

There’s so many bizarre and wonderful little moments tossed in along the way that make the game such a joy to play. Checkpoints emit sexual moans and groans that will likely catch players off guard at first, but eventually seem perfectly fitting astride the flashy atmosphere.įoul-mouthed characters strewn throughout the campaign lend the title personality, particularly in the shoot-’em-up showdown with the Pope or whilst fleeing from a towering monster that bears a striking resemblance to Godzilla. There’s an air of levity threaded throughout the experience. There’s a great deal of heart and soul shaded between the bright colors and pixel graphics, making it so much more than yet another retro-inspired platformer.Ī large part of that is the humor. Our hero acquires various abilities throughout the journey that correspond to particular levels, allowing the designers to play with new ideas and steadily breathe new life into the experience.ĭespite its ostensibly traditionalist sensibilities, the game is surprisingly refreshing in many respects.

There are a collection of rotating special moves that serve to enhance the environmental diversity. New mechanics are introduced just as everything becomes relatively comfortable, forcing the player to adapt as the gameplay regularly turns on its head. It starts off simply enough, but wrenches are tossed into the cogs soon enough.
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It’s more about rolling with the punches and keeping up with a continually evolving set of rules than anything else.Ī series of linear obstacle courses, the five-plus-hour campaign is punctuated with a multitude of hazards ranging from familiar genre standbys like pitfalls and patrolling enemies to more insidious machinations such as spinning laserbeams and missile barrages. Our protagonist runs, jumps, and… Well, that’s about it. Superfluities are stripped away, leaving behind a raw platformer. And again.Įlectronic Super Joy is a pure gameplay experience. Even in the brief moments when I felt like tossing my controller across the room, the soundtrack seemed to crescendo along with the difficulty, inviting me to try again. Always upbeat, it constantly charges forward, serving as an ever-present incentive to press on. The various hurdles along the way seem to ebb and flow with the musical accompaniment. Thanks to the liberal placement of checkpoints, near-instant respawning, and uplifting tunes that never miss a beat, the game spurs the player on in a rather encouraging fashion. It could be very frustrating, but it isn’t.

Drawing inspiration from titles like Super Meat Boy, the game challenges the player with a myriad of hostile environments and deathtraps that must be approached in a very precise manner. The soundtrack plays a motivational role as well. These relationships seem to reverberate throughout the adventure, harmoniously creating a unified experience where each individual facet is interlinked with the others. The notes bleed into the art and level design, with each track serving as inspiration for one of the platformer’s many formidable obstacle courses. It’s the driving force behind the entire game. Reminiscent of a rave or nightclub, the scenery and beats intertwine and coalesce into an almost synesthetic experience. It’s an ideal match if there ever was one. That vivid aesthetic is backed by pulsing electronic dance music. Silhouetted figures are cast against brightly-colored landscapes with intense flashing lights. Oh, and the music isn’t half bad either.Įlectronic Super Joy draws players in with a stark visual design and an infectious soundtrack. It’s a flippant tale of revenge brimming with off-color humor, alluring environments, and some of the most exacting platforming in recent memory. The ensuing adventure is a bizarre and exhilarating one. Eviscerated and at wits’ end, our hero is now without a butt, thanks to the villainous Groove Wizard. Defeating DJ Deadly Skillz cost him both legs.

He lost an arm in the Disco Wars of 1515. I inch closer and closer to my goal, eventually surmounting the challenge, only to be presented with by an ever greater one. Within seconds, though, I’m off and running once again. Screams of profanity emanate throughout the room. There’s a fleeting moment of frustration. The all too familiar feeling of death embraces me. Soaring through the air, I struggle, desperately trying to avoid the spinning shaft of light, but it’s too late. I realize my trajectory is sending me right into the path of a laser beam. I breathe a momentary sigh of relief before the panic sets in. I sprint, narrowly dodging one, and leap from a ledge to avoid the other. The finish line is in sight and a pair of homing missiles are bearing down on my position.
