![]() While hitting a wall in a normal stage would sometimes make me want to get up, take a walk, and regroup, getting to the end of a boss battle and hitting a cheap death made me want to turn the game off entirely. However, unlike the standard stages, players have to complete these fights in a single go. The boss battles are designed with the same sort of philosophy as the standard stages, utilizing tricky, but not impossible, gameplay ideas. One of the sole instances where Super Meat Boy Forever drags is with the boss battles. That made the game feel refreshing in many ways and made me want to explore further beyond the main story, including the parallel "Dark World" stages. ![]() Success isn't about memorizing stage layouts, it's about recognizing your own tools and how to use them. The other thing to note is that Super Meat Boy Forever's stages are procedurally generated, pulling from a pool of thousands of sequences. A friendly checkpoint system also encouraged me to return for more punishment, since it meant that an untimely death wouldn't force me to repeat a full brutal stretch of obstacles back-to-back. That made it more likely that I would throw my controller by the 30 or 40th death, but it also made me want to keep coming back for more. There are no unfair "RNG" elements or cheap enemy design. It's entirely possible to make it through every obstacle in the game, as everything ultimately comes down to timing and reflexes. ![]() On top of that, Team Meat's obstacle placement and level design is downright dastardly without being unfair. The game is very friendly about teaching players what they can do and how their moves can help them reach the end of each stage. Super Meat Boy Forever's stages introduce new mechanics and obstacles frequently, but none of it feels overwhelming. In fact, it still has that level of difficult platforming that makes you want to pull your hair out by the roots, mainly thanks to the series' usage of one-hit kills. While that might be disappointing to some Meat Boy purists, that doesn't mean this game is easy. Players are restricted to jumping, punching, and sliding. However, this is actually an auto-runner, meaning Meat Boy (or Bandage Girl or over a dozen other unlockable characters) moves automatically. ![]() Some might have come into Super Meat Boy Forever expecting a platformer more in line with its predecessor. The cutscenes often come between worlds and they're a worthwhile reward for surviving the game's brutal (in a good way) level design. I can't express the joy I felt at seeing Team Meat's homage to the iconic Super Mario RPG opening scene. It's the kind of thing that would fit in perfectly on Adult Swim while also appealing to long-time gamers. The animated cutscenes feel like they're taken from a cartoon series, unfolding like a silent film and expressing both down-to-earth characters and slapstick comedy. Fetus strolls onto the scene, beats them both up, and steals Nugget.Īlright, that's doesn't sound so whimsical, but the animation certainly fits that description. Meat Boy and Bandage Girl have settled down after the events of the original Super Meat Boy and are now raising a child named Nugget. I wasn't expecting Super Meat Boy Forever's story to be charming, but there was something almost whimsical about the narrative. While it's not the Meat Boy that everyone's used to, it's still a tough challenge in its own right and one that's worth taking. However, Team Meat had a surprise for everyone, releasing Super Meat Boy Forever days before the Christmas holiday. The wait was so long, it started to feel like the "Forever" in the title was a reference to the game's development cycle. Super Meat Boy Forever's release was a long time coming.
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