VVVVVV. I’d heard of this game for a few years, it being a 2010 classic, but I rarely seem to see anyone talk about it nowadays. But how should I know? I was two years old when it was released! When summer rolled around with Steam having its big summer sale, I decided to buy the game. After beating it, I really liked it.
Created by Terry Cavanagh and Simon Roth, “VVVVVV” (pronounced “v”) is a 2D platformer where instead of jumping you flip gravity. The game was originally made in flash but as it came for a full paid release it was ported to c++. For the uninitiated, “ported” means reworked for a new system.
In the game, you play as Captain Viridian who has to find their space crew after their spaceship crash-lands in Dimension VVVVVV. Along the way you can collect trinkets which are the collectables in the game, however you don’t need to get any of them to win.
Gameplay
The concept is so simple and the game does so much with it As you flip through different passages the game throws these ideas at you; Sometimes you will be going up and down a vertically moving side scroller, other times you will be using these lines that invert your gravity for you.
The level design is perfect for a game like this; it really lets you explore this crazy dimension. With 8 main passages and an open 2D world to explore, It’s a blast! Collecting trinkets and dodging obstacles by flipping gravity is always fun, no matter how challenging.
After rescuing all crewmates, Viridian gets teleported into the final level. After trying to teleport to the ship, Viridian figures out they have to blow up the teleporter in order to teleport back. It’s a test of your knowledge and skill at the game.
Theme
The game is inspired by old C64 games, thus the game looks straight out of the 80s. The game doesn’t stop itself from having the limits as games back then with its constant change of color and music.
In the laboratory, the background and colors are dark with rectangles moving across the background. In the tower, everything is yellow and diagonal with the background having zigzags. In both spaceship levels, the ground and background has a tech style that fits super well with the game.
There are 3 current albums of the soundtrack to VVVVVV. The game’s soundtrack was composed by Magnus Pålsson, who released “PPPPPP”. The music to the game is perfect, making any brutal and unforgiving obstacle more determined to cross than ever. Even after all of the difficult struggles it’s always rewarding to overcome thanks to the music.
Conclusion
This game is charming, fun, and fundamentally perfect; It’s really something you don’t see often. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes 2d platforms, especially how even after all these years there’s really nothing wrong with the game. I don’t see too many people talk about VVVVVV but because it’s way past its release, It was never an obscure game and I don’t think it ever will be. I hope that we all agree that If you are waiting for something good, you are waiting for VVVVVV.
