VVVVVV (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Console digital download services have had some absolute gems of games released on them this generation, and whilst Nintendo’s systems have missed out on quite a few of these over the years, the Wii has had the likes of the Bit.Trip series, LostWinds and its sequel, plus World of Goo to satisfy owners of the little white box. Slowly but surely, the Nintendo 3DS’ eShop has been churning out a fair few games, too, and it looks like the quality of these titles is increasing all the time. Some of the best and most innovative games to come out in recent times are frequently appearing through consoles’ online stores, so it is with such joy to say that possibly the finest original game to hit the 3DS eShop is here at last.

The uniquely-named VVVVVV, the title of which has numerous meanings that become clear as you play, is, in a word, genius. Players take control of a little man named Viridian, who has to evacuate his spaceship when dimensional interference causes things to go haywire. His crew-mates get thrown to random places of the alternate dimension they end up in, called VVVVVV. As the captain, Viridian vows to track down his lost friends and sort out the interference affecting the ship.

VVVVVV is a 2D platformer with a twist. Instead of jumping, the player controls gravity with the press of a button. When Viridian is on a flat surface, a tap of any of the action buttons will cause him to fall in the opposite direction. By playing with gravity players can run along floors and ceilings, dodging deadly spikes and enemies and traversing the numerous traps and dangers littered in just about every room. Other mechanics make their way into the gameplay later, such as springy tightropes, moving floors and screens that put you on the opposite side as you walk off them. This puzzle element and sublime level design is what makes VVVVVV so brilliant.

Checkpoints are scattered every few seconds of progress, but players will quickly find out why. This game is hard. It does become frustrating in parts and it won’t be uncommon for anyone to take in excess of twenty tries to clear certain areas. In some cases, such as attempting to collect one of the many shiny trinkets dotted throughout the game in incredibly difficult areas, a hundred attempts may not be far from the truth. Players re-spawn immediately at the last checkpoint, though, meaning it isn’t as much of a problem as it sounds. Getting through the short adventure is a challenge in itself, but after beating the game it’s time to put everything learned beforehand to the test in the extra levels. As well as insanely tough stages to conquer, time trialling previous areas from the main game and tackling the mirrored mode will really test even the most hardened of gamer.

The 'issue' is, VVVVVV proves to be so addictive that it is almost impossible to not come back for more. There is something about games like this that use such simple concepts with only a few key buttons and are designed with a colourful old-school effect that is so appealing. The Commodore 64 graphical style and retro chip-tune soundtrack will give older gamers a refreshing nostalgic kick, along with a reminder of just how tough many games of the 80s were, but, most importantly, will put a smile on the faces of all that play from beginning to end.