Mibibli's Quest

The way people perceive modern retro indie games is always kind of strange. Even though it's supposed to be the alternative to dominant mainstream gaming culture, there's still a hierarchy. Things that are monumentally successful, your Cave Storys, Undertales or Vampire Survivors, dominate the discussion and the market creates a legion of imitators. When you find a diamond in the rough, you run around trying to tell casually engaged retro gamers how special a game is and people ignore you. Maybe there's this idea that a top secret indie game couldn't stack up to well known critical darlings like Celeste. Maybe the internet's created this digital landscape where any creative work put out there is like a marble being tossed in the ocean, never making a big wave and being lost in the abyss. The fact that Mibibli's Quest isn't on everyone's top 50 games list is a shame. I stumbled into it looking for Mega Man knock offs, but it's way more than that. The subversive story, the diverse level design, the killer soundtrack, the wonderfully balanced difficulty (on normal mode) all combine to create an experience that reminded me why I love games so much. The DDR and clone stages are so freaking awesome. Also in the scene where Crocodibli and Mibibli were floating in space, I thought they were making out and it was really hot. So yeah the firmest 10/10 I've ever given to a top secret indie game. Plays great on Steam Deck. I can't wait to replay and try to get different endings, I hope Resni makes more action games!

Mibibli's Quest is a game my buddy has been trying to get me to play for as long as I remember. Ever since I was 12 years old I heard nothing about its virtues and it became a massive inside joke within my friend group. One year he even jokingly dressed up as Mibibli for a Halloween party we threw. So, naturally, when he and I started our game exchange, the first thing I recommended was the enigmatic Mega Man-like. Calling it a Mega Man-like does the game a disservice I feel. I've been a massive fan of that franchise since I was roughly eight years old in 2011, and Mibibli's Quest thoroughly carves its own path, taking the right lessons from Capcom's Blue Bomber while separating itself. The game has a ton of great ideas nearly pouring out of its ears. Each stage has some new gimmick; whether it be a Dance Dance Revolution-themed rhythm section, a train level, a horizontal shoot-em-up, a level that you play backward, or deliberately anticlimactic boss fights makes Mibibli's Quest a surreal and often subversive experience in a way that entirely lacks pretention. There's even a fighting game bit that is hilarious. The game is quite difficult (I played on Mibibli mode) and often like throwing yourself against a wall until you achieve total mastery but while the game can sometimes be a bit overly difficult I can't call it unfair in any meaningful way. Every challenge can be overcome with mastery and that's not everyone's thing, but for me, it became immensely rewarding. The game follows Mega Man's mechanic of gaining new abilities from defeating bosses, but instead of weapons sometimes you'll even get new mechanics such as double jumping. Each weapon is very useful except for the shield-equivalent, which is too slow to have any practical use outside of select situations. The level design is often inventive and creative and I can't think of situations that were too annoying. It's a game that plays very well and plays with expectations, and while it can feel insurmountable it definitely isn't, especially if you're familiar with Mega Man. Visually speaking Mibibli's Quest is difficult to evaluate. On one hand, there are plenty of """retro throwback""" games that have more detailed spritework and more fluid animations. Mibibli's Quest isn't necessarily impressive in that regard, but it has almost a Dadaist approach to art direction that is often impressive. NPCs are typically drawn in a Microsoft Paint style, pixels can often be incorrectly sized, et cetera, but it adds to a certain surrealist feeling that the game is aware of and uses to its fullest extent. Enemy designs often feel pulled out of Resni's ass, just random creative designs with little care for cohesion or consistency but that's sort of the point. It gives the game a certain vibe that's enjoyably gonzo. This is also evident in the soundtrack which while typically percussion-heavy 8-bit style music can often break out of that into drum-and-bass or even somewhat haunted, distorted ambiance. While I don't think it necessarily reaches the high peak of a lot of Mega Man soundtracks, Resni has a good ear for catchy chord progressions and an attractive 8-bit flair that makes it pleasant to listen to. Mibibli's Quest was a surprise. With its creative and inventive gameplay, presentation, and vibe, it really does stand as one of the most unique platformers I've ever played. While it's perhaps overly difficult, the fun and raw originality show through the more you persevere, and beating it will feel like a monumental accomplishment. If you find it too difficult, there's no shame in playing on a lower-difficulty and I highly recommend it to fans of platformers, or anyone looking for a truly unique indie experience.

Really good sountrack and style. Unfortunately its torture difficulty.

onea the most brilliant platformers ever made. i play this game to completion every few years and its always great. and it always sucks, because this game is also evil, but thats why its great, baby. the fact that it doesn't have that many reviews is honestly astounding to me, mibiblis quest is just awesome

I love Crocoblibi

This quaint, little game deserves much more recognition. Using an application like joytokey let even my eternally amateurish self enjoy it tons.

This one's VERY weird challenging in an NES Megaman sort of way, however that's both for better and for worse. This game does not grant certain basic courtesies one should reasonably expect from a game like this like native controller support or even the abiiity to pause the game. That's right, you can't pause the game. Also the graphics can be literally painful to look at at times with a lot of flashing. I'm not epileptic, but if you are, avoid this game at all costs.

"Mibibli's Quest" is as well designed as it is unacessible. Having played the free original before the steam release I am quite irritated that the paid version still has no controller support, but this issue is nothing that programs like JoyToKey can't fix. The game at its core is a bow to the "Mega Man" games of old with quite a lot of content. It is not shy to add different new mechanics into the fray and they - even if absurd - blend in quite nicely and never overstay their welcome. Progression and the acquisition of abilities also feel very organic and every weapon and move is useful on the right spot at the right time (something that many games fail to accomplish in my opinion). Now for the main deal of "Mibibli's Quest" - its feel and aesthetic: It is uncanny, uncaring and meta in its narraitve (which can be a con or pro for some), the scenery is as off as it is well crafted and the soundtrack is a great fit around everything. And on its intended difficulty it is really challenging without being unfair, for persistence is rewarded and you sense your skills getting honed (again, something that is not accomplished often). A bizarre and fond slap in the face; earnest, silly and unforgiving. A must-play for every retro fan and on the verge of being a cult-classic.

Cool ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game, man.

HARD BUT FAIR GREAT MUSIC ITS MIBIBLI MFFFFFF!!!!! 10/10