Super Meat Boy proudly wears it’s independent developer credibility on its sleeve, quite literally challenging anyone to take them on, while simultaneously inviting the ones they like to join in. And challenging is the right word, because Super Meat Boy is exactly that, offering one of the most brutally difficult, but absolutely rewarding experiences yet on the Xbox Live Arcade. By the time you are done with this game, either from beating it or simply giving up on it, you will have invented an entire dictionary worth of new profanities.

Super Meat Boy recounts the journey of the titular character, and his quest to save Bandage Girl from the misunderstood, but clearly evil Dr. Fetus. The characters are exactly as titled with the exception of maybe Dr. Fetus. He is actually a super smart fetus in a jar, so his name probably should have been something along the lines of Dr. Fetus in a Jar, if they wanted to get really explicit with their character names. Super Meat Boy and Bandage Girl on the other hand are exactly what they claim to be. Meat Boy is like the hero Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Meatwad wishes he could be, and Bandage Girl is a giant bandage, as near as I can tell.

The game is deceptively simple in it’s execution. Meatboy must make his way to the end of a level to save Bandage Girl by jumping onto platforms and off walls while dodging an absurd plethora of fatal pits, buzzsaws, piles of used syringes and the deadly salt, among dozens of other things.

More often than not, a level will take up no more that one screen. Actually getting to the end of any of the huge number of levels rarely takes anymore than about nine seconds, but factoring in the number of deaths that are nearly required for completing each level, you will be spending a lot more time on each level than you would probably care for.

Death is a big part of Super Meat Boy for a few reasons. For one, you spend a lot of time performing the act. When you hit a buzzsaw, or accidentally touch the fatal salt of the third world, the level immediately resets and Super Meat Boy starts all over again. There is no request to continue, or actual pause in the game, you just restart. Because of this fast restart, there is no penalty for dying other than not being able to complete the level. The developers took it one step further though, offering a cool sort of incentive for repetitious deaths. As you play a level and kill yourself hundreds of times (not an exaggeration in some of the later levels) the game records each attempt. When you finally are able to complete the level, every single one of those attempts are played back for you simultaneously. It’s a brilliant way to reward the player for all their mortal efforts, and the more times you die, the cooler the effect is.

There is a story, but it really amounts to nothing more than a good guy saves the girl from the bad guy narrative. The story is simple, but every level completion and introduction animation is absolutely entertaining, and often makes specific references to classic gaming.

There are all kinds of unlockables and extra levels available. Every stage in the game has a darker more difficult version that can be unlocked, and warps hidden throughout the game lead to aesthetically different levels that look they have been ripped straight from an original Game Boy cartridge, each complete with it’s own different spectacular start screen. Along with the additional levels, new characters can be unlocked, all of which have been pulled from games produced by other independent developers. Characters like Captain Video from the Bit.Trip series, or Tim from Braid are playable, and have different powers and abilities from that of Meat Boy. Discovering all the hidden characters, and their special powers, is a phenomenal incentive for tracking down the hidden levels, and grabbing the difficult to reach bandages, the currency of the game.

If there is any complaint to be had about Super Meat Boy, it would have to be the difficulty. It ramps up quickly, and can impede the overall fun factor of the game. At the same time though, it is very clear that this is exactly what the developers wanted the game to be. The game is not difficult because of poor hit detection, or unbalanced levels, it is hard because that is exactly what the developers wanted. Beating this game is a bragging right worthy of the NES era of games and it rarely even feels unfair. Your path is pretty clearly presented, and your obstacles are apparent, it’s just a matter of getting around them.

If there would is any reason not to recommend the game, it would have to be the challenge. If you have a penchant for breaking controllers, I cannot in good faith, for the sake of your bank account (because you will have to constantly buy new controllers) recommend this game. If you can appreciate all the other elements that make up a great game like music, style, gameplay, etc. then there is no reason not to insist that you grab some points to pick up Super Meat Boy immediately.

Amazing music, and inviting art style Entertaining cut scenes and animation throughout Worthy unlockables Responsive Controls that rarely act against the will of the player Incredibly difficult, sometimes at the expense of fun Quote: "If you have a penchant for breaking controllers, I cannot in good faith, for the sake of your bank account (because you will have to constantly buy new controllers) recommend this game. If you can appreciate all the other elements that make up a great game like music, style, gameplay, etc. then there is no reason not to insist that you grab some points to pick up Super Meat Boy immediately.." Reviewed by Kyle Hilliard | 10.26.10

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