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Super Meat Boy

Almost a decade later, Super Meat Boy still offers an excellent difficulty curve, sharp level design, and heartless, brutal platforming.
Super Meat Boy Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
grinding, stability
94% User Score Based on 24,724 reviews
Critic Score 86%Based on 10 reviews

Platforms

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Super Meat Boy Game Cover

About

Super Meat Boy is a single player platformer game with a comedy theme. It was developed by Team Meat and was released on November 30, 2010. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In "Super Meat Boy," play as a sentient cube of meat on a perilous journey to save your bandage-bound girlfriend from an evil fetus. This challenging platformer features over 300 levels across multiple chapters, with soul-crushing difficulty and epic boss fights. Additional features include a level editor, unlockable secrets, and warp zones for extra replayability.

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Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
Super Meat Boy screenshot
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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 24,724 reviews
music1.1k positive mentions
grinding76 negative mentions
  • music
    1,823 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in *Super Meat Boy* is widely praised, particularly the original 2010 soundtrack composed by Danny Baranowsky, which many players consider a perfect fit for the game's fast-paced and challenging gameplay. Reviewers highlight the energetic and catchy nature of the tracks, noting that they enhance the overall experience and keep players motivated, even during frustrating moments. While some players express disappointment with the newer 2015 soundtrack, the option to switch back to the original has been well-received, solidifying the music as a standout feature of the game.

    • “Super Meat Boy's songs are such a banger, each song gets better and better as you progress through the worlds, and they fit perfectly with the speedy feel of the levels.”
    • “The soundtrack, composed by Danny Baranowsky, is equally fantastic, with pulse-pounding tunes that perfectly complement the frenetic action on screen.”
    • “The soundtrack is a standout feature, energizing players as they navigate the treacherous terrains.”
    • “The story is a complete nothingburger, the music is meh, and annoyingly repetitive in later stages where you are doing attempt after attempt.”
    • “For some reason they changed the music of the original version (that was a masterpiece, and pumped well into the action) and the game does not seem the same as the current version is not trash but sounds like trash compared to the original and also feels a bit out of place.”
    • “The music while is ok is a major turn off.”
  • gameplay
    1,468 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of *Super Meat Boy* is widely praised for its tight controls, fast-paced platforming, and challenging mechanics that require precision and skill. Players appreciate the quick respawn system, which minimizes downtime and encourages a trial-and-error approach, making each death feel like a learning opportunity rather than a setback. While the game is noted for its difficulty, many find it rewarding and addictive, with a variety of levels and mechanics that keep the experience fresh and engaging.

    • “Super Meat Boy’s gameplay is at the heart of the game, with precise and challenging platforming mechanics that require refined skills and precise control.”
    • “With its well-polished gameplay mechanics, captivating graphics, and a vibrant soundtrack, Super Meat Boy offers a platforming adventure that is both challenging and incredibly fun.”
    • “The gameplay is interesting, fun, funny, and smooth, with a good level of difficulty in later stages of the game, especially with the dark levels.”
    • “However, I cannot really recommend this with how unresponsive the jump mechanic is at times.”
    • “The gameplay is unforgivingly hard and even worse your character is a bit slippery.”
    • “Difficult gameplay would be acceptable if the game was not plagued with unresponsive controls and glitches that send the sprite through walls and floors.”
  • story
    966 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of *Super Meat Boy* is often described as simplistic and generic, revolving around the classic trope of a hero (Meat Boy) trying to rescue his girlfriend (Bandage Girl) from the villainous Dr. Fetus. While the narrative is light-hearted and humorous, serving mainly as a backdrop for the gameplay, many players feel it lacks depth and complexity, with some even considering it a mere accessory to the challenging platforming experience. Overall, the story is seen as cute and funny, but not a primary draw for those seeking a rich narrative.

    • “Straightforward and funny story: the plot is light and fun, with a premise that is both funny and engaging.”
    • “The story is cute, but has little bearing on whether you'd like a game like this or not.”
    • “The story revolves around Meat Boy and his girlfriend Bandage Girl who is kidnapped by the evil Dr. Fetus, and Meat Boy must go on an adventure to defeat Dr. Fetus and rescue his girlfriend.”
    • “The game's story sucks and is super generic.”
    • “The existence of a 'story' that's this primitive isn't a feature, it's bad story-design.”
    • “The story is a complete nothingburger, the music is meh, and annoyingly repetitive in later stages where you are doing attempt after attempt.”
  • graphics
    880 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Super Meat Boy" are characterized by a distinctive retro-inspired pixel art style that blends nostalgia with modern aesthetics, creating a charming and vibrant visual experience. While some players appreciate the simplistic yet effective design that complements the game's fast-paced gameplay, others feel the visuals can appear crude or dated, particularly in comparison to contemporary titles. Overall, the art style is generally well-received for its unique character and humor, despite some criticisms regarding its lack of detail and polish.

