

There are more than 300 levels in all, most of them optional, and many of them are hidden.

The core mechanics and level design are absolutely superb in Super Meat Boy, and the wealth of content ensures you'll be playing this excellent platformer for quite a long time. This is an amazingly well designed game that avoids the frustration of failure by insulating you from your own aggravation. Finally, the extreme focus needed to pass these difficult stages ensures that your energy is zeroed in on completing your task rather than beating yourself up for falling short. Also, because levels usually last less than 30 seconds, even though you have to start from the beginning each time, you never have to retrace much ground. Although you die if any obstacle hits you, you do have infinite lives. The lack of extreme punishment also helps a lot. Each song also changes slightly, so even if you're stuck at a particularly wicked stage for an hour or more, the catchy riff never gets repetitive. The upbeat soundtrack does a great job of keeping your energy at a high level without ever distracting you from the carnage that lies ahead. The precise controls and imaginative level design go a long way toward alleviating any throw-your-controller reactions, but the reason frustration is avoided goes even deeper than that. Although you will inevitably be frustrated at times, Super Meat Boy goes a long way toward lessening your irritation. With failure such an expected occurrence, you might think this game is frustrating. When you reach the harder levels, you may end up dying a dozen times before you pass the first pit, and more than a hundred before you reach the end. Being able to conquer levels that previously seemed impossible is an exhilarating feeling, and the ease with which you become proficient is a testament to how precise the controls are and how meticulously designed the levels are.ĭeath is commonplace in Super Meat Boy. But once you figure out the timing to succeed, you can pull off even the toughest moves with a good degree of consistency. You may try and fail a few times, maybe even a few dozen times, without any idea what you're supposed to do. The first time you enter a level, you may be presented with a jump that seems impossible. One of the most impressive aspects of Super Meat Boy is how you learn and adapt while you play. There is a delicate balance on display that ensures you're pushed to the limits of your skill without becoming frustrated. The usual tricks you would expect in a 2D platformer are here-such as spinning saws, lava pits, and shooting blades-but they are positioned in such intelligent ways that the game is extremely challenging without ever feeling cheap. The level design in Super Meat Boy is absolutely stunning. The bosses are equipped with their own deadly weapons.

But because the game holds your hand early on, you build up the skills you need to tackle anything the tricky later levels throw at you. If Super Meat Boy started out harder, or if the difficulty spiked rapidly, it would serve as a slap in the face to all but the most determined players. The execution is brilliant because it introduces you to everything you need to know while giving you the confidence to overcome any obstacle that stands in your path. The difficulty curve is incredibly smooth, giving you a taste of upcoming dangers early on but making sure you can pass these stages without much trouble. You learn your basic moves in punishment-free levels to get accustomed to how your movement feels before the real trouble begins. Super Meat Boy is one of the most difficult games around, but it starts out innocently enough. Because he responds to your every command immediately, you can tear through levels as fast as Meat can run without worrying about the controls slowing you down.Īnd you need ultraprecise controls to get through the deadly dangers that await you. Super Meat Boy can sprint with the best of them, and though it might seem crazy to hurl yourself at breakneck speeds through these deadly traps, it's not a problem here. The extreme nimbleness of your character makes it a cinch to quickly leap straight up one wall, bounce smoothly between two adjacent ones, and even contort your trajectory in midair to avoid an obstacle while you make your ascent. The titular hero jumps with such precision that you're always in complete command of your actions.

Within seconds of diving into the first few levels of this daunting adventure, it's clear that your onscreen movement is amazingly responsive. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot'sĮverything in Super Meat Boy begins with the controls.
