They Always Run

The player is Aiden, a three-armed bounty hunter tasked to take down bounties across linear two-dimensional stages. Upon release, They Always Run received average reviews, with critics praising the detail in the game's visual presentation and animation and combat mechanics, whilst raising mixed views on the controls and integration of the use of the player's third arm in and outside of combat sections of the game.

• Title — They Always Run • Developer — Alawar • Publisher — PID Games (console) • Platform — Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch • Released — WindowsOctober 20, 2021 PS4, XOne, Switch • Genre — Platform • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — Gameplay in They Always Run involves locating and defeating bounties in two-dimensional linear stages. Players progress through linear stages, running, jumping and climbing across platforms and vaulting over obstacles. Combat is engaged with a three-hit combo, parry and dodge. The player also has a third arm providing a special directional attack that can break enemy shields or holds and shoot weapons. Use of the arm is limited to charges that are built from the player successfully parrying enemy attacks. Players have a health system that is replenished with stimpacks, which can be found throughout levels and saved in finite amounts. As a bounty hunter, players can activate a radar that alerts them to the presence of a bounty, usually a stronger enemy, which provides rewards when defeated. Players can approach the collection of the bounties in several ways, including attempting to capture the bounty alive at greater difficulty or killing the target for a reduced bounty. Rewards and collection of upgrades scattered throughout the level allow the player to increase their health level, powers usable by the third arm, and slots for healing items.

Aidan is a three-armed bounty hunter who travels across interstellar planets to collect bounties on the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. Becoming involved in a conspiracy that concerns his past, Aidan and his partner John takes on a series of bounties to uncover the truth.

They Always Run was created by Russian developer Alawar, with a team of between 10 and 13 staff that had worked on previous titles including Distrust and I Am Not A Monster: First Contact. The studio created a contest to propose and bid on pitches and prototypes for production from staff, with They Always Run derived from designer Artemy Naimushin's winning proposal to create "a game about a space hunter". Producer and lead artist Stepan Komarov stated that the development team aimed to create a unique and picturesque visual style based on the "classical art education" of its art team, adopting a labor-intensive approach to frame-by-frame animation inspired by cartoon animation. The space western science-fiction tone of the game was inspired by television series including Firefly and Cowboy Bebop, seeking to capture "the feeling of a space adventure with a team on a ship". They Always Run was announced by the studio on April 12, 2021, and was showcased at the E3 PC Gaming Show. The game was released on October 20, 2021, for Windows, with a port for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch published by PID Games on May 19, 2022.