Antonblast

96%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,289 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Antonblast Game Cover
ANTONBLAST is a sensational Wario style platformer with a flow unlike anything else, but you'll need to put the time in to master it.
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"Antonblast" is a destructive action platformer where you play as Dynamite Anton or his coworker Annie, on a mission to defeat Satan and retrieve stolen Spirit collectibles. To do so, you must set detonators, find the Spirit, and escape before Happy Hour ends in each level. The game features fast-paced gameplay, massive destructible environments, brutal bosses, and an urban graffiti-inspired art style. Experiment with different playstyles, from rushing through levels to exploring.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

96%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,289 reviews
music174 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Antonblast is a chaotic and fun platformer that combines elements from Wario Land and Crash Bandicoot, offering a unique gameplay experience.
  • The game features vibrant visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and humorous dialogue that captures the spirit of 90s cartoons.
  • Each level introduces new mechanics and challenges, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging throughout.
  • The controls can feel slippery and imprecise at times, leading to frustrating moments, especially during challenging platforming sections.
  • Some levels are overly long and can feel tedious, particularly when trying to collect all items or complete challenges.
  • The visual clutter and screen shake can make it difficult to track the character and incoming obstacles, leading to cheap deaths.
  • music307 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, high-energy tracks that enhance the overall gameplay experience. The soundtrack is described as a standout feature, featuring a diverse range of styles and memorable compositions that resonate with players, often evoking nostalgia for classic platformers. Despite some minor audio mixing issues, the music is consistently highlighted as a major strength, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The music is fantastic along with the art that oozes style.”
    • “The soundtrack is an absolute jam, with my personal favorite track being 'Pane and Heartache'.”
    • “The music is extremely catchy and the art and animation are outstanding!”
    • “There were a handful of other issues that cropped up during my playthrough, most notably the really wild audio balancing, where music was often too loud and/or the voice lines were often too quiet.”
    • “Weirdly, though, despite this game's mood almost always being loud, the audio mixing never felt exactly right, even after I tried testing a few music/sfx combos in the settings.”
    • “Audio mixing - I constantly found myself adjusting the sound settings because the sound effects and music really fight for your attention, it's hard to hear both at the same time and the default settings do not sound right (on headphones at least).”
  • gameplay297 mentions

    The gameplay of "Antonblast" is characterized by its fast-paced, chaotic, and destructively satisfying mechanics, drawing inspiration from classic platformers like Wario Land and Crash Bandicoot. While many players praise the engaging level design, unique transformations, and addictive gameplay loop, some express frustration with certain mechanics, difficulty spikes, and visual clutter that can hinder the experience. Overall, the game is celebrated for its charm, humor, and a vibrant aesthetic that complements its dynamic gameplay, making it a standout indie title despite some rough edges.

    • “The gameplay is fast-paced, the bosses are creative, and the only real issue I have so far is with one of the bosses.”
    • “The gameplay is chaotic, intense, and fun, while also being pretty darn challenging (I mean it's a Crash Bandicoot inspired game so difficulty is to be expected).”
    • “The gameplay is tight, responsive, and fun, and the soundtrack and visuals create a bombastic and stylistic experience that I just love.”
    • “The gameplay is not great.”
    • “After two years of waiting, what came to me after I bought it was honestly a pretty disappointing experience, as the gameplay left much to be desired.”
    • “This game was a massive letdown in the gameplay aspect and kind of an insult to the extremely fun 2D platformers of nowadays.”
  • graphics180 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and vibrant art style reminiscent of 90s cartoons, smooth animations, and engaging character designs. However, some players noted that the visuals can become chaotic and overwhelming, making it difficult to track gameplay during intense moments. Overall, while the aesthetic is celebrated for its charm and creativity, it occasionally suffers from visual clutter that detracts from the gaming experience.

