VVVVVV

VVVVVV on the Nintendo Switch is the definitive version of Terry Cavanagh’s classic with an exclusive co-op mode and better performance than the other versions.

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"VVVVVV is a gravity-defying fantasy platformer, where you help Captain Viridian rescue teleported friends. Its elegant level design and gravity-reversing mechanic provide challenging, fast-paced gameplay with frequent checkpoints. Enjoy over 30 minutes of chiptune music and additional game modes, like time trials and no death mode."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 8,307 reviews

music1,870 positive mentions

grinding23 negative mentions

Unique gravity-flipping mechanic that adds depth to platforming challenges.
Incredible chiptune soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Challenging yet fair gameplay with frequent checkpoints, making it rewarding to master.

Controls can feel slippery at times, leading to frustrating deaths.
Some levels, particularly the escort missions, can be tedious and annoying.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.

music
2,725 mentions
69 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in "Vvvvvv" is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers highlighting its catchy chiptune soundtrack composed by Magnus Pålsson. Players describe the music as uplifting, immersive, and integral to the gameplay experience, often stating that it enhances their enjoyment and motivation to continue despite the game's challenging nature. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a major reason to play the game, with some even recommending it for the music alone.
- “The soundtrack and sound design are also very awesome to listen to.”
- “The music, for one, is phenomenal and I think makes the entire experience for me.”
- “The soundtrack is a huge part of that, if you don't want this game at least get the soundtrack.”
- “The music, much like the difficulty, is a double-edged sword -- it's a nice soundtrack, but with no way to turn it off and no alternative tracks until you find more trinkets, the songs get repetitive real fast.”
- “One problem is that the music track is kind of repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack sucks (although I can understand why someone may like it) and it uses crappy DOS graphics which I guess a lot of games don't have but I couldn't care less.”
gameplay
1,454 mentions
48 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Vvvvvv* is centered around a unique gravity-flipping mechanic that replaces traditional jumping, offering a fresh and engaging platforming experience. Players navigate through cleverly designed levels that introduce new challenges and mechanics, ensuring that the gameplay remains dynamic and rewarding despite its simplicity. The game is praised for its fluid controls, satisfying difficulty curve, and an outstanding chiptune soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- “The mechanics are honestly really fluid and make for really satisfying gameplay.”
- “This makes the game feel entirely fresh from start to finish, constantly engaging with the mechanics in new, interesting ways with level specific ideas that all feel extraordinarily intuitive and seamless, with the learning period of each of these being next to nothing at all.”
- “The gameplay is simple to learn, but hard to master, but mistakes are minimally punished since checkpoints are everywhere.”
- “The soundtrack holds up, but the gameplay doesn't.”
- “Even though the game is only a few hours long, everything besides the gameplay is only okay, so I don't think going for multiple playthroughs is worth it.”
- “The gameplay overall is boring and repetitive.”
graphics
806 mentions
39 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simple, retro aesthetic reminiscent of the Commodore 64 and Atari 2600, featuring vibrant pixel art that effectively complements the gameplay. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and minimalistic design, others find the visuals lacking in detail and potentially overwhelming during fast-paced segments. Overall, the graphics serve the game's mechanics well, emphasizing gameplay over visual complexity, and are often praised alongside the game's exceptional soundtrack.
- “The graphical style is incredible, and established my love for retro-inspired graphics.”
- “The graphics are beautiful yet simplistic--there's no need for realism when a few pixels and colors does the job incredibly well.”
- “The graphics are simple but lively and colorful.”
- “If you can get over the ugly graphics, you will find a platformer with simple controls and great level design.”
- “Add to this lesser quality graphics and sound, and you got a title that I can't personally recommend.”
- “The graphics are trash, and the story only serves to set up specific levels, but if you want a challenging game that won't make you rage quit, this is for you.”
story
748 mentions
33 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally described as simple and minimalistic, primarily serving as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players embark on a quest to rescue lost crew members after a spaceship mishap, with the narrative often feeling like an "excuse plot" to facilitate the platforming challenges. While some find the story charming and engaging, others note its brevity and lack of depth, suggesting that the gameplay and music are the true highlights of the experience.
- “The story about people lost in space added a really cool twist!”
- “The story is simple: you are the captain of a spaceship, which gets lost in a dimensional vortex.”
- “The story, although simple, is endearing and the characters are all uniquely likeable.”
- “The story is as simple as stories can get and feels like it's there just because it was required to show off some gameplay mechanics.”
- “The story seems bad but you can just ignore it, and the gameplay and music are great.”
- “The story is very bland and isn't always relevant to what you're doing.”
replayability
224 mentions
49 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, driven by challenging gameplay, collectible trinkets, time trials, and a level editor that allows for user-generated content. Players appreciate the variety of modes and challenges available, making it appealing for both casual play and completionists. Despite its short main story, the abundance of optional content and modes ensures that players can enjoy multiple playthroughs.
- “There's no filler and plenty of replay value with the trinket collecting, time trials, secret achievements, flip and no death modes, and level editor.”
- “The additional modes like time trials, and the side player-created levels also add a whole new layer of replayability beyond the main game itself.”
- “The level editor and level sharing make this game possibly infinitely replayable.”
- “Unfortunately, unless you're aiming for perfection (i.e., all of the achievements), this game lacks replayability, though even trying for the hardest achievements can be frustrating.”
- “There's not much replay value besides trying to get through the game with a minimal number of deaths, but for those inclined to that sort of thing, vvvvvv is the perfect game for it.”
- “Not a lot of replay value, unless you're masochistic enough to try the extremely hard modes, though there are some nice custom maps to choose from.”
