Several of the sections required wall jumping to backtrack, then wall jumping again to loop over an area while dodging blades multiple times until I could pass. The Green Hills world that I played tasked me with jumping between and sliding under giant saw blades set at varying heights among horizontal and vertical paths, with some that eventually broke free and chased me across crumbling block bridges. Easier chunks can lead into more difficult chunks, or harder chunks can lead to extremely hard chunks if you selected a higher overall difficulty setting before starting the stage. Having the levels be generated by combining premade sections allows for the game to create varying ramps in difficulty. He said that after playing Super Mario Run, he thought “the boat’s still here.”ĭiving is a new move, and can be pulled off midair for a diagonal dropĪfter going hands-on with the game at PAX East 2018, I am happy to confirm that the game lives up to what a true Meat Boy title should be, even with all of the changes.
His game, on the other hand, was a true Meat Boy experience that happened to be compatible with the input capabilities of most mobile devices. Levels and gameplay weren’t typical Mario fare, and were designed more to accommodate the platform than provide a full Mario experience. Once he actually tried it, though, he found that what Nintendo had created was a mobile game that featured Mario, and not the other way around (which was also my take on it). On paper, it sounded very similar to the mobile-compatible Meat Boy game he’d shelved two years prior Mario runs nonstop and can wall jump (but is unable to change directions, and will always run to the right), and the game’s controls are simple enough that it can be played one-handed. He said that when Nintendo released it back in 2016, he was worried that he’d “missed the boat”. Players must combine jumps, wall jumps, punches (which also serve as a brief dash), dives and slides with precision in order to reach the end of each course. I told Refenes that the basic concept of the game had reminded me of Super Mario Run, and asked for his thoughts on it. Meat Boy runs nonstop, and can change directions by wall jumping. Swinging saw blades that needed to be passed over twice But while it was easier to control, it was by no means easier to conquer. Refenes himself had played it during a flight where he only had one hand free (needing his other to hold a drink), and was able to control Meat Boy well enough to beat the more difficult stages of the Dark World. His wife played it for two hours, then told him that she liked not having to hold down multiple buttons to move and run. What Refenes found was that this new control scheme allowed him to retain the feeling of the first game while opening it up to a wider audience, as the two button interface made it so that almost anyone could play Super Meat Boy Forever.
Meat Boy can now also attack with a punch, and the beginning of his dives and slides begin with a punch as well. The simplified controls allow players to jump, which had been essential in the original game, and dive, which was a new move introduced to retain mobility since full directional control had been eliminated. Refenes described it as “a harder game overall, but much more accessible”. He thought that a true sequel should have new mechanics and expand beyond the original, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring back his runner concept. He didn’t want to just reuse the same formula from the first title and simply pack it with harder levels just for the sake of doing so, though. Fast forward to 2017, and Refenes wanted to make a new Super Meat Boy game. Although the prototype levels played well, he had to shelve the idea. He eventually explored the idea of making a runner-style game in 2014, and designed it around utilizing only two actions: jumping and diving. Fans continued to ask afterward about a mobile version of it, but he didn’t think it was the right medium given how poorly the controls would translate. He recalled that getting onto mobile devices had suddenly become the new craze back in 2011, but the team was busy at the time with releasing the original Super Meat Boy on consoles and PC/Mac/Linux. We had a chance to sit down with Tommy Refenes, co-founder of Team Meat and programmer/designer for the Super Meat Boy games, at PAX East 2018. Meat Boy now has a punch attack that doubles as a dash
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