Antonblast – smash, smash and have fun. Review

Played on PC

Indie developers who grew up playing Nintendo games often look to Zelda games or classic Mario platformers as inspiration. The creators of Antonblast have a more unusual taste – their new project is reminiscent of Wario Land, a series of dynamic and strange platformers about one of Mario’s antagonists. It turned out to be a fun arcade game, reminiscent of the old Crash Bandicoot and Sonic the Hedgehog – everything also happens at high speed, you also destroy boxes at every step and you also can’t stop going through the levels one after another.

⇡#Tasmanian Anton

The plot in such games is usually not important, and Antonblast was no exception. There is the main character Anton (and his assistant Annie – you can play as her if you wish) and there is a devil who plundered Anton’s collection. Maddened by such impudence of the horned scoundrel, the protagonist decides to take revenge on him – to visit all the dimensions associated with him and destroy them. And literally – at each level, Anton gets to the finish line, blows up something valuable there and runs away to continue the orgy in other places.

Anton is so angry that he can even push away from the water with blows

You are drawn into the gameplay immediately – at the very first introductory level, the basic mechanics are explained in a few seconds. Anton resembles the Tasmanian Devil from the cartoon of the same name – all fragile objects he touches turn into splinters. He cannot punch, but he makes dashes that demolish wooden barriers, garbage cans, and opponents, who in most cases cannot even fight back. If you hit after jumping, Anton will take out a large hammer and use it to push off the ground. And if, a couple of seconds after the dash, you press the corresponding button again, the hero will increase his speed.

As a result, each level is a set of rooms in which we create absolute chaos. If you see cannons, you sit in them and fly away somewhere. If you come across a mountain of boxes, you start destroying everything (the sound and visual effects are especially good at these moments). If you come across a narrow passage filled with bowling pins, somewhere nearby there is a sloping surface – you sit down, curl up and knock everything down at high speed. At later levels, more and more mechanics are revealed: a local analogue of pinball, and water flows, and swinging or disappearing platforms, and even opponents who shoot projectiles, which we use for high jumps.

Anton can swim, but the water is not always safe

The locations are like big rides, and sometimes the same dilemma arises as in the Sonic games – should you run at full speed and destroy everything non-stop, or is it better to play slower? The correct answer is somewhere in the middle. If you rarely slow down, you will miss all sorts of secret passages where there may be collectibles (they are very difficult to find) or deposits of casino chips. This is the local currency that you spend in the store between levels. True, the goods there are so-so – many of them are temporary, and they are of little use. They are designed to make the next level you launch a little easier – for example, they will give you a chance to survive if you lose all your “lives” – but it may turn out that the location will not cause problems, and you will spend the money. But the permanent increase in health will come in handy – the later levels are quite difficult.

⇡#There’s no such thing as too much dynamics

Even if you waste your chips, there is nothing to worry about – you will still want to return to the levels and collect all the currency there. At first, you play Antonblast very uncertainly: you don’t fully understand the controls, sometimes you fly past platforms, and you treat some opponents with caution. But then you begin to literally rush through the levels and skillfully combine abilities – including in order to reach hard-to-reach places with the help of jumps, tackles and push-offs. That’s why I want to replay completed episodes in order to demolish everything there with maximum knowledge of the matter.

In some locations you jump between the background and foreground

The final moments of the levels help in part with this – when Anton blows up another devilish dimension, the timer starts and you need to get back to the entrance before time runs out. If before this you can rely on checkpoints, then with the appearance of a timer they disappear completely, and the entire path must be completed without dying. Of course, it’s not always easy, but after such “training” you become ready for any challenge. Including boss battles – fun and multi-stage battles, in which the opponent, after losing each “life,” can surprise you with some new technique. There, history repeats itself – if at first the boss seems invincible, then at some point you manage to get the hang of it and complete the fight without losing your health.

Much of Antonblast’s success is due to its visual style and sound design. I already mentioned “Tasmanian Devil” – the creators of the game were clearly inspired not only by old games, but also by cartoons. Therefore, the hero’s appearance resembles a character from “The Cool Beavers”; his fall from a height is accompanied by the crash of orchestral cymbals, and when the speed decreases, the sound of a small car braking is activated. Well, Anton’s dissatisfied screams when receiving damage sound especially great – including due to the fact that you yourself experience the same emotions at this time.

In Stray you can meow with a separate button, but here you can yell

***

There were some great Metroidvanias released this year (Animal Well, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Nine Sols), but there were virtually no pure 2D platformers. Antonblast is what’s been missing for a long time: a bright, groovy platformer that both evokes a feeling of nostalgia and plays so well that it’s unlikely to become outdated many years later. There are some drawn-out levels at times, and the collected currency is mostly useless due to unnecessary goods in the store, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages – they make you want to return to the completed levels and not leave the game for as long as possible.

Advantages:

• Excellent visual style in the spirit of Cartoon Network cartoons;
• Various levels that you want to go through again;
• Funny sound effects and catchy soundtrack;
• Convenient controls, with which creating chaos on the levels is a pleasure.

Disadvantages:

• Some stages seem a little drawn out;
• Mostly useless grocery shopping.

Graphic arts

It’s like an old animated series come to life – the main character is super animated, and the visual effects make the already dynamic gameplay even more exciting.

Sound

An excellent catchy soundtrack and wonderful sound effects add to the comedy of what is happening.

Single player game

Two dozen levels, including boss battles, are enough content for such a game, but it will be difficult to overcome the desire to replay some episodes. And most likely – go through everything again.

Estimated time of completion

8 hours to run through the story and another evening to search for secrets and repeat runs.

Collective game

Not foreseen.

General impression

A fun platformer with timeless gameplay, it’s great fun for those who enjoy fast-paced games where you only stop occasionally to find secrets.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

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