Terry Cavanagh hates you. There is no way to get around the fact, that even if you’ve bought or are thinking about buying his game, he still hates you. He wants to see you struggle with every little jump and scream in frustration with every little movement. Actually for all I know, developer Terry Cavanagh might be the nicest guy on earth but the impression I got – after dying 1194 times in his fiendishly well created fauxback, VVVVVV – is that I must have done something to him in a previous life. Why else would I be put through this agonising torture?
Granted, that was all a bit melodramatic but to call VVVVVV a game that is based on trial and error would be an understatement. You’ll die, you’ll get frustrated, you’ll probably rage quit it a few times only to come back minutes later with your tail between your legs. Luckily the non-level design part of the game is way more forgiving.
After dying 1194 times in VVVVVV, I thought I must have done something to Terry Cavanagh
VVVVVV is actually a puzzle platformer where instead of jumping over obstacles you flip. Using the deliberately named action button, you can flip your crude sackboy-esque character from the floor to the ceiling and back again.
Looking to evade some spikes on the floor? Well just flip to the safe side on the ceiling. That’s the first obstacle you’re faced with and the game quickly ramps up with scrolling levels, moving platforms and regenerating enemies. As the game progresses, VVVVVV starts throw some really interesting twists to the formula. While they may not have exhausted every idea imaginable, you’ll be constantly surprised by every game changing mechanic that gets introduced.
The two hour – give or take – adventure tells the story of a captain trying to rescue his five lost crewmates after an accident conveniently disperses them across the galaxy. You’ll instantly be thrown into this world without any guidance but the first stage will allow you to learn everything through the medium of dying. It’s irritating but cleverly conceived because before you know it you’ll be familiar with the core concepts and the map
The map serves as your only aid – and only guidance throughout – during this lonely adventure. The Super Metroid inspired atlas is populated with question marks for you to hunt out and investigate – some of them might be seldom seen crewmates, some of them are collectable trinkets, some of them are nothing at all.
You will learn everything through the medium of dying, it’s irritating but cleverly designed
The whole game heavily relies on your curiosity and inquisitiveness, for anyone who fits into that will be quickly rewarded with collectables and progress. Unlike Metroid, VVVVVV doesn’t allow you to level up nor does it introduce new control mechanics halfway through. Instead your skill is your only barrier here and it will get challenging pretty quickly. Don’t be put off by the prospect of an intense challenge though, you’ll slowly get better as the smoothly progresses – mainly because you aren’t timed and have unlimited lives.
VVVVVV is an excellently crafted title. So excellently crafted that you can almost you picture the development team’s faces full of glee when they concocted another fiendishly difficult stage. This smart level design along charming visuals and cleverly conceived pacing all equate to a fairly competent downloadable release. If you’re looking for something short to fill a couple of hours, then I couldn’t think of anything better. Just don’t be surprised when you break a sweat.
Leave a Reply