Team Meat has brought a fast paced platformer to Xbox gamers. Super Meat Boy is said platformer. This 2D downloadable title provides players with a new challenge presented in an old style. The game revolves around the hero Super Meat Boy trying to save his beloved girlfriend who was so abruptly taken from him by Dr. Fetus. Dr. Fetus is a fetus in a jar wearing a tuxedo. He is quite the devious villain. From here Super Meat Boy must carefully navigate deadly levels in order to reach his love.
HOT
Precise Platforming
Super Meat Boy’s gameplay consists of platforming in its purest form. The level layouts are intricate and sometimes unforgiving. This game requires that the player be as precise as possible. Luckily the game’s tight controls allow for these tremendous feats to be pulled off. Super Meat Boy is capable of some incredible acrobatic maneuvers. One second he’s diving through saw blades and the next he’s wall jumping up narrow pathways. These actions wouldn’t be as impressive if it weren’t the speed and precision that take place in order to complete levels in record time. It’s hard to take your finger off of the right trigger (it makes the character move faster) since the jumps and dodges are more rewarding at full sprint. Not to mention it helps your chances of placing on the leaderboards. This speed will inevitably lead to unfortunate deaths. The levels are covered from start to finish in traps to thwart Super Meat Boy’s efforts and rest assured they will succeed often. In one level the obstacles and enemies are all silhouettes which adds a new experience to the game. Players must distinguish one hit kill points from legitimate areas to touch base on before jumping to the next. It is when the player finally overcomes these deadly items and succeeds that victory tastes so sweet.
Art Style
The XBLA game contains simplistic visuals, but it is within these vibrant visuals that the graphics of an earlier time are found. The nostalgia is of course welcome. The cinematics are the quality of what you’d find in your basic flash game while the level designs look like they were modeled to be on the NES. The appearance isn’t the only callback to older games as cinematics include references that many long time gamers should recognize. Diving a little further into the level design gamers will find plenty of variety between chapters. The salt factory blends steel, glass and piles of salt all laid throughout twisting paths. Later on the very depths of Hell will set the stage for Super Meat Boy’s obstacle course. Your eyes will always have some new piece of candy to look at with the constantly changing settings.
Soundtrack
Do you like epic, random keyboard solos? You should. That is only one part of the magnificent music in the game. It features 16-bit horror music which fits perfectly with the nostalgic appearance along with the desperate and deadly settings.
Price
$15 has become a common price for many downloadable titles, but unfortunately not many are worth that amount. Super Meat Boy doesn’t fall into that category. It is well worth the price tag since it includes over 130 levels which continue long after the main story. There are also different characters that can be unlocked each with their own unique abilities. Tim from Braid can take a shot at these levels and has even retained his ability to rewind time. Many will recognize Alien Hominid whose ability is shooting downwards to slow his decent. The amount of content available provides plenty of replay incentive justifying the price point.
NOT
Difficulty
This is not a game that everyone will pick up and enjoy. To appreciate this game one must have patience and skill in general. Super Meat Boy demands the ultimate precision and reaction time. Don’t be surprised to see yourself go through literally thousands of lives before completing the game. Some levels seem to require more luck than skill at certain points, but the completion of each is just as rewarding as the last once you finally conquer it. Those who find themselves ragequitting many games after short periods of time shouldn’t invest in this game since it can become repetitive with trial and error until a method finally works out.
VERDICT
Super Meat Boy is definitely one of the best platformers to come out lately. The gameplay is brutal, challenging and fast paced. It can become very addicting as the player tries to achieve that A+ rank in every level. The sheer amount of content is outstanding for an arcade game. Combine that with the beautifully simplistic level design and there is a lot to enjoy here. Unfortunately, some people may be unable to see its brilliance due to its level of difficulty. For those unsure of where their patience levels lay be sure to try out the demo to get a feel for it first. For those looking for a challenge don’t pass this game up.
[Editor’s Note: Super Meat Boy was reviewed on the Xbox 360 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