    • “The art style of this game is a marvel.”
    • “The visuals here are really good!”
    • “The art style is so unique and such a joy to look at.”
    • “The graphics are harsh, hard to make sense of, choppy and brash.”
    • “It's just that it has some instances every now and again where you take unfair damage due to offscreen obstacles or distracting visuals.”
    • “While I love the graphics, sometimes so many things are happening at once that it can get too busy for you to keep track of your character, especially during boss fights: the dragon and diamond bosses being huge offenders there.”
  • humor145 mentions

    The humor in "Antonblast" is widely praised for its chaotic, cartoonish style reminiscent of 90s animations, featuring quirky characters and hilarious dialogue that keeps players entertained throughout. Many reviewers highlight the game's clever writing, memorable voice acting, and a mix of slapstick and edgy humor, although some find certain jokes to be juvenile or poorly timed. Overall, the game is celebrated as a fun, engaging platformer that successfully blends humor with its gameplay, making it a standout experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The cartoony sound effects doing various actions is a nice and humorous touch.”
    • “This game is super funny, and pretty much had chuckles and laughs throughout, with Anton, Annie, and Satan being constant joys to hear talk and do nonsense in general. The dialogue, animations, and voice acting really shine for this game.”
    • “Antonblast is a challenging, funny, and chaotic platformer that feels like late 90s nostalgia condensed into a single game.”
  • story50 mentions

    The story of the game is characterized as a humorous and simplistic narrative that enhances the overall gameplay experience. While some elements draw inspiration from other games, the unique and silly premise, along with charming characters and witty writing, contribute to its appeal. Players appreciate the lightheartedness and comedic tone, making it an enjoyable aspect of the game despite its brevity.

    • “Narratively, this game is the paragon of interactive storytelling.”
    • “The story and writing here is pretty comical and can be compared to old cartoony humor.”
    • “The art, music, story, and comedy are all amazing; the team really nailed it with these aspects.”
    • “The story is somewhat a ripoff of Banjo-Kazooie (one of my favorite games). In Banjo-Kazooie, Grunty wants Tootie's beauty, so she can be prettier than Tootie, with Klungo using a machine where ugly turns into beauty, and beauty turns into ugly. Satan gets angry or jealous over Anton's redness and wants it because he wants to drink or siphon Anton's redness (or Annie if you're playing as her, even though Satan doesn't know about Annie, but at the final battle he's like 'screw it'). The stealing booze is a ripoff of Angry Birds where the pigs steal the eggs, except there are moles.”
    • “The story is very silly and stupid, and I love it. I want more.”
    • “What story?”
  • replayability23 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its meticulously designed levels, numerous secrets, and various gameplay modes such as time trials and combo challenges. Players appreciate the satisfaction of mastering levels and the opportunity to explore different playstyles, although some find the difficulty of certain replayable content, like time trials, to be a barrier. Overall, the combination of engaging mechanics, collectibles, and unique level designs contributes to a compelling reason to revisit the game.

    • “However, the levels are excellent - they feel satisfying to master and the secrets in the levels make for great replayability.”
    • “Every level stands out among the rest, is meticulously designed to allow for both speedrunning and playing at your own pace, and has a ton of secrets and optional collectibles that increase the replay value for completion's sake.”
    • “Amazing graphics, great gameplay, and high replayability value make for one incredible game.”
    • “However, long stages have a bit of an issue with replayability in that remembering everything you have to do is very tough, and blink-and-you'll-miss-it secrets and obstacles mean that if you miss a secret or die, you're going to have to go through all that again.”
    • “This, again, would not normally be a problem, encouraging replayability is fine and all, but the game kind of drags you through the stages so much I really don't want to bother playing them again.”
    • “The only problem I have is the replayability content being too hard (especially the time trials), but maybe that's because I suck.”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the long respawn times and the difficulty spikes in certain levels. While some appreciate the opportunity to practice skills through grinding, many feel that the repetitive nature of the gameplay detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it a drag rather than a rewarding challenge. Overall, the grinding can lead to a sense of burnout, with players expressing a desire for more concise and engaging level designs.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Each room is separate, which makes it feel like they're designed to be their own little things, but when you die you don't restart at the room, but at a few rooms before it, which just becomes tedious. Instead of honing your skills, you just stop trying at the rooms you already beat, and you end up failing those over and over, which becomes a drag on the experience.”
    • “Sometimes it's something you can knock out in 1-3 tries, and others it's something that will eat 6+ hours of your time grinding out a single level.”
    • “I'd rather if a game had small memorable levels, rather than long and tedious levels.”
  • character development11 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by unique and original character designs that are well-integrated with the art style and voice acting, enhancing the overall experience. However, despite the strong visual appeal and thematic consistency, some players feel that the character arcs and narrative progression fall short, particularly towards the end, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction with the story's resolution. Overall, while the character designs are praised, the depth of character development and storytelling may not meet the expectations set by the visuals.

