Super Meat Boy

Netbook Game Review

Super Meat Boy is a classic tale we’ve seen many times. A living glob of meat has to rescue a girl made of bandages, who has been kidnapped by a monocle wearing fetus in a jar. Ok, maybe it’s not exactly “classic”,
but give it time and it will be.

It’s a retro platformer with nods to everything from Super Mario, to Ninja Gaiden, to Castlevania, to basically any great platformer from the early 90’s.

The story is pretty thin, but what little there is, is told through hilarious cut scenes that are worth the price of admission alone. The sound and visuals are both 100% retro, and done wonderfully.

Where the game really shines though, is the gameplay. Super Meat Boy is simple in concept. You’ll run, you’ll jump, you’ll slide around on walls, all pretty standard stuff. The challenge is in the level design, and trust me, the levels get ridiculously hard. The game goes from “that wasn’t so bad” to “WHY CAN’T I BEAT THIS???” in just a few levels, and it only gets worse from there. You WILL die a lot playing this game, but you’ll love every frustrating moment, because it’s worth it to feel the triumph of success when you finally get through a level that has been kicking your ass.

If you like platformers, and don’t mind a serious challenge, then I highly suggest you check out Super Meat Boy. Between the initial levels (each with a “dark world” counterpart that opens when you complete it within a certain time limit), the unique boss levels, the extremely retro and downright bizarre hidden warp levels, and the unlockable characters…there is a lot of “meat” in this game, and it’s cooked to perfection. You may occasionally pull some hair out in aggravation, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Super Meat Boy, 9.5 out of 10 based on 2 ratings