    • “Super Meat Boy's visual style is distinctive and captivating, with pixel art graphics that are both nostalgic and modern.”
    • “The game's retro-inspired visuals are charming and the soundtrack pumps adrenaline into every jump and dash.”
    • “The art style is perfect and controls + movement feel responsive and satisfying!”
    • “Super fun and difficult 2D precision platformer, although it lacks good graphics and an actual story, stuff that you would get with The End is Nigh or Celeste.”
    • “A classic with the ugliest graphics I've ever seen.”
    • “The aforementioned poor art style means it’s sometimes difficult to discern between the background and actual parts of the level, and if you hate trying over and over to complete the same sections, you’re going to hate this because that’s all you’re doing.”
  • humor
    857 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in "Super Meat Boy" is characterized by its dark, irreverent, and often juvenile tone, blending slapstick and absurdity with a nostalgic nod to retro gaming culture. Players frequently find themselves laughing at the game's quirky characters, hilarious cutscenes, and the absurdity of their repeated deaths, which are presented in a comical fashion. While some may find the humor dated or crude, it generally adds a layer of charm and enjoyment to the challenging gameplay, making it a standout experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The character, Meat Boy, is a delightfully quirky protagonist, and the game's humor adds a layer of fun to the intense challenges.”
    • “The game's humorous tone adds an extra layer of charm, with plenty of jokes and pop culture references to keep players entertained.”
    • “Somehow I die a ton while playing this game and I end up laughing rather than getting mad.”
    • “The humor is unfunny Newgrounds type stuff.”
    • “It's not funny when you hit the same buzzsaw for the 20th time in the exact same way.”
    • “It has a kind of funny side to it, but it's not funny enough to save you from a very repetitive and boring platformer.”
  • replayability
    246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts exceptional replayability, with numerous challenges, unlockable characters, and collectibles that encourage players to return and complete all objectives. The inclusion of user-generated content and various difficulty levels further enhances its longevity, making it a must-play for fans of challenging platformers. Overall, players find the replay value to be high, with many expressing a desire to keep playing long after completing the main game.

    • “High replayability: in addition to the main levels, there are a variety of extra challenges, achievements, and unlockable content that encourage players to revisit the game to complete all objectives.”
    • “With robust modding tools and Steam Workshop support, players can create and share their own custom levels with the world, extending the game's longevity and replayability indefinitely.”
    • “This game has a ton of replayability, unlockable characters, side levels, achievements, and more for you to sink your teeth into!”
    • “Replayability: we never touched this game again.”
    • “The replayability of this game is out the roof!”
    • “The time-trial and item hunting increases replayability considerably; 100%'ing this game is no easy feat.”
  • emotional
    116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players expressing that it evokes strong feelings ranging from joy to frustration, often leading to tears. While some find the storyline and characters heartwarming and touching, others feel overwhelmed by the game's difficulty, resulting in emotional turmoil rather than enjoyment. Overall, the game successfully elicits a wide range of emotions, making it a memorable experience for many players.

    • “No game has made me cry as much as this one has, 10/10”
    • “Amazing storyline, fast-paced gameplay with heartfelt characters.”
    • “A heartwarming adventure and story that makes you love life a little more each level you play.”
    • “Boring story with dry characters. The platforms are placed in various locations and sometimes require luck. If played with a keyboard, the spacebar barely jumps most of the time. It's hard but not fun. I refunded it and wouldn't picture myself buying it again. Dark Souls is at least fun and hard, and you can get good at it; this game isn't that way.”
  • grinding
    110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players relish the challenge of repeated attempts to master difficult levels, others find it tedious and frustrating, often leading to a sense of burnout. Many reviews highlight that the game requires significant time investment and can feel like a grind without meaningful progression, though it can also provide a rewarding sense of achievement for those who enjoy the grind. Overall, it caters to hardcore gamers who appreciate the challenge, but may deter those seeking a more balanced gameplay experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “And for a game that prides itself on difficulty, it does everything right in order to make the gameplay actually tough, and not tedious.”
    • “They're tedious trial-and-error tests at best, and at worst they cripple the breakneck pace of the game down to a crawl.”
    • “There is no skill cap or any real progression, just grinding.”
    • “There is a difference between a challenging task and a time-consuming task, and the devs seemed to understand that just grinding the same level until you muscle memory the whole thing isn't fun.”
  • stability
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is plagued by numerous glitches and bugs, leading to unresponsive controls and frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly in certain levels like the Rapture chapter. While some players report that the game runs well on specific platforms like Linux, many others have encountered game-breaking issues, crashes, and odd design choices that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these stability concerns, some players still find the game charming and fun, albeit with significant caveats regarding its technical performance.

