Hand-drawn cutscenes tell the story of whichever character you choose: hapless Felix or lonely Felicity. The overall story is the same for both: a chance meeting on the way to delivering packages sets the game in motion, as they agree to meet at the pier for ice cream the next day. When the day arrives, both have to rush across town (on foot, because they're broke) to meet on time and avoid a giant rainstorm.
As you run across the level, the rainstorm follows closely behind you as a discrete wall of water, which actually destroys the world as it crosses, and imparts constant pressure for you to keep moving. Your character runs automatically in your chosen direction, and can speed up through frequent D-pad taps. He or she also has a double jump and a "grind" move that knocks enemies out. In addition to these abilities, your character has (depending on the level) either a Kirby Canvas Curse line-drawing ability that allows you to streamline your path, or a grappling hook that works by shooting in the direction you point with the stylus and latching on to any platforms it encounters. As you traverse the levels, you pick up flowers and perform tricks (by holding up while in a double jump) to earn points, or, in the game's framing, to impress your date. Enemies -- mostly businessmen standing around -- and hazards slow you down temporarily, but don't hurt you. The temporary delay is incentive enough to avoid or defeat them, since the world is constantly ending behind you.
Between levels, Felix and Felicity will chat on the phone about the upcoming challenges, with a lot of cute, self-aware nods thrown in -- at one point, Felix thanks Felicity for explaining the upcoming level, and "this is a videogame" is given as an explanation for the fruit left behind by defeated businessmen.
After three "running" stages, all with different goals ranging from item collection to a race against a guy named "Froseph O'Hat" (he promised to give Felix girl advice if defeated), I got to play a "grappling" stage, in which you must constantly swing upward toward the goal. The direct upward motion made it feel more like a Legend of Kage than a Bionic Commando, though I don't think I've ever played anything exactly like this before.
At heart, The Chase is an updated take on Sonic the Hedgehog, with a few stylus-based twists. Combine that with the strange romantic comedy angle and The Chase could turn out to be something special indeed. I just hope that Atari can figure out how to communicate to the masses that it isn't some kind of licensed kids' game, which is kind of what it looks like at first glance.
