Hello, scrublords.

Today we are going to review VVVVVV.

But I must warn you beforehand, this is a difficult game. You up for the challenge?



I know, it has been out for PC, Xbox, PS3, and the 3DS for a while, but it has recently made its way into iOS and Android, which has made it significant once again.

And this is not one of those crappy mobile games where you shoot birds at pigs or one where you fly and splat yourself on pipes, this one actually sets a new bar for what mobile games should be.

DESIGN AND BACKGROUND



As you may see, this game doesn't look like any other game. It looks as if it was made back in the 1980s when consoles were just making their way, with the vintage 8-bit design scheme.

But in fact, this game was developed by (one of the best indie game developers that I am aware of) Terry Cavanagh back in 2007, but remained unfinished until early 2010, where he originally planned a release for PC but later made it's way to other platforms.

This game is bright, colorful, and simple. It looks absolutely fantastic. There's really nothing else to elaborate on. It's unique 8-bit design scheme really stands out. The colors come out of the screen and slap you in the face. Playing it is like a trip back in time.

CONTROLS AND GAMEPLAY



The controls are unique and nothing that I have ever seen in any other game before.

In fact they are so simple and so well incorporated that it is just that simplicity that makes the game difficult.

You move left and right, and jump with the V-key on PC, A on 3DS and Xbox, Circle on PS3, or tapping on the right side on mobile. It's that simple. There's no complex controls you need to learn. It's just move and flip. Even disabled polar bears can play with these controls.

Why do these simple controls make the game difficult? Well, since you can only essentially flip gravity, you cannot flip in mid-air, making it more of a challenge by precisely measuring where you want to flip and at what time. To make matters worse, you cannot jump over things. You have to dodge spikes, ghosts, and mystical things flying at you by using gravity.

Although difficult and lots of fun to play, this game is quite short. I only managed to get around 3-5 hours of solid gameplay to finish it without all the trinkets. Add another 3 for collecting all the trinkets. Add another 3 if you were to successfully finish the player levels, too. You'll surely get around 9 hours or more of solid rage-inducing gameplay. But what can you expect for what its pricetag is?

OBJECTIVE

This is you!



Oh no! You and your five teammates are stranded on Dimension VVVVVV! Yourself, Viridian, has to travel across the dimension, killing yourself several times, to save all of their asses. It is a rigorous quest, dodging objects flying at you and spikes, and precisely flipping onto platforms. It's not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn't sound so easy.

Also, along the way, you will find trinkets. These will help you unlock specific parts of the game, including an extremely special part at the end of the game! There's 20 of them. Sounds easy, right? Nope. In order to get each trinket, you will need to survive a special challenge. Have fun with that. But it's worth the tears of rage.

MUSIC



If you look at the image closely, you will see a ghost. Spooky right?

By far, my favorite part of this game, is the music. It is chiptune. It is fantastic. It is upbeat. It is a joy to listen to. It's designed to keep you playing.

No seriously, the only reason why I actually kept playing this game and didn't rage quit was because of the music. It is just that good.

It is composed by the musical genius Souleye, take a listen to all of the soundtracks right here on your browser!

My favorites are Potential for Anything and Positive Force, but I love them all.

There's even the Metal version of the soundtrack composed by FamilyJules7X, check it out here.

MMMMMM.

SUMMARY



VVVVVV is a compelling, simple, colorful, and challenging game with a fantastic storyline. It's definetly worth playing. The music is great. The controls are simple. Anyone can get into it, even if your IQ is that of a potato.

Make sure you check it out on 3DS if you don't have it yet, or mobile if you don't have a 3DS. Eh, even try console if you must. The PC version is also great. It's only around $3-8, depending on which platform. It is definetly worth it. You won't be disappointed.

RATING:

9.5/10

See the gameplay video here.

Follow Terry's Twitter and check out his other fantastic games such as Super Hexagon.

Thanks for reading!



UPDATE: VVVVVV has been pulled from the Nintendo eShop due to an exploit recently discovered in the software, which potentially allows to run the Homebrew Channel.

This is a good and bad thing, good as in those that have this game can use it to run the Homebrew Channel without any issues, but bad because it was a great game and shouldn't have been pulled from the eShop. Maybe this will be brought up once Terry fixes the exploit.

Farewell.

4.0