I'm not a 2D twitch platforming savant -- though I have beaten this and have thoroughly enjoyed challenging games such as Slime-san -- but I didn't really enjoy this too much. I didn't hate it: from a purely technical perspective, this is impressive, especially as something of an early pioneer of this style of platforming.
But it's just not very fun to get through, beyond being able to say you pulled it off. Even that, to a degree, rings hollow. What sinks this one for me is that even though I got through it (note that I'm using "got through" and not "beat"), I never really felt like I was actually getting better at Super Meat Boy. Rather, I bashed against a level enough times for my thumbs to finally do the right thing. I can't take pride in my skill or growth here, only my perseverance. Taken another way, I spent a whole lot of time frustrating myself and it sort of felt wasted.
I think the issue is, ironically, that the controls are "too" precise, or overly sensitive. This is a trademark of twitch platformers, but Meat Boy moves so quickly and erratically based on movements that you're often barely aware of making that for many, it's difficult to ever truly get a handle on him. Going back to Slime-san, that game was quick and floaty but not to these extremes. Additionally, the slow-down mechanic had enough downsides to not be a crutch, but it did afford the player the opportunity to more closely observe how the character responded to input. By the end of Slime-san, I felt like I was much better at Slime-san than I was when I started. That didn't happen here.
Beyond that, the visuals are pretty drab (it's based off a flash game and you can tell) and the humor is immature (Dr. Fetus). Dug the music though.
Anyways, you should play Slime-san.
But it's just not very fun to get through, beyond being able to say you pulled it off. Even that, to a degree, rings hollow. What sinks this one for me is that even though I got through it (note that I'm using "got through" and not "beat"), I never really felt like I was actually getting better at Super Meat Boy. Rather, I bashed against a level enough times for my thumbs to finally do the right thing. I can't take pride in my skill or growth here, only my perseverance. Taken another way, I spent a whole lot of time frustrating myself and it sort of felt wasted.
I think the issue is, ironically, that the controls are "too" precise, or overly sensitive. This is a trademark of twitch platformers, but Meat Boy moves so quickly and erratically based on movements that you're often barely aware of making that for many, it's difficult to ever truly get a handle on him. Going back to Slime-san, that game was quick and floaty but not to these extremes. Additionally, the slow-down mechanic had enough downsides to not be a crutch, but it did afford the player the opportunity to more closely observe how the character responded to input. By the end of Slime-san, I felt like I was much better at Slime-san than I was when I started. That didn't happen here.
Beyond that, the visuals are pretty drab (it's based off a flash game and you can tell) and the humor is immature (Dr. Fetus). Dug the music though.
Anyways, you should play Slime-san.