Psychonauts, Spelunky, and Portal 2 characters join the cast of Runner 2

runner2

Nothing says “indie” quite like breaking down the walls of copyright and adding a bunch of characters from games you had no hand in making. And wouldn't you know it, Gaijin Games is doing just that with their cardiovascular improvement simulator, BIT.TRIP Presents: Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien or "Runner 2" for those who need to work on their lung capacity.

Those who drop $3 for the “Good Friends Character Pack” will have access to Psychonauts' Raz, Cave Story's Quote, Machinarium's Josef, Super Meat Boy's Dr. Fetus, Portal 2's Atlas (who's Steam exclusive), Bit.Trip's invisible Commander Video, and Spelunky's, er, Spelunky Guy.

We're a little bummed that the DLC doesn't offer new levels of some kind, but it's hard to complain about anything when it's a paltry $3, which, as developer Dant Rambo notes, is less than "a bag of hot dog chips ." Still, here's hoping we get some new levels to break in this new cast somewhere in the near future. In the meantime, why don't you watch these character introductions narrated by none other than Charles Martinet, aka, the voice of Mario. Yes, that Mario.