Best of the Decade: Super Meat Boy

Super Meat Boy

Platforms: Xbox 360; Windows

Release Date: October 20, 2010 (360)

Publisher: N/A

Developer: Team Meat

I will readily admit that I’m a modernist when it comes to gaming. As I hope to demonstrate with this list, the last decade has been a tremendous one for my favorite hobby. Nearly every aspect of game design has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few generations. 

This development has come at a cost, however. I often find that it is difficult for me to appreciate games that were once thrilling and cutting-edge. They simply seem dated to me because of how far games have come over the years and I have trouble enjoying these games in a modern context.

I have great love and appreciation for classic games. I spent many hours playing retro titles of all sorts back when they were the latest and greatest. When it comes time to set aside my 360 and fire up my SNES, however, I usually find myself more frustrated than enthralled.

I have no lack of respect for retro games or the gamers that play them; quite the opposite in fact. My personal predilections simply relegate my love for these titles to that of distant spectator, save for the rare glorious exception.

This tenuous relationship with older titles is precisely what makes Super Meat Boy so special to me. It makes no bones about the fact that it is a brutally difficult, old-school platformer of the highest caliber, but it pairs this mentality with enough concessions to modern design that even I can revel in its torturous magnificence. 

Priority number one for ultra-precise platformers of this sort is level design. Without it the whole affair will quickly disintegrate into sadness and frustration. Luckily, Super Meat Boy is simply packed with some of the best levels seen in this genre since the “golden days” of platform hopping back in the 16-bit era or so. The stages are usually simple and short, but rarely do they feel repetitive or frustrating, and when you’re dealing with this many levels that are this damn difficult, that’s quite a feat. 

The mechanics seal the deal. The control is precise, allowing pinpoint air control and effortless wall hopping. Most importantly to a modernist freak like myself, death has almost no consequence. You respawn instantly after failure, the levels are short so you’re never repeating yourself too much, and you never face a needless, artificial limit on lives or continues (outside of a small subset of bonus stages at least). These few small changes remove none of the game’s significant challenge but negate nearly all of the frustration. What could have been a nightmarish trek through some of the most hellishly punishing levels ever seen in a game is made into an addictive journey through a series of fun challenges. 

Combine the above brilliance in game design with a charming presentation, catchy soundtrack, and staggering value, and you have a game for which I can truly think of no equal in the last ten years. Not only is it a great game and a superb platformer in its own right, it channels that magical retro spirit using the medium of a modern game which is able to sufficiently ward off frustration and turn it into addiction.

For making it possible for me to become this addicted to a game that has killed me literally 4,000 times, Super Meat Boy is one of my Best of the Decade.

And seriously. Buy the soundtrack. It’s only 3.99. You have no excuse. Do it now.