However, there are also 20 “shiny trinkets” scattered throughout the world, and collecting all of these can feel very rewarding, especially since most of them involve specific gameplay challenges that must first be passed. Your main goal in VVVVVV is to rescue all of your crewmates, which generally means going through each “stage” to find a single crewmate waiting for you at the end. Actually, I would say that the layout feels a bit more like Mega Man ZX: Advent (for all three of you out there who have played it), which is to say that there is a non-linear “overworld” to explore but there are also semi-distinct, more linear “stages” built right into the world. The world is laid out a bit like a Metroid game, so progression takes place in a non-linear fashion and you have several options of where to travel next. VVVVVV takes place in an interesting dimension indeed. Woah a ghost! This is basically the spiritual successor to Bubble Ghost now!Īlright, let's get into what you came here to read about, the gameplay. I will say this though, the already great soundtrack is made even better by the fact that it just feels right within the context of the game. There really isn't too much more that I can write about the music, it speaks for itself. A couple standouts: Pushing Onwards, Passion for Exploring, Positive Force, and Predestined Fate. Oh man, the music! I've heard plenty of retro chiptune soundtracks over the years, but I do believe that this is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The 3D is pretty sweet too, essentially all it does is separate the foreground from the background, but it makes for a nice, subtle effect.Īnd the music.
Which makes sense, as the intent was, apparently, to try to emulate the feel of the Commodore 64 (a platform on which I have little experience, so there is a bit of a fresh feel there.) Actually the graphics most remind of an old computer game that I used to play at my cousin's house called Bubble Ghost. However, retro graphics still get me excited, and there is definitely a different feel in VVVVVV than there is in the many games that try to emulate NES-style graphics. Some people will argue that the retro thing is getting a bit played out, especially within the world of indie games, and I can understand that argument. The graphics are, as you can plainly see, decidedly retro. Thankfully though, the story is a very minor element in the game, and you are rarely pulled out of the gameplay. The dialogue is also clever at times, if ultimately unforgettable. You're not going to be playing this game for the story elements, but they do work both to create an interesting setting and to give you some motivation to keep moving forward. You play through VVVVVV as a spaceship captain named Captain Viridian whom, through some paradox or other, has ended up in an alternate dimension (dubbed VVVVVV, hence the name of the game) and must now seek out his lost crew members. Let me take a step back and set up some context. Hey look at me, I'm totally walking on the ceiling!!! However, as it has been years since I have played a game with this mechanic, it is fresh enough and, as stated above, the execution is where VVVVVV truly shines. Offhand, I can recall a neat little platformer / shooter hybrid on the NES called Metal Storm that did something similar, as well as Gravity Man's stage in Mega Man 5 (the player did not have control of the shifting there, it was more environmental, but it was the same general concept.) And I'm sure there have been others, so I'm not going to make the claim that this is a totally new idea.
To give a little history, this isn't the first time that a 2D platformer has utilized gravity mechanics in this way. In fact, literally all that you can do in the game is move around and flip your character (barring the occasional button press to active a computer or talk to someone), so it is safe to say that the game sinks or swims based on this mechanic. This mechanic is, essentially, what the entire game is built around. In the case of VVVVVV, a new 2D platformer for the 3DS eShop, that concept is to remove the ability to jump with your character (no jumping, in a platformer?) and replace it with the ability to manipulate gravity and flip your character from the bottom to the top of the screen, and vice versa. It kind of amazes me that after some 25+ years of playing hundreds of video games, a game based around a single, simple core concept can still feel so fresh to me when executed well.
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