I’m the happy with proprietor of an achievement for the Xbox 360 launch of Super Meat Boy the place the goal is to full a complete chapter with out dying. It’s one thing that I convey up at any time when potential, as a testomony to my ability and dedication to mastering some of the irritating (and satisfying) trendy platformers of a technology.
So when the chance to hop into a demo of Super Meat Boy 3D arose at this yr’s gamescom, I had to do it. Would this be a superb return to type for me, or a devastating fall from grace? Does this totally absurd, high-speed, high-stakes sport work as properly in a three-dimensional setting?
The demo would have me consider that the reply is a resounding sure. Meat Boy’s plight is acquainted – he’s on a mission to save Bandage Lady from the clutches of Dr Fetus, and every degree provides a slight uptick in issue as Meat Boy’s girlfriend is swept away every time.
Taking management of Meat Boy once more, even in his new, squidgy, 3D type, ignited the muscle reminiscence of driving a bike – he strikes in a very comparable approach to the unique sport and inside a few ranges I used to be hopping, sprinting, wall-running and naturally, perishing like a professional. If these controls are lodged deep inside a a part of your thoughts, it’s going to really feel splendidly nostalgic, however don’t fret in the event that they’re not – all the things nonetheless feels intuitive and responsive, one other trick the unique pulled off.
Nonetheless, not like the unique, the 3D ingredient provides new layers of depth to every degree – in addition to shifting up, down, left and proper, Meat Boy now strikes forwards, backwards, diagonally – having to think about depth notion at warp velocity nearly makes Super Meat Boy 3D really feel like a wholly completely different sport. Precision is totally key in these moments, however there’s a forgiving ingredient – a circle beneath Meat Boy will mark the place he’s about to land on a floor, making these further dangerous leaps a little simpler to calculate.
Every degree is an impediment course, and your aim is to get from the beginning to the tip. Easy in concept, however there’s a brutal buffet of disruptive, violent limitations between you and your misplaced girlfriend. It’s not simply tough jumps and avoiding falls – simply the opening ranges had me dodging chainsaw-wielding robots, big, poisonous cubes of slime stuffed with eyeballs, and Meat Boy’s well-known shifting wall saws, to identify a few. Whereas some hurdles felt seen sufficient to put together for, others took me by complete, annoying shock (and killed me immediately). Getting your butt kicked and studying for subsequent time is what made Super Meat Boy so rewarding to conquer – and that masterclass is introduced again for you to retake right here.
And whereas a few of that is new, it wouldn’t remotely really feel misplaced if it have been squashed down into 2D type and positioned inside the unique sport, which appears like a testomony to how developer Sluggerfly is preserving the authenticity of Super Meat Boy.
Super Meat Boy 3D additionally seems to be nice, these environment – from dreamy inexperienced platforms to harsh industrial caverns – really feel acquainted in how they’re designed, however with a trendy, trendy aptitude. This new artwork model offers alternative for enjoyable new animation that actually brings the characters and environments to life – squirrels operating round with weapons, lava spewing down partitions, and naturally, many extra visceral methods during which Meat Boy can meet a swift finish.
All of the swagger and angle of the unique Super Meat Boy is current right here – and it feels as if Super Meat Boy 3D is constructed to iterate on its predecessor, not outperform it. That mentioned, in the event you’ve by no means performed the unique, that doesn’t matter right here – the premise is evident, and these opening ranges are designed to welcome newcomers into Meat Boy’s bizarre, unforgiving world, however the initiation gained’t be straightforward. The demo is respectfully saying “welcome again to Meat Boy”, however there’s sufficient new concepts right here to make it actually really feel like a successor price taking part in, in the event you can deal with the frustration.