VVVVVV is a platform game played with only one key (guess which one). Well actually one key plus the arrow keys for movement. It's great to have simple controls because anybody can jump in and learn to play in all of five seconds and when you think back to the days of Pac-Man and Space Invaders, those games only use a joystick and maybe an additional button. And if you think simple means easy, you're tragically mistaken. VVVVVV is insanely difficult and it is as fun as it is challenging.
The story begins with a ship crashing in space and the captain finding himself separated from his crew members, in a strange alternate dimension. The player moves the character with the arrow keys and flips his gravity with the V, Z or Space key. It is the only gameplay mechanic throughout the game but the developer finds many clever ways to play with it, mainly through the level design. Very often, you will flip the character and nudge him midair carefully with the left and right keys. The levels are lined with spikes and moving enemies, and you have to be very precise with movement and timing to navigate your way through these dangerous obstacles. Unless, you're used to doing timed runs on Super Mario games, you'll find yourself dying. A lot.
Even so, it's not exactly frustrating as I attempted for the 20th time in one of the more challenging rooms. The character is promptly returned to a checkpoint when he dies, and there are checkpoints in almost every room. It's one of those games where you can feel yourself improving with each failure and it makes for a very fulfilling experience. I eventually learned that it's more about timing your keys right rather than concentrating too much on what's going on in the screen.
The game does a great job of bringing to life characters and a world rendered in very simple 8-bit style. The retro look brings a kind of unique style and charm with it. My teal-colored captain has a big smile plastered on his face, never mind that he suffered a hundred deaths on my hands. The enemies are really bizarre and fascinating at the same time. A few of the ones I remembered (and laughed at) are the Yes Men, Stop Signs and the red bus from the demo level. The humor in VVVVVV is very tongue-in-cheek which is evident from the title itself. The funny room titles make it more fun and interesting as you explore rooms that aesthetically, aren't very varied. The chiptune music I really love. It's funky and catchy, and goes along with the humor of the game.
The developer described the game, "In VVVVVV there are no locks, no powerups, no switches, nothing to stop you progressing except the challenges themselves." He chose to focus on the flipping mechanic and that is where the game really shines. It pushes at limitations with creativity instead of throwing a bunch of gimmicks at the player. I know I sound like a broken record player but I am honestly sick of how many games these days just copy an existing one and slap on a bunch of "features". If we want to see a new trend of fun and original games, maybe we should stop playing the crass titles big publishers push out and pay a low low price of 20 bucks for a shiny indie title like VVVVVV.
-- BBBBBBenjamin (See what I did there?)
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