    • “Runs great on Linux!”
    • “Keyboard remapping is broken even after troubleshooting, so it's quite literally unplayable.”
    • “Biggest complaints were several crashes that occurred for me throughout my time with the game, and a few other save glitches, which was a big letdown for a few levels.”
    • “Riddled with glitches, some of which are game-breaking; otherwise, it's an okay game.”
  • optimization
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance on low-end systems and smooth controls, while others criticize it for being poorly optimized, particularly on PC, leading to crashes and frame drops. Despite its solid gameplay mechanics and engaging content, many users feel that the game suffers from significant optimization issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while it can run well on certain setups, the inconsistent performance and stability problems are notable drawbacks.

    • “Hands down my favorite optimization platformer game.”
    • “The soundtrack is diverse and perfectly curated, the visuals are simple to keep performance outstanding even on the oldest of machines, it feels good to play.”
    • “Its very tight controls, the awesome map layout, its great variety, the optimization of its mechanics and its humor are just some of the qualities that make it unique.”
    • “Decent game, but I can't legitimately recommend this game for performance reasons.”
    • “This game was poorly optimized and glitched out several times; my PC is not even that old.”
    • “It lacks in PC optimization though; you can get frame drops even with a NASA computer!”
  • atmosphere
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its vibrant and energetic soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and complements the unique graphics across various levels. Players appreciate the retro feel, humor, and tight controls that contribute to a nostalgic yet original ambiance reminiscent of classic games. While some critiques exist regarding the atmosphere, the majority find it engaging and integral to the game's charm.

    • “The game's soundtrack is also noteworthy and enhances the pace and atmosphere of the game.”
    • “While you're playing this masterpiece, you can listen to tons of great soundtrack that gives an unforgettable atmosphere to the game.”
    • “This is an excellent, surprisingly atmospheric game.”
    • “I didn't like the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The levels do not differ much, but everyone is happy with its atmosphere and the level of difficulty!”
    • “While you're playing this masterpiece, you can listen to tons of great soundtrack that gives an unforgettable atmosphere of the game.”
  • monetization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing it as a cash grab, particularly due to its poor optimization for PC and high price point. However, others appreciate the absence of in-game purchases, highlighting that the game is straightforward and relies on effective marketing rather than additional monetization strategies. Overall, the sentiment leans towards disappointment in the pricing relative to the game's quality and performance on PC.

    • “The controls are good, the levels are each unique, and there's no in-game purchases!”
    • “All in all a very straightforward game which only appeared like it had all this awe and wonder to offer, due to its great marketing and advertising, but in reality was very simple.”
    • “Its not designed for the PC. The fact that Team Meat made it for the Xbox shows that it wouldn't be good for the PC. I would not recommend it for the full price because it's just a cash grab.”
    • “No, I do not mean in-game purchases, but in real life.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in Super Meat Boy is characterized by inventive yet simplistic designs that, while not deeply fleshed out, exude charm and personality. The vibrant colors and whimsical art style contribute to a quirky aesthetic that enhances the game's brutal themes, creating a nostalgic homage to retro gaming. Overall, the character designs, though not extensively developed, are memorable and add to the game's unique appeal.

    • “Visually, Super Meat Boy is a love letter to retro gaming, with its vibrant colors and charmingly grotesque character designs paying homage to classics of yesteryear.”
    • “The character designs were honestly probably not given much time, but they're still inventive.”
    • “I do love the cut-scenes as well; the overall crassness with the simplicity of the character designs makes them oddly charming.”
    • “Super Meat Boy also boasts a charming and quirky art style, with vibrant colors and whimsical character designs that add personality to the brutal world of Meat Boy.”
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86%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews
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7h Median play time
30h Average play time
10h Main story
43h Completionist
4-43h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 60 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Super Meat Boy is a platformer game with comedy theme.

Super Meat Boy is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

The main story can be completed in around 10 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 43 hours to finish. On average players spend around 30 hours playing Super Meat Boy.

Super Meat Boy was released on November 30, 2010.

Super Meat Boy was developed by Team Meat.

Super Meat Boy has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its grinding.

Super Meat Boy is a single player game.

Similar games include Little Meatmo, The End Is Nigh, Cuphead, Celeste, VVVVVV and others.