SUPER OBSTACLE BOY – 8-Bit Princess in Peril

A little while back we covered an iOS game called Impulse , by Matthias Falk , which seemed positively charming in its own 8-bit kind of way.

which seemed positively charming in its own 8-bit kind of way. Now, Matthias is ready to announce his upcoming game, SUPER OBSTACLE BOY , which means we’re ready to tell you all about it, too.

Now, you’re probably thinking that the title, SUPER OBSTACLE BOY , reminds you of something, and I’m just going to come right out and say it. It’s Super Meat Boy . Not only does its name bear a striking resemblance, but the game’s concept is also quite similar; an unforgiving puzzle-platformer in which the protagonist has to rescue his girlfriend by running, leaping and often dying his way through the levels. Ironically, the girl – or rather, as it’s a retro-styled 8-bit game, female block with legs – is called ‘Rescue Girl’, so maybe she’ll end up coming to your rescue at some point. If not, I’d suggest she think about legally changing her name.

Anyway, SUPER OBSTACLE BOY will contain over 100 levels at its release, and each will feature different styles of gameplay, graphics, collectibles and secrets. That makes it even more amazing, then, that this game is embodying the entire concept of ‘independent’, and is being developed solely by Matthias with absolutely no budget whatsoever. That includes design, graphics, the soundtrack, and even any new dresses that Rescue Girl demands during development.

As someone who never got to play Super Meat Boy – I don’t have XBLA and I can’t be messing around with controller support on Steam – I am excited by the thought of SUPER OBSTACLE BOY , which looks set to bring the game’s essence over to iOS platforms. And, though there isn’t yet a trailer available, the screenshots make me think that variety will be this game’s specialty. You should be able to see if my prediction is right later this month when the game is set to release for $2.99 on the App store.