    • “Character design and voice acting perfectly showcase who you're playing and dealing with.”
    • “The character designs, personalities, and their interactions all come together to really make it feel like you're just watching an episode.”
    • “The problem is that there is a lot of visual noise, to the point where it can be hard to tell what exactly I'm doing.”
    • “Character designs are unique and original while still carrying a consistent style to them all.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, with some feeling ecstatic and nostalgic, reminiscent of classic platformers. The adventure's conclusion left one reviewer in tears, highlighting the game's impactful storytelling and engaging gameplay, despite some frustrations with specific levels. Overall, the emotional experience is marked by joy and satisfaction, overshadowing minor gameplay challenges.

    • “I cried because it was over.”
    • “After playing Antonblast for a few hours, I can, with pure confidence, say that this game made me feel absolutely ecstatic.”
    • “Never has an indie game made me feel like I was actually playing a hidden gem on the PS2 or the Wii.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while the vibrant presentation, expressive voice acting, and engaging animation are praised, some users report performance issues such as mild stuttering and display problems. These hiccups, though not game-breaking, suggest that further patches may be needed to enhance the experience. Despite these concerns, the game's artistic and auditory elements are celebrated as standout features.

    • “The presentation is an incredible spectacle that checks all of the boxes for me, smooth but also sharp & impactful art & animation that's always a joy to look at, hilarious voice performances that will echo in your mind for who knows how long, a nigh-endlessly excellent soundtrack, & sound design that sells everything that's going on & brings it to the next level.”
    • “Overall, a complete & utter masterpiece that everyone involved should be extremely proud of, y'all delivered nothing but peak performance!”
    • “Voicework and dialogue really add to this a ton, especially with Satan's absolutely delightful performance by Gianni.”
    • “A few other hiccups here and there with performance on cutscenes, but I'm sure those will get patched out soon enough.”
    • “🔲 PC with i9 10900k + 2x RTX 3090 (poorly optimized game).”
    • “Some tiny bugs here and there can occur; I've experienced mild stuttering to broken full-screen with the game only taking a quarter of my screen, fixed by a reboot, alongside some weird game interactions with gimmicks, but nothing game-breaking.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game exhibits notable stability issues, with frequent bugs and glitches reported, particularly in certain levels and during critical moments like the victory screen. However, it runs well on the Steam Deck, suggesting that performance may vary by platform. Overall, while the gameplay can be challenging and enjoyable, players should be prepared for a somewhat unstable experience.

    • “Fantastic game! I've been playing on the Steam Deck, and it runs great on it.”
    • “The game runs smoothly and provides a stable experience, even during challenging moments.”
    • “I've had no crashes or major issues; the stability of the game is impressive.”
    • “The victory screen popped up and then the game freezes.”
    • “This is so buggy and not easy, don't get.”
    • “Outside of this, I think some levels (particularly the one with the monkeys) are still a bit undercooked in that they're a bit buggy.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The atmosphere in Antonblast is highly praised for its unique and chaotic locations, complemented by a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that the game's blend of inspirations creates an engaging environment, despite some frustrations with level abilities. Overall, the combination of distinctive levels, fantastic music, and sound design contributes to a vibrant and immersive atmosphere.

    • “I'd say that, no matter your opinions on the franchise, you should give it a try because the inspirations are not blatantly obvious and they merge well in the atmosphere.”
    • “The levels are unique and very fun; there is great atmosphere, fantastic music, and sound design.”
    • “While this does work well for the chaotic atmosphere the game aims to create, it is frustrating with some of the level abilities.”
    • “Tony Grayson (composer of Antonblast, as well as the Summitsphere's studio head) delivers melodies that ooze with atmosphere.”
    • “The music, the attacks, the atmosphere, his ass being a weak point, everything.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is characterized by a vibrant, 90s-inspired art design that features bold and attention-grabbing advertising, effectively capturing a loud and chaotic aesthetic that aligns with its promotional claims.

    • “The advertisements didn't lie.”
    • “It's a huge 90s throwback to zany, in-your-face advertising, so it's loud, explosive, and crazy as hell.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

84% average critic score

Buy Antonblast

Play time

57hMedian play time
125hAverage play time
9-300hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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