humor
108 mentions
98 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and creativity, with players enjoying the funny character designs, humorous level names, and self-referential jokes that add a lighthearted tone to the challenging gameplay. The soundtrack complements the comedic elements, enhancing the overall experience and making even frustrating moments enjoyable. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with engaging mechanics, resulting in a fun and memorable experience.
- “They even got Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It) to name the rooms, which ended up having super creative and funny names.”
- “The story may not be the best, but it was certainly worth watching through the funny interactions between the little 16-bit spacemen you meet.”
- “It also has a good sense of humor, with the room names providing some pretty hilarious statements (your bitter tears... delicious) and subtly poking fun at other 'arty' indie games.”
- “This game is supposed to be funny.”
atmosphere
56 mentions
68 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its impressive integration of music and art style, creating a unique and immersive experience despite basic visuals. Reviewers highlight the extraordinary soundtrack, which enhances the overall ambiance and complements the gameplay, making it both fun and challenging. While some note limitations in world detail, the overall atmosphere is described as captivating, retro, and addictive, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The looks are really cool, the setting (story and atmosphere) is great, the puzzle and platforming parts are really fun and challenging, and the music, well, the music is extraordinary!”
- “When I play this game, I am glad to be playing it simply for its atmosphere - which is very impressive given the constraints of the art style.”
- “The soundtrack is brilliant and doesn't feel like some cheap chiptune background music has been tagged on at the end - it changes between the major colored sections of the map, and it adds a great atmosphere.”
- “Weird atmosphere”
- “It is not for the lack of atmosphere that I do not recommend the game — old arcades often had an 'excuse plot' and that was perfectly fine.”
- “Incredible design and presentation, phenomenal atmosphere, and genuinely challenging despite regular checkpointing.”
emotional
36 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging, describing it as heartwarming and wholesome despite its challenging gameplay. The bond between characters and the simple yet effective mechanics evoke feelings of nostalgia and investment, leading to a unique blend of frustration and joy as players navigate through its puzzles. Overall, the emotional depth and touching story resonate strongly, making the experience memorable and impactful.
- “This game made me feel emotions I haven't felt in years.”
- “Never before have I been as emotionally invested in pixelated blobs.”
- “Dying over and over to vicious spikes has never been so heartwarming and fun!”
grinding
27 mentions
0 % positive mentions
15 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be a mix of challenging and tedious, with some aspects feeling excessively difficult or frustrating, particularly when attempting to collect certain trinkets or achievements. However, the game's short length and increasing difficulty curve help mitigate the tedium, and frequent checkpoints provide relief from the grinding experience. Overall, while some players appreciate the challenge, others feel that certain elements could be less tedious.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Only complaint is some trinkets are just tedious to get.”
- “The basic gameplay's difficulty ranges from tedious to frustrating; the campaign is very short, and the multiplayer component feels redundant.”
optimization
15 mentions
53 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally praised for its low system requirements, running smoothly even on non-gaming hardware, and effectively prioritizing performance over graphics in its platforming mechanics. However, it suffers from limitations such as a fixed 30 fps frame rate and various bugs that impact full-screen performance, with windowed mode performing better. Overall, while the game is well-optimized for its style, some technical issues detract from the experience.
- “It demands less than a KB of hard drive space and runs smoothly even on this non-gaming machine of mine.”
- “The developer took one core mechanic--flipping gravity--and made a perfectly sized, perfectly varied game based on it, optimized around the fact that you will die a lot.”
- “Vvvvvv on the Nintendo Switch is the definitive version of Terry Cavanagh’s classic with an exclusive co-op mode and better performance than the other versions.”
- “Cons: for some strange reason this game only runs 30 fps no matter what, plus there are a number of bugs affecting full-screen performance (windowed mode runs better), moving the window in windowed mode, editor crashes, time trial scores being forgotten, the orientation of certain things in flip mode, and flip mode itself can cause certain parts of the game to play slightly more differently than they should.”
- “Which is often why platformers like these will sacrifice a level of graphics in favor of performance.”
- “Performance and accuracy: in a platformer, usually a few pixels is all you will be given at times to avoid certain hazards.”
stability
12 mentions
17 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, running smoothly on the latest macOS without significant issues, even though it is an older title. While minor glitches can occur, particularly with certain accessibility features, they do not lead to crashes or game corruption, allowing for an enjoyable experience, especially for speedrunners.
- “I didn't realize it was so old until writing this; it runs great on the latest macOS, unlike some newer games.”
- “+ almost no glitches”
- “There are accessibility options: disable animated backgrounds, disable effects like screen flashes, invincibility (which causes only minor glitches like a random moving platform being stuck, it won't crash or corrupt your game) and adjusting the game's speed.”
- “- glitches (it could happen during gameplay or during editing a level)”
- “+almost no glitches”
character development
10 mentions
60 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the game features engaging character development alongside charming and simplistic character designs. Players appreciate the depth of the characters, comparing the experience to that of Skyrim, while also noting the game's unique mechanics and enjoyable soundtrack. Overall, the character development is seen as a strong aspect that enhances the retro atmosphere and storyline.
- “The character design is simple and adorable, the puzzles are mind-bending, and the soundtrack is incredibly infectious.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic, the character design is simple yet fun, and the mechanic of having to reverse gravity on yourself makes this a very unique and fun game.”
- “It has depth and character development.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's monetization model is not perceived as a typical indie cash grab, suggesting that it offers genuine value and a unique experience that sets it apart from other titles.