The "Portal of 2010
VVVVVV is part platformer, part Metroidvania adventure, and all awesome. You play as a ship captain that has all of his crew teleported all over a foreign planet and must go save them. Your character has the power to flip gravity and uses this to navigate the game as opposed to jumping. You go and navigate form screen to screen looking for one of twenty "trinkets" in the game, which are the games secrets that unlock music and other goodies, till you eventually end up in sections, which are shown with funny V-based puns at the bottom of the screen, with unique rules when you are close to your crew. This is when the game becomes more of a platformer and less about navigating the world looking for secrets.
Everything about VVVVVV is retro from graphics, sound, the crazy Metroid-style map, and especially the difficulty. I died over a thousand times in my 3 hour playthough of the game, but only rarely did I feel frustrated. Every time you die it is just because that you missed time your flip or were doing the level wrong. Though many of the levels are challenging, only a few feel completely impossible, and those are rooms you can run past because they have optional "trinkets" in them (unless you are OCD about secrets like am). One of the reasons the game doesn't frustrate is the humor. The names of the levels and the fact that all 6 characters' names start with V (thus the name) kept me in a good mood, even when I died for the hundredth time.
The flipping mechanic in the game is great. Like in "Portal", it gives you one simple mechanic and does so much with it that you didn't even think was possible at the beginning of the game, from the bands that instantly change gravity, having a buddy you have to look after, and the last section, which is completely mind-blowing. The game keeps thowing new things at you the whole time, keeping you constantly entertained.
VVVVVV is a game that I recommend to anyone have hours of retro fun. Even though the game is only 3 hours long, it packs in more fun than most games do in there 10 hour run times and is well worth the 15$ price tag. All the things that make "Portal" great apply to VVVVVV. Both have amazing gameplay, great characters, awesome music, humor, and lots of charm. Anyone who is looking for a fun retro time, should definitely play this game!
