a couple of hours later Antonblastoa new side-scrolling action-platformer inspired by the Game Boy Advance-era Wario Land and Crash Bandicoot games, I wondered if it knew what it was really doing. Sure, I'd beaten some of the toughest bosses in the game and cleared a handful of challenging levels, but I felt like I could barely hang on.
Despite the visual assault of antónblastoand my performance playing it, I was having a great time. it was like playing Wario Land 4 while you ride a roller coaster and have a little fun. Then, at certain points, the game's frenetic mechanics began to click; In those moments, I felt that I began to speak the strange language of Antonblasto.
After all, this is a game that features a dedicated “Shout” button. (Seriously, just hold it down to make your main character scream loudly and incessantly.)
Barely controlled chaos is the beating heart of Antonblastoin which almost everything is solved by smashing it with a huge hammer or impaling it like the Tasmanian devil. As Dyanamite Anton (or his equally drunk co-worker Dynamite Annie), I'm sent into 2D levels that move in all directions, jumping and crashing through exploding boxes and into the flow of running, punching things. There are moments of serious, tough platforming, during which I must try to avoid poisonous lakes and pools populated by electric eel-like machines. But most of the time, I just accelerate forward like a tornado, tearing it to pieces.
Image: Cumbreesfera
At some point in each level, I find explosive machines, press the plunger, and new sections open up. Some of those explosive machines trigger the end of the level, during which antónblasto He yells at me that “IT'S HAPPY HOUR!” and it's time to run back to the beginning of the level to exit. Apparently, the instruction is that Anton is going to be beaten back to his base of operations, and in these moments of levels but played in reverse, everything becomes even more manic.
The reason Dynamite Anton does all this is because Satan himself has stolen his alcohol (which Anton, in turn, had stolen from someone else). The goal is to recover those sweet spirits and leave destruction behind in Anton's wake.
Despite the thick layers of chaos, antónblasto It's about precision platforming, paying attention to the game's environments to find secrets and hidden routes, and perfecting your runs. That's evident in the game's first boss fight against a professional fighter. From the moment you jump into that fight, you're forced to react, read the fighter's moves, and repeat until you've figured out the dance. Much of Antonblasto It may be frustrating at first, but once you learn their language, frustration gives way to fun.
Image: Cumbreesfera
While antónblasto Playing like the Wario Land games of yesteryear, it has its own distinctive visual style, drawing on graffiti and video games and cartoons straight from the '90s. It's a tremendously kinetic game, both in its gameplay and style. Sometimes the visual chaos can be overwhelming; antónblastoThe substance suffers from also a lot of style.
Summitsphere developers keep the rowdy action of Antonblasto constantly fresh throughout its 12 levels, thanks to a variety of movement mechanics, enemies and bosses. With plenty of hidden collectibles to find and multiple ways to replay each stage (there are time trial and combo-focused racing options), the game has a surprising amount of depth.
antónblasto is available for Windows PC via Steam (and plays great on the Steam Deck), and just received a slightly delayed release on Nintendo Switch. Any Wario Land fan or pizza tower You should probably check it out.
Antonblasto It was released on December 3 on Windows PC and December 13 on Nintendo Switch. The game was reviewed on PC using a download code provided by Summitsphere. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. Additional information about Polygon's ethics policy can be found here.