ANTONBLAST review

Thanks to hundreds and hundreds of wonderful indie games, there’s no lack of 2D platformers on the market right now. An awful lot of these have everyone’s favourite plumber Mario to thank for some of their ideas and mechanics, but what about his much wider evil twin? Back on the early Nintendo handhelds the Wario Land video games were must play platformers with a whole lot of creative ideas packed within, and since Nintendo seem to have forgotten somewhat about his solo adventures it’s only fair that the indies shoulder charge their way onto the scene. ANTONBLAST is a wonderful Wario-style platformer with a whole lot of attitude, but don’t expect it to hold your hand.

Our hero Anton isn’t exactly your standard colourful platforming protagonist, with his angry snarl and bright red face. You’d be angry too though if Satan himself stole your spirit collection, and fuelled by pure rage and a need for booze he charges into hell to take back what’s his while breaking a whole lot of boxes along the way. Other than Satan’s slightly sexually charged lines at the start of each stage, the story doesn’t really get in the way of the action, which is just how I like it.

The first part of each stage of ANTONBLAST involves trying to make your way to the detonator deep within it to blow it up. This means charging through boxes and baddies to make your way there, but it’s easier said than done. Especially at the start of the game learning how to best control Anton is tricky, as he has such a wide array of moves at his disposal. Charges can be chained together at breakneck speed, sliding, and rolling is required to access smaller passages, and learning how to bounce to higher ledges with Anton’s hammer is an absolute must. I’ll admit I felt entirely lost in the first few stages and had to replay them a few times to get to grips with everything, but once I did I was hooked.

There’s a flow that comes when playing ANTONBLAST well that few other games can replicate, where you’ll perfectly charge through a stage dodging all hazards and never missing a beat – and it feels incredible. This is only made better by the stages themselves being made up of multiple elements that instantly fling you around like cannons and jetpacks, and when these all come together in a destructive ballet it’s just breath-taking.

It isn’t all just high octane action in ANTONBLAST though. Stages are thoughtfully designed, and are often mazes requiring you to blow up different coloured boxes (which function sort of like old school DOOM keycards) to proceed, and feature all sorts of other gimmicks to navigate alongside this.

The variety in the levels is what moves ANTONBLAST up from a good game to a great game. Especially after the first few stages, every single one features something wild and exciting, like the stage where Anton turns into a pinball or the stage full of shooting ranges you need to do some target practice at to proceed. There are even wilder and more delightful stages I won’t spoil too, but rest assured they are spectacular.

In another nod to the Wario Land games, the end of each stage involves a mad dash with a time limit back to the start after you’ve pushed the detonator. This is always a blast (pun intended) as knowing the layout of a level a little better makes this even more of a fun flow-fest than usual. There’s always something a bit different on the return journey to catch you out though, so don’t get complacent.

The action stages of ANTONBLAST are incredible, but even more exciting are the bosses. These multiple form, screen filling, epic encounters felt comparable to something as ridiculous as Final Fantasy XVI’s boss battles, and require a whole lot of skill to take down. The final boss especially is an absolute gauntlet of precision that requires you to have truly mastered Anton’s hammer, and left me with goose bumps and adrenaline pumping once I finally took it down.

The visuals, which are unusual to say the least, offer up a sort of grungy pixel aesthetic that made me think of edgy 90s games, but the animation really brings it to life. Anton and the rest of the cast have such character thanks to their over the top expressions as they charge about, and the banging soundtrack only complements this further.

As long as you have the patience to get to grips with ANTONBLAST (and don’t mind a hell of a challenge) you’ll have a glorious time charging through this hellacious platformer. With a whole lot of variety and a flow unlike the vast majority of its peers, ANTONBLAST manages to stand out from the crowd with its frantic pace and healthy appetite for explosions.