Super Meat Boy! – Review

There are rare moments when I wish that I wasn’t involved in gaming journalism. My experience with Super Meat Boy! was one of these times. Now, before you go and get your thongs in a twist, let me explain; it’s not that I hated or even disliked the game in the slightest – far from it. I was simply terrified that I was actually going to have to play this game, nay, beat, then review it. You see, Meat Boy has held a special place in my heart for some time; I’ve been close enough to the source to see its progression. This meant that I knew exactly what I was in for… and God damn, was it intimidating.

 

For those of you who haven’t been following the previews and development, first let me say shame, and that if you ever want to carry the title of “gamer,” then go buy this game. Super Meat Boy! is a labor of love put together by the three man team, aptly monikered simply as Team Meat. The team consists of Ed McMillen, artist extraordinaire, and wunderkind programmer Tommy Refenes. Now, somewhere along the way they met up with friend of the site and musical genius (no, I’m not that much in his pocket, I’m dead serious) Danny “B” Baranowsky, and together they embarked on a journey to make the little throwback platformer that could. These days the word “retro” is thrown around just as much as the term “art” in the gaming world, but SMB is the first one I’ve seen that gets it right.

Super Meat Boy! tells the tale of one lovable (and infuriating) little bastard known as Meat Boy, as he quests to save his beloved Bandage Girl from the clutches of the nefarious Dr. Fetus. Not much to it, but what lacks in story it makes up for in gameplay bliss. Taking the very best it could find in the way 80s and 90s platforming, SMB! sticks to the basics of precision jumping, spot-on controls, and an undiluted dose of fun. A rarity in today’s gaming world, Team Meat actually took the time to break down the fundamentals of gameplay and what the arcade era did right. It’s something that they spell out quite eloquently in several press releases, but it’s not to the level of detail you’ll truly appreciate ’til you get to sit down with the game.

Getting back to what some may call my irrational fear to play, SMB! is HARD. It’s really, really hard! With a murderous learning curve and levels inspired from one of Clive Barker’s wet dreams, it was not an easy pill to swallow. What’s worse is that after only a few seconds of hands-on experience, you come to recognize the craftsmanship put into physics, controls, and level design. Meaning that when you screw up… it’s your own fault. I think this is where my fear came in. I can honestly say that I had no clue if I was good enough to beat it and I didn’t want to be the guy who reviews a game based on ten minutes of play time (*cough* Jim Sterling *cough* Halo Wars).

So I have to tell you as that I write this, I still have yet to beat the game’s final stage… sigh. At least it feels good, to be honest. Regardless, I’ve played enough to give you my opinion and a verdict, and I don’t believe one level is going to change that much of it. I’ve been playing this game almost exclusively now for nearly a week, and have only completed the game to about 40%, which should give you an indication of just how expansive the Meat Boy world is.

The main quest has 7 full chapters consisting of around 20 “light world” levels. You’ll need to beat most of them to unlock the boss battle before you move on to the next chapter. Now, in a few levels you’ll find special warp zones and “glitch” levels, each unique and at times showcasing what I like to call “Meat Boy through the ages.” There are NES-style levels, as well as SNES and GAMEBOY ones, and a few other surprises that I’ll keep out of this review. It’s needless to say, but they’re worth looking for. On top of all this, each “light world” level will give way to a Hellish incarnation of itself, should you start to believe that you’re better than the game. I’ve taken on a decent amount of these “dark world” levels, and have been humbled. They are not for the faint of heart. If all that was not enough, should you buy the XBLA version, the game comes with 20 free DLC levels labeled as “Teh internets.” These… sigh… I won’t even describe.

Another huge win for you out there trying to get the most bang for your buck, comes in the form of 12 unlockable characters – each with their own “special move” or characteristics that drastically change the way you’ll approach a level. These cats can be unlocked through defeating special warps in the game, or through the collection of the sadistically-placed bandages throughout the levels. I haven’t even unlocked half, but the roster includes Gish, Jill from Might Jill Off, the Pink Knight from Castle Crashers, the Flywrentch from Flywrench, and a slew of other indie game heroes.

I’d love to really go into talking about the soundtrack, but I’ll keep it short to avoid it sounding like more pandering to Danny B than I already do. Let me just say that the level of detail and precision in the game compares perfectly to the effort put into the soundtrack. I know first-hand that great lengths were gone to ensure that only original sounds from classic eras were used in composing parts of the game. And for those out there who simply place the soundtrack in the realm of chiptunes, I can’t wait for you to be silenced by the epic orchestrated tracks from the latter half of the game. We’ll probably have our interview with Danny up this week, so I’ll leave it with this… Meat Boy music good. Really good. Still humming.

I think that by now you’ve gathered that I really enjoy and appreciate this game. It’s a welcome change to all the “triple A”, over-hyped, and over-produced games currently flooding the market. I believe I was even once quoted as saying that I was having trouble finding anything that I disliked about the game. This has changed, somewhat, as Super Meat Boy! is not perfect. But I can’t lie and say a lot of my gripes aren’t going to come across as nit-picking.

First, I was incredibly happy with the variation in the boss levels, each one felt unique and interesting and inclusive to the game’s core design. That is, all except the Chapter 4 “Hell Boss,” whom I’m told a lot of people liked. To me, this boss felt like a detraction to the game, one that for the first time, took me out of the game’s over all experience. It just felt out of sorts. Whereas the other bosses were symbiotic to the level, this one felt like a copout. Not to give much away, but the boss battle relies heavily on memorization and trial and error. It’s not based on skill, precision, and fast reflexes; rather, it takes a very “Demon Souls / Limbo” approach and forces you to unnecessarily die dozens of times before allowing you to figure out its game. I don’t want to take anything away from “Limbo” or “Demon Souls;” the trial and error mechanics work fine there because a precedent was set. In SMB!, it’s not.

My second and third gripes come in the way of the game’s multiplayer, or lack thereof, elements. After completing the Chapter 3 boss battle, one in which you race against an opponent of equal Meat Boy abilities, I began longing for a mode in which players could race and sabotage one another in competitive play. When I say sabotage, I don’t mean give out turtle shells and let the players start learning to deal with projectiles, but simply by getting in the opposing player’s way, you make jumping and running incredibly tricky. The other part of my multiplayer gripe comes from the time recording system. This one is more of a glitch, but it annoyed me nonetheless, as the game records your times and posts them against both your friends and the world. It’s only happened to me once, but has happened a lot to a few friends, where you’ll find both your thumbs and mind acting as one to master a level in what is sure to be record time, only to discover that your shot at glory has been ruined. Ruined by an annoying game glitch that causes another “unworthy” player to have gotten a 0.0 time. BAH, again, I’m nit-picking.

I’m gonna wrap this up before it gets any longer; I’m already keeping our editor up well past her bed time. Super Meat Boy! is an incredible achievement in every way. From the soundtrack, to the controls and core design. And when you compare its level of excellence compiled from a three man team to that of even the larger indie developers, the victory becomes even sweeter. The game has its faults, and I thought I was developing Tourette’s for how many swear words I’ve uttered on the first level alone, but it’s never not fun. Not once had I looked at it with anything other than admiration. I hope that one day it becomes a household name, or at least a gamershold name, that rivals some of the old kings like Sonic, Mario, and Rockman. It’s that good.