VVVVVV

If you're looking for a bite-sized game that puts your skills to the test but doesn't punish you for failure, then you're in luck. VVVVVV is a hard-as-nails platformer with no lives system and generous checkpoints. In fact, it almost completely ignores how many times you screw up. Because of this, its platforming challenges feel like obstacles to overcome rather than frustrations to be dealt with, making VVVVVV a rewarding experience from start to finish.

You play as Captain Viridian, the leader of a small space-faring crew, who must find and rescue five members of his team (whose names also start with "V") after their teleporter malfunctioned during a multi-dimensional emergency. The alternate dimension you find yourself in is full of ledges, walls, and platforms, but Viridian is completely incapable of jumping. Instead, he must completely invert gravity in order to maneuver, but even that has a catch. Gravity can only be flipped if Viridian is planted on the ground (or ceiling). This ends up being the foundation for the many sequences of extreme-precision platforming that underline the entire quest. Because of the extremely inconvenient, but rarely unfair, placement of spikes throughout the world, precision movement is a major key to success, but it won't take you all the way. Not far into the adventure, you'll encounter strange moving multi-colored words and pictures that kill Viridian on contact. Their placement and movement make precise timing just as important as precise platforming, encouraging you to take on each challenge strategically.

I had a great time with VVVVVV. I often don't have enough patience or dedication to get really good at really difficult games, but the generous checkpoints made this game less about perfecting my platforming skills and more about approaching each challenge with intentionality. This made hitting each checkpoint feel like a little accomplishment on its own, ultimately building up to an extremely rewarding trek through some strange dimensions. While it was actually a pretty short experience, VVVVVV ended up being a truly satisfying game to beat.

The game is available for Steam here (as of 7/28/21): https://store.steampowered.com/app/70300/VVVVVV/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 7/28/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/vvvvvv-switch/
The game is available for 3DS here (as of 7/28/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/vvvvvv-3ds/
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 7/28/21): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2103-CUSA00826_00-VVVVVVGAMEAPPPS4
The game is available for iOS here (as of 7/28/21): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vvvvvv/id880645949

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