Well, since BonusEXP doesn't get a ton of viewers and I spend so much time here, I'm posting this review here as well. We don't give games scores at BonusEXP, but otherwise it's a pretty traditional review. The version of the review up on BonusEXP looks pretty nice with images and all, but so people will read it I'll post the entire body of the review here. I would use GB's review system but I don't think they want crossposted articles... Super Meat Boy was my second ever review copy of a game, and I've just put the review up for all to read. I'm more satisfied with this one than my Hydro Thunder Hurricane review, but I'd like to hear what the Giant Bomb community thinks :
"Super Meat Boy delivers pure action gameplay, epitomizing the philosophy of easy to learn and difficult to master. It's a high speed platformer that takes a middle route between N+'s bare bones presentation and Splosion Man's numerous cutscenes, slower pace, and elaborate 3D graphics. Super Meat Boy features very precise controls and a well managed difficulty curve which should allow gamers of moderate skill to enjoy the experience while expert gamers go for 100% completion. Veteran gamers will enjoy Super Meat Boy's nostalgic references and frugal gamers will appreciate the free levels that will be added after release. Super Meat Boy doesn't break any new ground in the genre but it is a well refined triumph of platforming excellence.
Super Meat Boy's gameplay is simple. Meat Boy can run and jump and move left or right. In addition to wall jumping, the game gives you generous air control and screen-spanning jumping distance. The challenges lie in correctly arcing a jump between giant saw blades or timing a wall jump to evade a rocket or steering yourself mid-fall to land on a platform. The speed of the game will require you to be extremely accurate at times, and it's often easy to overshoot a platform or run straight into a pool of lava before you can even react. Some levels also require some level of pre planning, puzzle solving, or memorization to complete.
Thankfully the controls are up to the task, both responsive and comfortable. I never once felt the controls were at fault for me dying, but I believe the game's incredible speed is responsible for many of my deaths. One welcome feature is the ability to run using the left or right triggers as opposed to the X button. Better still might have been an autorun toggle, as you'll spend most of your time in playing the game holding down one of these run buttons anyways.
The game contains more than 300 levels with more scheduled to be added free of charge within the unlockable Internets world. Each of the game's worlds requires you to complete 20 stages before facing off against a boss. Individual levels can be completed in seconds, but the more challenging ones will require dozens of retries. I sent Meat Boy to his death more than 3000 times in the process of reviewing the game, but finishing the main component of the game shouldn't require hundreds of deaths in any one level. Completing a level within a set time limit unlocks the 'dark world' version of that level. These dark world levels are cleverly redesigned with a different look and a stiffer challenge. Some stages include a hidden bandage item that can be picked up, requiring you to follow a more difficult path through the level. Warp zones can be found that unlock retro gaming stages, many of which require you to beat a series of stages with a limited number of lives. There are even brutally difficult 'minus world' stages that can be unlocked through secret means. It's a sign of the variety included in these levels that I completed more than 200 of them and am still interested in playing more of the game. I was never frustrated by the challenge of a level when playing Super Meat Boy nor did I feel any scenario was one I'd never be able to complete.
Collecting bandages and completing certain warp zones can unlock playable assist characters which have different control attributes than Meat Boy. There are a total of 15 of these characters, including indie game characters such as Gish, who slides down walls slower, and Commander Video, who can float in the air for a while. These unlockable characters are a nice addition but can't be used in all levels and their traits are not always exceedingly useful. Unlocking all the characters will be a very challenging task for the most dedicated players.
The game also includes a replay feature which allows you to view many of your failed attempts at clearing a level simultaneously. It's a nice touch but I found myself usually skipping the replay by accident because of the fast nature of the game.
Super Meat Boy contains no multiplayer modes, and while a competitive race mode could have been fun, I applaud the developers' choice to focus on a high quality single player experience as opposed to a multiplayer component which probably would have been abandoned within hours of the game's release.
Barring a handful of legitimately funny cutscenes, the story of Meat Boy attempting to rescue his girlfriend Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus serves only to add flavor to the experience. Meat Boy and crew will act out the intros from classic games such as Street Fighter 2, Castlevania, and Adventures of Lolo but the game does not rely much on these nostalgic hooks. Other cutscenes are filled with twisted dark humor. While the cutscenes are humorous and entertaining, the game only has a few minutes worth of this animated content. As in most ways, Super Meat Boy focuses on the gameplay.
Super Meat Boy's 2D graphical style is appealing and unique, yet simple. The game is filled with beautifully created parallax scrolling pixel art backdrops with tiny details such as dripping water, sparks, and forest wildlife that will run into giant buzz saws and burst into puffs of gore. There is a good variety in the environments which never feel slapped together and rarely overstay their welcome. You'll blast through backlit lava filled channels, sterile industrial wastelands, and moodily lit buildings. Dark world versions of levels feature altered lighting conditions while retro themed levels reproduce the look of classic platforms with uncanny accuracy. The graphical fidelity won't blow anyone away, but the style is appealing on its own merit.
The audio experience of Super Meat Boy includes music that is fast paced and catchy. Dark world levels feature variations to the light world themes while warp zones have a chiptune style to fit the classic look of those levels. Perhaps more importantly, the songs do not become abrasive while hearing them loop hundreds of times. Sound effects consist of a lot of simple splats, buzz saws, and some recognizable stock sound effects, but proximity volume adds some interest to the aural experience.
Super Meat Boy is a simple and addictive game, and like other well designed simple games, it is difficult to find any faults when the core components are this well implemented. SMB relies on eliminating distractions and letting players become one with Meat Boy. There are no inventory systems or power ups or Metroidvania style exploration. There are no dice rolls or experience points or health bars to decide the difference between winning and failure. Those are all enjoyable game mechanics when used in the right ways, but they wouldn't serve the simplicity of Super Meat Boy. This simplicity drives an obsessive perfectionism as you attempt to improve your own playing skills. It is a sign of the addictiveness of Super Meat Boy that when I went to take a bathroom break I noticed it was already 5AM. I returned to play another 2 hours.
Super Meat Boy will be released October 20th, 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft points and on PC, Mac, and Wiiware in the near future."
Super Meat Boy
Game » consists of 14 releases. Released Oct 20, 2010
When his beloved Bandage Girl is kidnapped by the evil Dr. Fetus, the diminutive yet plucky Meat Boy springs into action!
My review of Super Meat Boy
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