Antonblast for Steam and Switch plays like Wario Land made by the devil

In a couple of hours Antonblastnew side-scrolling action platformer inspired by the Wario Land and Crash Bandicoot games of the Game Boy Advance era, I wondered if I knew what I was actually doing. Sure, I beat some of the game’s hellishly difficult bosses and completed some challenging levels, but I felt like I was barely hanging on.

Despite the visual attack Antonblastand I was delighted with my performance when I played. It was like a game Wario Land 4 riding a roller coaster and getting a little high. Then at certain points the game’s crazy mechanics started to click – at such moments I felt like I was starting to speak in a strange language Antonblast.

After all, this game has a special “Scream” button. (Seriously, you just hold it down to make the main character scream loudly and endlessly.)

Barely controlled chaos is a beating heart Antonblastin which almost everything is resolved by smashing it with a huge hammer or exploding it like the Tasmanian Devil. As Dynamite Anton (or his equally drunken counterpart Dynamite Annie), I’m sent into 2D levels that move in all directions, jumping and crashing through exploding crates and into a stream of fast-moving, smashing things. There are moments of serious, hardcore platforming during which I have to try to avoid poisonous lakes and pools populated by electric eel-like machines. But most of the time I just rush forward like a tornado, blowing everything to pieces.

At some point in each level I find explosive machines, press the piston, and new sections open up. Some of these explosive machines trigger the level finale, during which Antonblast yells at me, “IT’S HAPPY HOUR!” and it’s time to race back to the start of the level to get out of it. Apparently Anton is ordered back to his home base and things get even crazier in these levels but played in reverse.

The reason Dynamite Anton does all this is because Satan himself stole Anton’s drink (which Anton in turn stole from someone else). The goal is to bring back these good spirits and leave behind the destruction in Anton’s wake.

Despite the thick layers of chaos, Antonblast It’s about precision platforming, paying attention to the game’s environment to find secrets and hidden routes, and perfecting your running. This is evident in the game’s first boss fight against a professional wrestler. From the moment you enter the fight, you are forced to react, read the wrestler’s movements and recreate them until you understand the dance. Most Antonblast It can be frustrating at first, but once you learn his language, the frustration will turn into fun.

Bye Antonblast The game may be reminiscent of the old Wario Land games, but it has its own distinct visual style based on graffiti, video games, and 90s cartoons. It’s an incredibly kinetic game, both in the way it’s played and its style. Sometimes the visual chaos can become overwhelming; Antonblastthe substance suffers from too much lots of style.

Summitsphere devs keep the action buzzing Antonblast Constantly updated throughout 12 levels with varied movement mechanics, enemies and bosses. With plenty of hidden collectibles to find and multiple ways to replay each stage (there are time trials and combo-focused playthrough options), the game has surprising depth.

Antonblast is available on Windows PC via Steam (and plays great on Steam Deck), but has been slightly delayed for release on Nintendo Switch. Any fan of Wario Land or Pizza Tower It’s probably worth checking this out.

Antonblast was released on December 3rd on Windows PC and December 13th on Nintendo Switch. The game was reviewed on PC using the download code provided by Summitsphere. Vox Media has partnerships. They do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. More information about Polygon’s ethical policies can be found here.