in buildings or winding cobblestone pathways; the locations are beautiful. All footage is spliced together perfectly without jarring transitions to decision-making. It was impressive indeed.

The dialogue, I must admit, can be cheesy, but ironically, the actors and actresses themselves are pretty entertaining. The lead, Roxanne  McKee, who plays Zanna, has actually got a few impressive credentials, such as ‘Game of Thrones’, and carried most of the delivery and story throughout.

George Blagden, who plays a more supporting character and who has also been in the show ‘Vikings’ most noticeably, while weaker, does also play a more subtle background role. The characters were mostly likeable but any screen time with the villains feels soulless. Possibly intentionally.

The Run was such a unique ride for me. I will admit it was nice to sit back and see what unfolded with a few clicks here and there. You really do need to have a box of popcorn to flick it at your screen, though, to get you through some of the more cliché or predictable moments. I think a few more bizarre tangents or endings would add to the experience, but as a first timer, this is a genre I can now get behind and wouldn’t mind returning to with a more gripping story to be emotionally invested in.

Written by: Stacey