ANTONBLAST

Coming at the end of a year that had it all, from successful revivals of great series and series that lost their way and caused controversy over their latest offering, to series that were consisent with their quality and... Concord, comes with little promotion, unceremoniously, the 2D-platform action Antoblast as a last-minute surprise. You obviously didn't hear about it at The Game Awards, or any similar, sterile gala where sponsors and publishers exchanged pleasantries on the pretext of our favorite hobby. That's why you head over to your favorite site, so you can catch up on such releases that the majority of the gaming press skip over without a second thought.

My first exposure to Antonblast was at the most recent Steam Next Fest, where I tried its demo. Admittedly, it left the best impression on me in the 20 minutes I spent (a tight time frame, I know, but for this genre it's enough to draw conclusions), though nothing prepared me for the pandemonium that would unroll on my screen. This is due to the wacky and crude vibe of the game, which at no point takes itself too seriously.

This is facilitated by its aesthetics, which is reminiscent of urban graffiti with faces with exaggerated expressions that border on caricature, unrealistic proportions and, of course, bright and garish colours. Its overall visuals are not directly comparable to other games in the genre, perhaps the only one that comes close is Boogerman. The animations perfectly complement Antoblast's raucous attitude and further emphasize the protagonist's explosive temperament. They're done with an abundance of panache, and rival those of the first two Earthworm Jim. Anton's expressions of bewilderment, anger (most of the time) and annoyance, or the way he charges or reacts to the abrupt change of direction, is something I couldn't get enough of.

And speaking of the protagonist, Anton is Wario's redder and more irritable cousin. Where Wario displays greed for everything shiny, Anton has a bit of a drinking issue. There's no other explanation for his vast liquor collection, which Satan has had his minions steal. You see, when he asked the mirror which is the reddest creature in the world, he didn't receive the answer he wanted to hear, and as a jealous being, he couldn't let that go. So Antoine wil take up arms (his hammer more specifically) and stop at nothing to save the spirit of Christmas get back his coveted spirtis.

The similarities with Mario's roguish rival don't stop there. You'll lead Anton on a path of destruction, beating and explosions through 12 jam-packed levels. All are designed to be unique and memorable, from mysterious spas and dangerous mines to abandoned shopping malls. It's worth noting that they're not entirely linear and within them are secrets, usually in the form of collectibles that up the playlength the title, if we want to engage with completion. The character's repertoire of moves allows for flexibility and speed when navigating our way around, which we're not used to, at least to this extent, from its influences. We can charge by demolishing (almost) everything in our path, bounce on the floor to reach higher, etc.

One of the most important moves is the boost we get when we charge towards an obstacle or an enemy. If executed with the right timing (a bar on the right shows us the duration of the charge) then we can literally blast through our targets and gain breakneck speed. And I say important, as it may not seem like it at first, but when we reach the end of a level, a countdown starts and we have to return to the entrance at the beginning (Antonblast is clearly influenced by Wario Land 4). The time limit on most levels is enough if we don't dawdle, but every collision with objects or enemies - under normal circumstances - causes us to lose momentum and come to a halt. So it's easy to see how useful it is to get familiar with the above mechanic.

It should be mentioned here, however, that the level destruction (amptly called Happy Hour) and quick escape are enjoyable and do not artificially lengthen the duration of the game. This is because during our escape, new paths and rooms open up, making the second run through a fresh experience. Thankfully there are signs indicating which way to go, as moving quickly through unfamiliar territory under time pressure could be unfair.

As if the challenges ahead weren't enough, we also have to face the 8 bosses of the game. The bosses are exemplary in design, both in terms of appearance and animations, as well as their attack patterns and the different phases they feature. I admittedly haven't seen such a satisfying level of challenge in this area in a very long time. Clearly one of Antonblast's greatest assets. Defeat against them doesn't come at a cost, but within the levels it drops us to the nearest checkpoint where we lose some of the currency we had (which we collect from various casino games chips...), just like it did in Shovel Knight. There are no lives, which is fine by me since our progress is automatically saved after each level.

Antonblast will undoubtedly become a sleeper hit. It has all the good elements we seek in a 2d platformer for guaranteed fun. If we had to pick a negative, it would be that sometimes the screen is quite busy with various effects so that the action gets a little obscured. Fortunately though, this doesn't happen often. Antonblast is the definition of a pick up and play title, featuring good challenge and with pacing that accomodates each player's ability. Fans of the genre should definitely give it a go.

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