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platformer

On Rusty Trails, a videogame about the absurdity of racial prejudice

On Rusty Trails, a videogame about the absurdity of racial prejudice

3 min read News
While On Rusty Trails may look like yet another 2D platformer at first, its creators at Black Pants Studio took it beyond that simplistic impression by enabling a discussion about race through the game’s primary mechanic. “It was one of those days where I read the newspaper and there was an article
HackyZack is about living with anxiety, but you probably won’t realize

HackyZack is about living with anxiety, but you probably won’t realize

2 min read News
HackyZack is a “shitty metaphor” for creator Zack Bell’s thoughts and feelings on his own past. (“Shitty metaphor” is his phrasing, by the way.) It takes a Super Meat Boy (2010) approach to platforming—its meaning abstracted and then scattered among undeniably crisp platforming challenges. But where
Next up for the creator of TowerFall, a game about climbing a mountain

Next up for the creator of TowerFall, a game about climbing a mountain

2 min read News
There’s a mountain near my house where I grew up and it was a regular exercise for teenagers to climb up it as the sun fell, and then race back down chasing the light. Since it was a small peak, and since I lived in the foothills of the Appalachians, it seemed like a bent grandfather to the craggy p
It might be impossible to stop grinning at Burrito Galaxy

It might be impossible to stop grinning at Burrito Galaxy

2 min read News
When someone talks about nostalgia in videogames, there’s a solid chance they’ll also be talking about Metroidvanias or slick indie platformers. Super Meat Boy (2010) ends up being notable for its tight air control and precise jumps—the weird setting and throwback cutscenes are kind of a bonus. But
Slain! is a disappointing death growl

Slain! is a disappointing death growl

5 min read Review
Heavy metal is the musical and theatrical manifestation of mankind’s lizard brain. It’s an auditory siege that rifles through our ancient and violent nature that was once necessary to survive. This music transmutes those base emotions through myth, metaphor, and performance through modern instrument