Quick Review: Super Win the Game

Ooh, nostalgia! And of course, yet another tough platformer. Let’s hope I can pull through.

Yeah, I'm gonna keep the CRT TV framing for the
screenshots in this review.

Released on October 1st, 2014, Super Win the Game is the creation of Minor Key Games, who are also known for their earlier tough platformer You Have to Win the Game (YHTWTG from now on), a free title that I’ve already reviewed on this blog. Super Win The Game is pretty much a sequel to it, in fact, expanding its ideas into a full-length title. You play as the Wayfarer, a character clad in green who embarks on a quest to save their world from a strange darkness that enraptured their King and split his heart into six pieces. To restore the world, you must find the Heart Pieces and save the King.

Ring the bell, so you won't lose too much if
those retracting spikes cost you a life.

Those who have played the original YHTWTG know what’s coming: Some pretty tough platforming. All the character can do is move left, right, jump or open doors with Up, or press Down to go down a ledge. No attacking options, though; not that you really need it anyway. This time, the game is somewhat split into “levels”, “areas” and/or “dungeons”, instead of being one continuous area. However, like its precedessor, by going through dungeons you’ll find power-ups that improve the Wayfarer’s adventuring talents. Double jumps? Grabbing walls to jump off of them? Being able to go underwater, or better even, dive into polluted water or even lava? Sure.

You're never getting an extra Hit Point though,
so stay careful around these bullets.

Yes, you have to grab the disappearing blocks
and quickly jump up to the next, in ordre to
cross a wall of spikes. Easy! /s

Every platformer section, be it dungeons or passageways, hides a bunch of secrets; there’s 128 gems hidden across the map, some of which are behind very tough platforming challenges. Exploration is key, and dungeons can be revisited after you’ve gotten new power-ups to see if you can find areas or sectors you couldn’t access previously. Questing for the Heart Pieces will make you scour the map. The difficulty curve is pretty consistent from a dungeon to the next, though the further you stray from the beaten path (or closer to the end of the story), the tougher the screens are going to get. And of course, can’t have a hard platformer like this without a death counter! I finished with over 400.

Climbing your way up and out of the sewers?
Sure! Just don't ask why plasma monsters are down there.

I even got screenshots of the final dungeon!
...The path to find is above the spikes.

All this, over the backdrop of a retro 8-bit style, with accompanying chiptune music and a CRT TV effect to the screen. The story is basic but we don’t need much more than what we’re given; I do like, however, that a lot of things said by NPCs can count as advice or hints towards stuff you can find. The overhead map is split into sections, and even includes a handful of extra secret places. The gameplay really shines here, it’s about as perfect as I can think it to be. Even the difficulty didn’t bother me too much as though the game does become pretty hard far into the story, checkpoints are plentiful, and as a result it’s pretty forgiving overall. It does feel a lot easier than YHTWTG as a result. Oh, and the game includes bonus challenges, such as a speedrun contest containing multiple courses, and even a built-in Randomizer mode!

I definitely recommend this one, it’s great. Not much else I can say, really; I can’t find much to criticize here. It’s worth trying!

Super Win The Game is available on Steam for 7.99$ USD.