There are two genres of computer games that I hold near and dear to my heart: adventure games a la LucasArts, and ridiculously difficult platformers, a la Super Meat Boy. As you've probably guessed, Super Meat Boy is a tougher than nails platformer, and it is one of my most played games of all time. It started as a flash game, and evolved into this critically acclaimed indie phenomenon.
In Super Meat Boy, you play as (you guessed it), Meat Boy, in his eternal attempt to rescue his girlfriend Bandage Girl (I guess Band-Aid Girl would infringe copyrights) from the evil Dr. Fetus. Your eternal adventure will see you through 260+ levels of jumping onto tiny platforms, through series of razor saw blades, and homing missile launchers, all magnificently designed, and just under half of those are borderline impossible. Many people would see this as a bad thing, but with the ridiculous challenge comes an unprecedented feeling of accomplishment when you finally win after spending four hours on a single level.
From a control standpoint, Super Meat Boy is one of the best games I have ever played. The controls are tight and responsive, and it's child's play to maneuver Meat Boy through tiny gaps in dozens of giant spinning saw blades. Well, not quite child's play, you still need the precision of a surgeon to be able to beat any of the end game levels.
The graphics are pretty good too, but I have seen better. They are clean and crisp, and they really get the point across. They also convey the brutality of a boy without skin falling into a razorblade quite well. The retro warp zones' pixel art graphics convey a feeling of nostalgia from the eras of arcade boxes and the SNES.
The music is another strong point for the game. The catchy chiptune melodies in the forest and the hospital (especially the hospital) will stick in your head and never, ever, ever let go. The driving rock music in rapture and hell emphasizes the excitement and intensity of what's going on on screen.
Replayability is one of the games strongest points. I've played for 21 hours, and I'm less than halfway done. Then again, my progress was wiped when I was at about 8 hours of time, but that didn't slow me down much. Once you get into the later levels that take ~20 minutes each to finish, and there's 80 of them, you get an idea of how long the game will last. Add in the bandages that you can collect in game to unlock characters, and secret levels that also can unlock characters, you have a game that will last a long, long time.
Let me make this clear: if (and when) you play Super Meat Boy, you will die. Many, many, many times. But don't let that deter you, the only punishment for death is to restart the level, and most levels are around 30 seconds long. Super Meat Boy may be frustratingly difficult, but it's not punishingly difficult. The brilliant level design and instantaneous respawn time let you keep trying and trying until you finally beat that level, and then you get to a level that's even harder.
It should be abundantly clear by now that Super Meat Boy is a must buy if you've ever enjoyed a platforming game. For only $15, you get what will probably end up being 30 hours or more of game time. Add to that the catchy music and nostalgic graphics and you get a game that should be bought by anyone who's looking for a challenge.
In Super Meat Boy, you play as (you guessed it), Meat Boy, in his eternal attempt to rescue his girlfriend Bandage Girl (I guess Band-Aid Girl would infringe copyrights) from the evil Dr. Fetus. Your eternal adventure will see you through 260+ levels of jumping onto tiny platforms, through series of razor saw blades, and homing missile launchers, all magnificently designed, and just under half of those are borderline impossible. Many people would see this as a bad thing, but with the ridiculous challenge comes an unprecedented feeling of accomplishment when you finally win after spending four hours on a single level.
From a control standpoint, Super Meat Boy is one of the best games I have ever played. The controls are tight and responsive, and it's child's play to maneuver Meat Boy through tiny gaps in dozens of giant spinning saw blades. Well, not quite child's play, you still need the precision of a surgeon to be able to beat any of the end game levels.
The graphics are pretty good too, but I have seen better. They are clean and crisp, and they really get the point across. They also convey the brutality of a boy without skin falling into a razorblade quite well. The retro warp zones' pixel art graphics convey a feeling of nostalgia from the eras of arcade boxes and the SNES.
The music is another strong point for the game. The catchy chiptune melodies in the forest and the hospital (especially the hospital) will stick in your head and never, ever, ever let go. The driving rock music in rapture and hell emphasizes the excitement and intensity of what's going on on screen.
Replayability is one of the games strongest points. I've played for 21 hours, and I'm less than halfway done. Then again, my progress was wiped when I was at about 8 hours of time, but that didn't slow me down much. Once you get into the later levels that take ~20 minutes each to finish, and there's 80 of them, you get an idea of how long the game will last. Add in the bandages that you can collect in game to unlock characters, and secret levels that also can unlock characters, you have a game that will last a long, long time.
Let me make this clear: if (and when) you play Super Meat Boy, you will die. Many, many, many times. But don't let that deter you, the only punishment for death is to restart the level, and most levels are around 30 seconds long. Super Meat Boy may be frustratingly difficult, but it's not punishingly difficult. The brilliant level design and instantaneous respawn time let you keep trying and trying until you finally beat that level, and then you get to a level that's even harder.
It should be abundantly clear by now that Super Meat Boy is a must buy if you've ever enjoyed a platforming game. For only $15, you get what will probably end up being 30 hours or more of game time. Add to that the catchy music and nostalgic graphics and you get a game that should be bought by anyone who's looking for a challenge.