Review - Super Meat Boy 3D
After spending countless hours as a teenager one hundred percenting the original Super Meat Boy, I was initially hesitant when I heard the announcement of a 3D reimagining of my favourite brutal platformer. It seemed like an impossible task to translate such finely tuned level design into a new perspective.
Super Meat Boy 3D is co-developed by the original studio, Team Meat, and Hell Pie developers, Sluggerfly, and the end result is best classed as a total reenvisioning of the classic game - a fresh perspective that maintains the same spirit.
Within seconds of launching Super Meat Boy 3D, the sounds and sights instantly feel familiar and different at the same time. The classic introductory voice booms at the menu, a now 3D map guides you between levels, new animated interstitials tell the story; a total amalgamation of fond memories morphed into 3D. I ended up questioning if I was remembering things correctly. But as soon as I moved Meat Boy in his new form, it was abundantly clear how transformative the new perspective and multi-directional axis of movement was going to be, immediately intensifying the challenge that stands between Meat Boy and a quick death.
Despite the massive change in game design, the core of the story is the same: the doctorate holding villainous fetus in a jar, Dr Fetus, is still seeking revenge on Meat Boy by repeatedly kidnapping his girlfriend, Bandage Girl. Once again, humorous animations bookend each set of levels, now modernised in a CG style that matches the games new 3D graphics - a new art style that should appeal to a potential new audience.
Image: Super Meat Boy 3D - Jump
Although, it wasn't the narrative or visuals that kept players returning to the original. It was the addictive, one-more-run gameplay that made you push past frustrations to succeed, and Super Meat Boy 3D isn't any different. Without replicating the originals fluid sprint, floaty yet precise jump and walls slides, the game would fail instantly. Yet, the reimagining doesn't pull off a faultless execution, but it definitely succeeds more than it stumbles.
The game tries to alleviate many new issues created by the new perspective. The developers have chosen to use a fixed camera to avoid the chaos that would come with a player controlled camera. There's also a few accessibility options to help visually, like an optional outline around Meat Boy.
On a basic level, Sluggerfly and Team Meat have made the general movement in 3D feel like it's ripped from the 2D original verbatim. Jump height is controlled by your button press and timings; Meat Boy wall runs a gory smear across safe surfaces; Meat Boy can slam down to avoid dangers like spikes; dashes make it possible to beat A+ times on levels to unlock the harder Dark World levels and discover hidden bandages that unlock additional playable characters, like the bouncing, anthropomorphic meat ball and many more.
Although, in the original, whenever I became frustrated at my failures, every mistake felt fair to where I could learn from my errors. Unfortunately, I do feel Super Meat Boy 3D doesn't quite get this balance right. Due to the new ability to move on a multi-directional axis, there's now greater opportunity for the slightest misalignment of the joystick to impact a run. Often times, camera angles, platform placements, or a difficulty to follow Meat Boy's movements made these issues frequent. That's not to say it didn't improve as I got better at the game, but experience didn't alleviate how certain levels had different camera angles that made determining jumping angles and landing zones hard to parse, even with the red circle beneath him. Granted, not everyone will feel this way, and over the course of the game, these issues did lessen, but it's worth noting the movement isn't as precise as the original, which is to be expected with such a massive transformation.
Image: Super Meat Boy 3D - Boss
Being a fast-paced game, my biggest gripe was inconsistent readability. I often lost track of Meat Boy due to the more detailed environments and Meat Boy's size. Although, boldly coloured lighting and Meat Boy's signature blood trail does help track your movements over multiple runs - a smart learning device that's still as useful today as it was in the original, especially when the nature of the game is to rapidly restart runs to try again.
Super Meat Boy 3D is a game where you will die a lot, and the developers have taken great care to include many humourous death animations: being crushed by a bear trap, sliced in half by a saw blade, melted by acid, flattened by monsters and way more. All showcased in one of the best returning features, the replay system that shows what happened on every doomed run until you finally succeeded.
