Review: Super Meat Boy (Xbox Live Arcade)

When I first got a mail about this game, I thought it was spam. Well, the title on it’s own in a Subject line could well fool anyone. In reality ‘Super Meat Boy‘ is a bonkers 2D platformer for Xbox Live Arcade. The player takes on the role of a small animated cube of meat named Meat Boy who must save his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr. Fetus. You need sharp reflexes to guide Meat Boy over buzz saws, up walls and through some very tight spaces. Just watch the blood fly when you get it wrong. The game is split into a number of chapters, with lots of levels within that can be played in any order. When you’ve completed enough of the levels, you unlock the boss encounter, which is much tougher than the levels before it. There are a load of unlockable characters with unique abilities from other indie games. Tim from Braid, for example, can rewind a little bit of time. It’s a really polished, enjoyable game for anyone that enjoys platformers. It’s on the Xbox Live Arcade now and available for Windows, Mac, WiiWare next month. Recommended.