Grid Runner is the type of game that will keep you coming back for more. Though the graphics aren't the best, the sound isn't spectacular, and the gameplay isn't necessarily innovative, it's the most addictive game in recent memory. Like Bomberman, Tetris, and Face Ball, Grid Runner is a gamer's game that pulls you in and never lets go. Expect many hours of increasingly fun doses of aggravation as you strive to conquer each level.
Grid Runner operates under a simple premise: Tag the other guy and capture flags. Players maneuver in a fast-paced, maze-like, bird's-eye view environment. Each player is either "it" or "not it." If you're "it," your goal is to tag the other guy. If you're "not it," you must avoid getting tagged while capturing as many flags as possible to win the level and progress to the next. Sounds simple, and it is. In fact, this simplicity makes Grid Runner so much fun. And though it's rather easy to catch the other player and rack up flags, it's just as easy to get caught.
This "back and forth" gameplay makes the single-player mode pale in comparison to multiplayer action. Grid Runner works best when you're trying to tag a human opponent on the other side of the split screen, trading "it" status, and most likely, verbal insults. A variety of mazes and a limited number of special powers (such as projectiles and teleportation) spice up the levels, too.
The graphics and sound in Grid Runner are of secondary importance. The game looks and sounds good, but that's really not the strength of the title - a game this addictive would be fun on any system, be it a Gameboy or a TurboGrafx 16 (a nudge to die-hard Bomberman fans).
If you're looking for the ultimate two-player game, Grid Runner is it. No other title on the Sega Saturn is this addictive or this much fun.
