Quick Review: VVVVVV

…Oh! Those look like spikes pointing down! I get it now.

The first spikes of several thousands.

A creation of Terry Cavanagh and released on September 7th, 2010, VVVVVV is about a spaceship's crew that suddenly gets lost in a mazelike dimension following a teleporter mishap. Captain Viridian is left alone to retrieve the five other members of the crew and, hopefully, escape this dimension. What might make this a little difficult is that Viridian cannot jump. What the Captain can do, however, is reverse their own gravity, therefore allowing them to walk on ceilings. And that’s how they get around this warped world.

Their main task is to explore the fairly large map, which wraps around itself horizontally and vertically, and find the five missing crew members. Those can often be found near portals. A rough location for all teleporters is indicated on the in-game map after completing the “Tutorial” of sorts, so you will have some idea of where to search. Viridian can also stumble upon shiny trinkets, 20 of them, scattered around (and necessary in order to get the best ending the game can give the player).

And now, the first of several trinkets. Expect
those to make you say all the swear words
you've ever learned.

These wires instantly change Viridian's gravity.
And those squares have spikes, of course.

Don’t expect this world to make things easy, though – it’s yet another meat grinder type of adventure game in which you don’t have a lives counter, because the world is dead-set (no pun intended) on killing you hundreds of times. Most screens aren’t too tough, but once in a while you’ll stumble on a challenge that will require several attempts. Some of the trinkets are placed in devilish locations, too – there’s at least two of those that I don’t plan on ever getting because they're too damn tough.

The game uses basic 8bit graphics and has a retro feel to it, but the world design is marvelous. The gameplay is smooth, and you can explore almost freely across the dimension. It only makes the genuine challenges more notable. Also important is how the game plays with its core concept and mechanics in each area where a crew member can be rescued. From wires that instantly swap Viridian’s gravity, even in midair, to screens that wrap around themselves, and even autoscrolling screens. 

I must have spent 20 minutes trying to get
through this screen alone. Mind you, Viridian
also needs to help their crewmember go through.

On top of it all, the game features a lot of challenges, which a daring player may attempt. Time trials, a Gravitron... The toughest one? Finish the game with a single life and no checkpoints. Yeah… I ain’t doing that one. There’s also a level design mode as well as a handful of examples of well-crafted fan levels.

It’s a pretty good game! The story is more of an afterthought, as the focus is on giving a full world to explore with a unique mechanic that the player must learn to use. There have been reports of over seven thousand spikes scattered around the game, so yep – the spike theming of VVVVVV is justified. And you’re probably going to get familiar with a handful of those spikes, too, considering how easy it is to hit one. Thankfully, checkpoints are frequent, and while the game is overall pretty tough, it’s nonetheless crafted in a way that feels very fair. You can get lost in an area, but there’s very little here that will feel insurmountable. (That said, anyone who sees this game and the words “Veni, Vidi, Vici” associated to it will feel a chill down their spine.) The end product is charming yet challenging, and even if you do beat the story, there’s more to do with side-quests and fanmade levels. The music is also great across the board, a collection of very enjoyable chiptunes.

So many Teleporters and Shiny trinkets!

I recommend this one. VVVVVV is available for 4.99$.

It’s a nice way to end this series of quick reviews. Now, there are two games that were planned in this series that I’ve skipped because I intend to give them a full review instead of a quick one. These will be published soon. I also have a full plate lately, a lot of stuff happening from a personal standpoint, so excuse me if delays happen again.