I grabbed this game as it became free this month on playstation plus but it is 5 years old. I don't know that I love the mechanic of jumping around and dodging obstacles but I think the game does an excellent job of rewarding the player for doing this. Even though this game requires the player to fail constantly, it also rewards the player constantly.
The first several levels are really quite easy giving an early feeling of accomplishment. Once the levels get harder and the player dies more often, they are still rewarded by getting a cool replay showing where all their Meat Boys died throughout the level. Honestly I think the replays are one of the most major if not the most major reason why this game was a success.
The plot of this game takes a backseat and isn't really all that deep (or good). I didn't really appreciate the humour so much either but I suppose somebody might. It stays consistent though and I'm assuming the flash roots of this title have the same feel. In Indie Game the Movie, there's a scene where Edmund McMillen explains how Meat Boy is exposed and vulnerable, and how he doesn't just love bandage girl he needs her. Maybe to a less cynical person that may have seemed like a sweet or deep sentiment but personally I can't help but think that the real reason he's made of meat is to keep the gore but get a lower age rating.
They did a great job with the level design in this. I noticed in many of the more complicated levels with a difficult part a bit later on, they'd have a very similar part at the beginning so I could experiment with the motions. When it had especially strange mechanics though they would almost always be at the start of the level which helped me avoid some frustration. Many of the mechanics get reused in different ways and when a new mechanic is introduced for the first time it's always very simple which is a nice touch. Another nice thing is that some of the levels also have some less obvious paths that can save me a lot of time but that I only noticed after dying several times, growing tired of the motions, and experimenting.
One thing I found myself wondering while playing this is how much do I really enjoy getting through the frustrating parts of a game like this if I don't get to brag about it afterwards? I feel like the bragging right factor is a pretty important piece of the success of this type of game. I'm not sure if this game allowed players to share their replays on social media at all but it could've been a nice touch.
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