Many platformer games out there will claim to be "hardcore", but this one's the real deal. Players beware, this one is not for the faint of heart.
Throughout the years, I've played many difficult platformers, and I'm usually able to 100% them without too much problem. However, this one really pushed me to my limits. Just when you thought you've encountered the hardest obstacles and nearly mastered the game, the next level makes you question your ability. You'll be going through the same levels many times before finally beating them, and some of the levels go on for quite some time. Finally, though, after 40+ hours and 10,000+ deaths I can finally say I've gotten to 100% completion of the game. Totally worth it.
Having played many platformers, I can tell you that this one has a lot of polish to it. The gameplay is extremely smooth and responsive, so when you die you feel like it's your fault and not the game's. Also the graphics are really well done and have a certain style that feels high-quality and consistent. The soundtrack is really enjoyable as well.
The gameplay is very similar to games like meat boy (even going so far as to call itself "meatlike"). You'll notice right away that the physics and gameplay are similar to that game, but it does add some extra things as well. There's power-ups such as a grapple, jet pack, and my favorite: the double jump power-up. In addition, there's an ability that lets you pass through lasers for a brief moment. This ability is really interesting and is fun to use once you get used to it.
When you start the game, you'll begin with 67 levels (LVLS) already unlocked, and you can play them in any order. Don't be afraid to skip levels and come back to them as the order that you play them doesn't matter. After beating a LVL, you'll be presented with an XLVL, and beating that will give you a corresponding ZLVL. While the XLVLs felt tougher overall than the LVLs, the ZLVLs often felt easier or the same difficulty as the XLVLs. The ZLVLs do have an interesting gimmick where the level fades when you're in the air which makes it harder to complete, although many of them are nearly identical to the corresponding XLVL or LVL. It often felt like you were playing the same level multiple times, but I'm guessing this is what the developer had in mind as many levels share this pattern. In addition to the main levels, there's also a few challenge rooms you can unlock by collecting lighters throughout the stages. Each challenge room has a unique gimmick and has a more arcade feel to it with limited lives.
From a pure platforming perspective, I would give this game an A+. Is it a great game overall? Absolutely. However, this game is clearly intended for people into hardcore platforming, and those who aren't willing to power through its difficulty will miss the majority of the level content. If you're looking for a casual platformer game and not into super difficult ones, it would be hard to recommend it with the $20 price tag. On the other hand, if you're one of those people who loves brutally difficult platformer games and can't get enough, I highly recommend it.
