Vvvvvv review how to#
Vvvvvv review full#

The entirety of VVVVVV is devoted to it, requiring a splendid mastery to progress. But in those games, it was simply a mechanic bolted onto the standard running-and-gunning. Irem’s NES title Metal Storm was even built largely around the same idea. Numerous games have featured similar gravity switching, like Gravity Man stage in Mega Man 5. A central aspect to remember is that you cannot change gravity in mid-air, and need to hit solid ground before you can flip gravity again.

Vvvvvv review how to#

The first few screens teach you how to use this to avoid a pit of spikes, but the precise movements you need to make quickly grow more complicated. Your character cannot jump, but instead can switch gravity back and forth at a press of a button. The entire game rests on a single mechanic – the gravity flip. (The names of the crew members – Veridian, Vermilion, Violet, Verdigris, Vitellary and Victoria – is where the game gets its name.) The story puts you in the shows of Captain Viridian, whose spaceship is sucked into some kind of void, leaving himself and his crew stuck in various parts of some strange alternate dimension. Its look and style heavily channels the Commodore 64, taking the best from its era while avoiding the clumsiness so often apparent on the platform. It exemplifies the level of difficulty found in old-school games, while avoiding the frustrations that come with it. It is eloquent in its simplicity, yet challenging and varied enough to avoid the dreaded “casual” label. And who knows, you might even learn some new curses to throw at it.VVVVVV is one of the best 2D platformers to arise since the end of the 16-bit era. The thin slices of gameplay fit neatly into a mobile-sized gaming gap. But this time it fits quite neatly in your pocket.Įven if you're a fan, it's worth picking up again. It's just as tough, just as entertaining, and it builds its world just as brilliantly as before. It feels comfortable, and bouncing from floor to ceiling is smooth and effortless.

If you've never played VVVVVV before then this version is as good a place as any to start.

Vvvvvv review full#

It's bright, full of jokes, and daring enough to trot off in its own direction. It all blends together to create an indie platforming experience that is as unique now as it was when it first came out. Other chunks are all about the speed of your reactions, flipping before your brain even has time to catch up. You need to fathom when to flip gravity, where to stand, and often more importantly, what to do next. Some require a little bit of working out. It's delivered in little stabs of clever, wonderfully designed platforming. You'll be thankful they're there, because the game is difficult from the instant it begins. These are littered with spikes, moving platforms, crumbling walkways, and a mass of other fiendish obstacles that you need to make your way past.Ĭheckpoints are scattered around as well. The game splits itself up into a number of different screens, each with a different name. Pushing them both at the same time flips gravity.

The third option lets you tap the screen edges to move. There's a joypad option that plays in much the same way, positioning buttons at the bottom left of the screen. The default setting sees you sliding a finger left and right on the left half of the screen to move, and tapping on the right to flip gravity. There are three different control methods to choose from. A large map reveals itself as you discover teleporters, logs, and all manner of hateful platforming apparatus. There's a Metroidvania feeling to proceedings. You need to utilise this skill to find the scattered members of your crew. If you're walking on the floor, a tap will see you walking on the ceiling. Instead you flip the gravity of the world with a tap of the screen. VVVVVV goodįor the uninitiated, VVVVVV is a platform game where you can't jump. This is a game that feels as comfortable on your phone as it did on your PC, and that's an impressive feat. There's the same danger in the mobile version that you'd find in the rest then, and all the charm and retro twinkles as well. You've strayed too close to a spike, leapt without looking, or just got your timing all wrong.

There's a sharpness to the gravity flipping taps, and the colossal mishaps that do occur are usually your fault. That Terry Cavanagh's razor sharp platformer would be blunted by touchscreen controls.īut that's not the case. There was always a danger that you'd swear for the wrong reasons. VVVVVV has always been the sort of game that makes you curse.