Super Meat Boy (XBLA) Review
Posted by Adam Larck on 10.19.2010
Many Meat Boys died to bring you this review, so check it out inside.
Title: Super Meat Boy
Publisher: Xbox LIVE Arcade
Developer: Team Meat
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1
Rated: T for Teen
About halfway through Super Meat Boy, one word popped into my head that best describes this game: sadistic. This game wants you to die.
In fact, its main goal is to have you die over and over again while trying to beat one small part of a level, only to have you die again a few seconds later. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this may be one of the best platformers on XBLA.
Let me back up a bit, and fill people in about the game. Originally, Meat Boy was a simple flash game on NewGrounds. It had players performing nearly impossible jumps around obstacles to rescue Bandage Girl in each level, only to have Dr. Fetus (yes, an actual fetus in a jar wearing a tux) steal her away.
The game got a huge cult following, and actually spawned somewhat of an expansion game consisting entirely of user-created levels. The success of the game eventually led to Team Meat making this sequel for consoles.
The game still revolves around the same mechanics it did when it first released. Players have to guide Meat Boy over and around saw blades, needles, salt and more. This is done by launching him off walls to clear small gaps, and often results in quite a bit of trial and error.
This brings me back to what I said earlier about the game, it’s sadistic. The levels start off simple enough, but by the end of the first level it already shows glimpses of how hard the game will get. Yet, you never get a good feel for how hard the game will get until you hit Hell, Rapture and The End.
In fact, I’m still stuck on Omega (the next to the last level) and can honestly say it may be days or weeks before I finally beat it. I have the first half of the level completely memorized, but the last half has some parts I haven’t quite figured out how to get around yet.
But, I think this is what a lot of the fun in this game revolves around. It’s not a game you can breeze through, you actually need to plan ahead what you’re going to do, and then rethink what to do if you happen to die. The levels aren’t impossible; they just take quite a bit of skill and planning to finally beat.
SMB has six chapters: Forest, Hospital, Salt Factory, Hell, Rapture and End. They all start with a parody intro from another game, like the Adventures of Lolo, Pokémon, Mega Man 2 and more. Each level, except for the End, has 20 stages and a boss. The End has five and a boss.
There's also an unlockable chapter called Teh Internets that the team plans to update with new levels when the game releases. You get the chapter by collecting 20 bandages, and it features some of the better made levels from the PC version that other players make.
Bandages can also be used to unlock new characters from other Indie games to use, such as Gish, Fly Wrench, Spelunky and more. These characters can also be unlocked from Warp Zones you can find in some levels.
There are two types of Warp Zones to find: one that has you using a new character to beat levels, and one that has you beating three levels with an old-school graphic style. The first type can introduce characters such as The Commander from Bit.Trip and The Kid from I Wanna Be the Guy and has you use them for three levels. I may never get the Kid, I found out, because his level is worse than even the normal ones. No surprise considering his game, but the first level alone is lined with spikes on every wall.
The second type of Warp Zone gives Meat Boy three lives per stage to beat levels with retro graphics from Nintendo Games or even Game Boy Games.
The new characters you can get can be used in most levels, and usually have a new ability like sticking to walls, floating, double jump and more. I personally like The Commander. While he’s a bit slower, his hover ability has gotten me out of many situations that would have ended in death.
After beating a level, you’ll sometimes get an +A ranking if you beat the level under par time. This unlocks a Dark World version of the level, which is the same level with a lot more traps and other ways to die.
Also shown at the end of the level is a replay that shows off every death you had in the level, along with the one character that made it all the way. Some levels later on literally had dozens of Meat Boys launching around meeting various fates while the final one made it to the end.
As I mentioned earlier, each light world chapter has a boss for players to take on, but, being Meat Boy, you don’t actually battle them. You often run away from them trying to get to the end of the level, or lead them into traps that will make bosses beat themselves. These stages actually require a different thinking process, as sometimes the goal isn’t to survive by making it to the end, but to figure out how to get rid of the boss.
While each chapter normally introduces a new kind of trap that can kill you, one chapter actually introduces a new mechanic to use. Chapter 5 brings in anti-gravity balls to push you around. These are often used to hover between long gaps, but the game also likes to use them to push you towards traps.
The graphics are as simple as they were on NewGrounds. While they are in HD, you don’t really need an HDTV to appreciate them. The levels also vary a good amount in each chapter, and you’ll always want to see what traps you have to overcome next.
The game also does a great job with sound. It’s simple, like something you could have heard in an old-school game, but it fits the mood of SMB really well.
Pros
Lot of levels to play in game.
Various characters give options of how to take on levels.
Game offers a great challenge for people that want to beat everything.
Cons
Some players may get turned off quick by the difficulty.
Can sometimes get stuck on levels for quite a while.
Some characters many players will never be able to get.
The 411:
Super Meat Boy may turn many players off with its difficulty, but that’s really one of the best points about this game. It may be one of the best platforming games out there for XBLA, and it would be a shame to miss out on it. Even if you’re unsure if the difficulty is for you, at least check out the trial of the game to see some platforming action at its finest.
Graphics
8.5
The simple graphics really give the game a retro feel, as does some of the warp zones, which is great.
Gameplay
9.5
This is probably some of the best platforming that is out there. It offers a great challenge, but yet can still be beaten after finally understanding what the level wants.
Sound
8.0
The soundtrack really fits the hectic, pushing mood of the game, and never got stale as I pushed through levels.
Lasting Appeal
9.0
The game already has about 300 levels to beat, not counting the new levels that will be added through Teh Internet eventually.
Fun Factor
8.5
I never stopped having fun with this game. When I died, I knew it was my own fault, so I felt a sense of accomplishment when I finally beat a level.
