Are you gnome enough? A review of 2 Fast 4 Gnomz (Nintendo eShop)

Watch the trailer here!

The kingdom of Gnomia needs a hero! A hero who can find a princess and collect as many socks as possible on the way!

Such is the very basic storyline of upcoming Nintendo 3DS download 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, an action platformer from developer QubicGames. Or perhaps a more apt description of the game would be running platformer. For those of you who've played WiiWare title Bit.Trip Runner, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz is very much in the same high-speed vein.

In 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, you'll traverse more than four worlds with several platforming levels apiece. Because our intrepid gnome is in constant motion throughout each level, it's up to you to use a slew of abilities to avoid obstacles. These abilities include jumping, gliding, crushing stuff, and more. An impressive array of environmental elements will put your all of your skills to the test, and when the challenge gets steep, finding the right flow can feel very rewarding.

Speaking of challenge, the game's difficulty curve hits a pretty good balance. Each world introduces you to a new ability, giving you ample opportunity to get a feel for it in the first level or two. By the time you've reached the final level, however, you've been challenged with not only the newest skill, but all of the previous skills as well. Thankfully, frequent checkpoints keep the game from being overly frustrating.

The graphical style of 2 Fast 4 Gnomz is appropriately cartoony, if a bit generic. I was glad of the visual variety amongst the four main worlds, which are based upon the four seasons. It's just unfortunate that they don't add anything gameplay-wise, like ice in the winter levels or piles of leaves in the autumn levels.Though I'm not a huge fan of stereoscopic 3-D in general, the game pulls it off well. Like I mentioned above, the story is minimalistic, but fairly entertaining. The game certainly has a strange charm to it, which I like.

If there's anything I would add to 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, it would be, well, more game! I enjoyed what the game had to offer, but I found myself wanting more. For example, there are no boss battles to speak of. And I had the entire thing beat in less than a few short hours. For $4.99, I would expect a little more bang for my buck. But if you're itching for a reflex-driven, running platformer, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz might be just the game you've been craving. It arrives for North American gamers on November 1st.