By: John C. Mayberry
Yeah, I know, sounds like the most bizarre anime title ever, doesn’t it? This game, however, is anything but. It however does have a certain Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-like vibe to it. A few parts parkour, a few more parts timing, patience, and good old-styled cartoon carnage, Super Meat Boy Forever for Nintendo Switch combines these elements as well as references to classic games for nostalgic value that seasoned gamers will spot right away. If you want a game with fast-paced action with great replay value, this is a game you never knew you needed in your life until your first playthrough.
Preceded by Meat Boy (2008) and Super Meat Boy (2010), this third installment revolves around the plot of Dr. Fetus (yeah, a baby in a mech wearing a black suit complete with what appears to be the stereotypical villain monocle, the furrowed eyebrow to remind you he’s the bad guy, in a top hat), kidnapping Nugget, the child of Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, who must then brave a series of lethal traps that would make even the Jigsaw killer cower in fear. Which, along with the game’s challenge level, players will sure be braving these traps over, and over, and over, and you get the idea from here, I think. Take it from somebody who has personally played a single level over 100 times before finally making it to the end. This unfortunately is also where Super Meat Boy Forever may fall short for some. The repeated being ground into Meat Boy sandwich spread and respawning process could be repetitive to some, increasing the chances they may just put the game down after a while out of boredom.
Is it a difficult game? Well, is E.T. still considered the worst video game in history? Is patience required? No, but it would be preferable. Is it ridiculous cartoonish fun-filled humor akin to an Adult Swim show? Yup! Aside from the very few items that may take away from the experience, Super Meat Boy Forever on Nintendo Switch deserves to be downloaded and played as much as possible. But after your first time playing it, you’ll find how hard it is to tear yourself away, so please. Do yourself, your eyes, bladder and your poor tendons a favor and take a break every now and then. Alright, now that that’s done with, go download this game and go nuts!
PROS:
Sharp and clean graphics – The game is very pleasing to look at, in all its impeccable cartoon graphics and animations that make this game memorable, which emphasize the comedic, noticeably more violent Looney Tunes vibe I get from this game.
Unlimited Lives – Thank goodness Team Meat decided to show us some mercy! As fast paced as this game is with all the traps you can think of, you’re going to turn Meat Boy into ground beef many, many times. Luckily, you can do this as many times as needed until you make it to the level’s end. So relax, if you find it funny to keep making Meat Boy go splat, knock yourselves out.
Comedic Factor – Emphasized by the cartoony visuals and soundtrack, the humor of the game some could say is reminiscent of something you might see on Cartoon Network’s infamous, and still very well-loved, Adult Swim lineup. Come on, don’t tell me the cartoon image of an evil baby in a mechanized suit flipping you the bird because you left it paused too long doesn’t sound funny to you…
Randomly generated levels – Every new run you start is different than the last, so no one level gives you the same experience and challenge as another. This adds replay value to an already addictingly fun game in the way that you need to adjust your strategic timing in different ways every time you play.
Easy on the hands – With its simplistic gameplay, the controls for Super Meat Boy Forever do not require the regular and constant pressing of various button combinations that will eventually do their damage on your digits without regular breaks. The approach taken here is using a single button to jump and dash through the obstacles of every level. Your thumbs will be forever in your debt.
Classic game references – Several references to classic games are seen throughout playing the game. Ranging things like recreations of classic cutscenes of 16-bit games down to the level map design which appears to be reminiscent of those in Super Mario Bros. 3. Other notable similarities to Mega Man and Super Mario Bros can be seen even in level design and gameplay.
CONS:
Difficulty level/Repetitive – Now, now, just be careful. Your Switch is innocent of the beefy onslaught of difficulty you are about to experience. It did nothing to deserve being tossed at your wall. The game is fast paced, which can admittedly make it tedious in timing your jumps and dashes perfectly. As funny as it is to hear that squishy little cube of beef go splat on the saw blades, it can get frustrating repeating the same death, in the same area, dozens of times or more. This may hurt the replay value since there are those gamers who will likely become impatient to the point that they stop playing the game altogether.
OVERALL RATING – 9.40 out of 10
A slight touch of adult humor (only the slightest, it is nothing, calm down) blended together with cartoon violence akin to something you might see if the Jigsaw killer crossed over into Looney Tunes, fast-paced gameplay that’s as entertaining as it is the root of deep-seeded rage for the more impatient audience, Super Meat Boy Forever for me succeeds on most levels. Difficulty level and repetition were really the only real issues I saw here, which, in my personal experience anyhow, is not really an issue with most of the gaming audience. And since playing this myself, it was clear to me that Super Meat Boy Forever was going to be something fun, and Team Meat achieves this to excellent degree on all the game’s best aspects.
