You really come into VVVVVV with no real expectation. You are presented with a game world which is devoid of the glitz and glamour that even downloadable games seem to come with. The beginning is stocked what seems to be a randomized events. Even so, a few hour and almost 1,000 deaths later, you've finished a truly enjoyable gaming experience.
While the odd name may throw you, VVVVVV offers a genuine platforming experience.The premise of the game is simple – you are the captain of a space ship that is mysteriously transported to another dimension. The rest of your crew have gone missing, and it’s up to you to find them.
In order to travel from place to place, you can flip from the floor to the ceiling, which gets cleverly complex as the game goes on. That single mechanic forms the core of the game, but its execution is very well done. Moving around the game map is aided by the usage of teleporters, which activate when you touch them. Finding a lost crew member and touching a teleporter with them in tow signals the end of a level.
You will die in this game. In the two hours it took the writer to play through this game, he racked up 976 deaths. But while the game is pure challenge at places, it never seems to get frustrating. The game has an almost perfect balance of challenge and fun. Checkpoints are liberally placed throughout the game, and you immediately respawn at one when you die.
The music is perfectly suited for the game. The game world is easy to get around, not too mazy, and as said before, aided by the usage of teleporters. The characters, for being 8 bit sprites, are oddly charming, and the writer really got attached to the captain and his crew for those two short hours.
Some of the level screens really demonstrate why indie gaming seems so fresh and alive. One screen is named “What lies beneath?” and upon jumping down you immediately fall on a pit of spikes just in time to see the new screen name – “spikes do!”
One segment of the game really shone – a sequence of screens where you have to jump up through several screens of spikes just to land on a disappearing platform to jump back down those same screens. The challenge was so intense, and the reward so miniscule, that it really reminds the player that this is what gaming is all about. It was that perfect challenge, that one goal you set for yourself, that moment you grit your teeth and tell yourself, “I got this.” It was relentlessly difficult, and totally optional. It was awesome.
The game has a series of trinkets you can collect for an extra challenge (one of those trinkets is the reward for the sequence of screens above) and also has some special modes you can unlock after collecting enough of them. Some of the unlocks include a time trial mode the ability to play through some of the game’s “intermission” levels.
VVVVVV is a gem of the independent gaming community, and an excellent example of the ingenuity and creativity of independent developers.This is the most fun you will have gaming in a while. Do yourself a favor and buy this game. You won’t regret it.
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of retro indie platformer VVVVV, developer Terry Cavanagh has released the game’s original source code to the public.
It's been quite a long time since this gravity-defying 2D platform adventure initially debuted. So, is VVVVVV still worthwhile after over 7 years or has there been too much dimensional interference?
Developer of challenging games, Terry Cavanagh, gives us a free rogue-like stealth game featuring his unique design ideas in Tiny Heist
Not sure that was 15 bucks worth of game, but I did enjoy it
Played the demo, was fun.