Super Meat Boy | legendarygaming

Super Meat Boy

Playstation 4 Version

Adding to the growing population of downloadable arcade titles is Super Meat Boy, a comically driven platforming game with a knack for not taking itself too seriously. The gameplay of Super Meat Boy isn’t exactly unique, with players simply having to navigate themselves through various levels of booby trap ridden areas primarily equipped with the help of a standard jump button. Despite the fact that Super Meat Boy has decent gameplay, the game unfortunately doesn’t offer players much more than a standard platforming experience that can generally be found throughout the 2D platforming genre.

The story of Super Meat Boy, if it should even be labeled as such, is extremely simplistic. Meatboy’s girlfriend, Bandage Girl, has been kidnapped by an evil entity only known as Dr. Fetus, and the majority of the game features Meatboy simply trying to reunite with Bandage Girl. The goal of every level, besides boss battles and the world featuring a playable Bandage Girl, simply require the player to navigate obstacles and locate Bandage Girl. Each time Meatboy reaches Bandage Girl at the end of a level, however, she is instantaneously kidnapped by Dr. Fetus, causing the cycle of the game to continue.

Although the gameplay mechanics of Super Meat Boy are relatively solid, they aren’t unique to the platforming genre. Beating the game was relatively easy, and I was able to breeze through the entire game in just a day or two. Although I’ve been playing platforming titles for well over twenty years, I can certainly say that many of the core campaigns levels are more visually intimidating than they are difficult to navigate through. Experienced players may take a look at some of the games later areas with over a dozen buzz saws lingering through the map and get the sense that the level is extremely difficult… But what I can say, at least based on my experience with the game, is that I was able to navigate some of these (seemingly) difficult levels in a matter of seconds after the perfection of a few key areas.

Indeed, many of Super Meat Boys levels are surprisingly easy to navigate, despite the intimidating first impression that later areas may offer, but that doesn’t mean the game is absent of all challenge. Later on in the game players are able to play as Bandage Girl, and many of her levels are worthy of being called difficult. In addition to the Bandage Girl levels, players can also unlock levels in the Dark World by completing standard levels with an A+ ranking. The Dark World enters players into a modified version of standard levels with a higher spike in difficulty. Many of the earlier Dark World levels in the game I was able to breeze through, but these levels get more challenging as you progress through each world, just as standard campaign levels do.

Similar to other platforming titles, Super Meat Boy features full length boss battles at the end of each world. The majority of these battles are both exciting, as well as challenging, featuring some interesting characters to take down. Like many of the games levels, however, the majority of these battles simply will not leave a lasting impression. When I think epic boss battles, one of the very first things that comes to mind is the spectacular fight against RAAM in Gears of War. Sure, comparing a game like Gears of War to Super Meat Boy may be a little unfair, but that doesn’t negate the idea that Super Meat Boys bosses are forgettable encounters against entities that have no apparent connection to the overall story of the game.

Super Meat Boy definitely has its cute moments and some decent gameplay. Players who are experienced with platforming may find the games level design overly simplistic and basic at a technical level, although that doesn’t necessarily negate the games overall fun factor… But even though Super Meat Boy can be periodically enjoyable, the lack of creativity and simplistic framework of the game ultimately ends up making Super Meat Boy feel like a cardboard cutout 2D platforming game. That’s not to say that Super Meat Boy is a horrible, because it’s not… But the only thing I can say having played dozens of titles far too similar in structure is that I’ve simply been there and done that…

OVERALL RATING

6.9/10