Super Meat Boy

Super Meat Boy (in progress)

31/05/2016

• Right trigger to run (optional): Apart from the standard face button, the RT can be used to run, just as I had programmed. I played using it and it further convinced me that this is a much better choice than using the face button, so I must encourage it in the game. Dropping the face button won´t be a good idea as many people are accustomed to it, so both options will be available at all times.
• Jump height control is really easy: Meat Boy reacts instantly to releasing the jump button with no accumulated momentum.
• Left and right movement: Meat Boy reacts instantly to left and right inputs, specially if the RUN button is held down. Maybe too much for my taste, this was clearly done to favor speed running. Direction correction in the air is not as responsive and there seems to be some momentum there. No overshoot in jumps, except maybe if the RUN key is held after jumping and before correcting.
• All momentum is killed when landing if no key is held: This gets some time to get used to, specially because left/right movement is so responsive, but it´s a great tool once you get the hang of it. Sonic in MS did the same and it helped a lot with platforming. Without this, the tight platforming in Meat Boy wouldn´t be possible. However, it feels weird when mixed with the high sideways acceleration when jumping.
• Level design is awesome: It teaches the player step by step all the necessary mechanics and evolves them gradually through the different levels.
• Level and game design are clearly focused towards speed running: The quick loop of dying->respawning or beating a level->going to the next one favor a fast rythm, as does the time counter at top and the result at the end of the level. There are alternate routes to try to get shorter times in every level and levels are short.
• There is also exploration: There are entries to a secret world and hidden bandages to get which favor exploration. The bandages also require tight platforming. However, with the fast rythm of the game exploration seems to be discouraged and feels out of place: when you explore you feel like you are wasting time because the rest of the game is telling you to hurry up.
• Graphics are a bit...meh: The game clearly shows it´s age and the small team that made it in this regard.
• Humor is awesome: Constant references to other games (Street Fighter, Castlevania, Mortal Kombat...). Dark humor (poor squirrels!) made me laugh more than once.