Fortunately, the positives far outweigh the negatives, as the core of what makes a Meat Boy game remains. The same urge to replay a level until you succeed, the need to beat times for A+ ranks, and the joy of watching a replay of your struggles, is as big of a draw as ever. And through all of this, like every other masochistic platformer, the more you play, the more you improve, and in the case of Super Meat Boy 3D, I learned to compensate for any frustrating gameplay differences where I could.
Right from the first zone, Super Meat Boy 3D slowly on boards returning and new players with simple levels and on-screen tutorials. While the levels share visual similarities to its 2D counterpart, the whole game is very different with thought out level design. The first set of levels introduces minor hazards like bear traps and robots wielding saw blades; the second a flesh-melting, acidic goop; the third brings fast moving platforms to test your dexterity. A gentle difficulty climb that readies you for the second half of the game; a crucial inclusion when you can now approach platforming from unlimited angles - a fundamental change to the formula.
Image: Super Meat Boy 3D - Acid
Once you get through to the later levels, Super Meat Boy 3D begins to introduce adapted gameplay mechanics that fit the new playstyle. Homing missiles tirelessly track you around the wider environments, bounce pads require extra precision, monsters slam down and force you to do a propulsive run where you showcase everything you've learned, and giant worms slither across surfaces. These gameplay mechanics and others like rising lava, intensify the race-like quality and made Super Meat Boy 3D more enjoyable with each passing level.
Super Meat Boy 3D also has reinvented or new feeling bosses. Some are reinterpretations like the first boss, that forces Meat Boy to dodge chainsaw swipes and missile barrages. The 3D plane of movement multiplies the ways to fail or succeed in the more expansive levels. But like the original game, it only takes a few runs until you memorise routes and attack patterns, so you can easily take out the bosses.
Even though the new 3D perspective can cause new frustrations, it also makes the game more approachable. It allows you to patiently learn as you experiment with routes in the early levels. But for those who love completing every challenge, Super Meat Boy 3D includes A+ times to beat on every level, to unlock the difficult Dark World levels: challenging versions of the light world levels that significantly up the ante. Optional challenges, much like the hidden bandages and plenty of other things for the completionist looking to go beyond seeing credits.
Image: Super Meat Boy 3D - Laser
I also played Super Meat Boy 3D on Steam Deck as well as PC. It ran nice enough on the portable once I'd tweaked a few settings down, but I did find the joystick placement uncomfortable for a precision focused game. Whereas, as soon as I switched to the Xbox controller on PC, it felt much better. However, I did experience some slight frame drops on the higher graphical settings. But overall, I enjoyed my time playing the game on both systems.
Lastly, Super Meat Boy 3D wouldn't feel like a Meat Boy game without good sound design. A propulsive score urges you forward to complete even the hardest levels. But it's the nostalgic sound effects that transported me back in time. The gory impact of Meat Boy against solid surfaces, his sloppy slide down walls and explosive splat as he died. It's a pitch perfect recreation and advancement of the original's over the top and memorable audio design.
From the moment Super Meat Boy 3D started to gel, it felt like revisiting an old friend that had somehow changed over the years. The new perspective is a welcome change that should do well with most players, even if some dislike it. I would just recommend giving the game time to see if the new playstyle is for you. I know I will definitely return to the game like I did the original. And despite it's flaws, it still feels intrinsically Meat Boy.
Although it doesn't reach the lofty heights of the original, it scratched that Meat Boy itch with a new take on the challenging platformer that I'd recommend to any Super Meat Boy veteran. Even if it doesn't hit with everyone, I expect it will find a dedicated audience that will soon be uploading insanely fast speed-runs. If you like challenging platformers with personality, Super Meat Boy 3D is a worthy addition to the series that helped define the genre of modern hardcore platformers.
Image: Super Meat Boy 3D - Score - 8.0/10
