Review – Antonblast – Gamerview

Arriving to close 2024 in an explosive way (almost literally), it is a bombastic dose of nostalgia and innovation. Developed by Summitsphere, this is an action game that manages to combine speed and destruction loaded with irreverence and its own style. Fun and chaotic by mixing Wario Land and the best games of the genre from the 90s, its proposal is to bring this retro “BOOM” to the PC and Nintendo Switch.

Everything about Antonblast is as simple as it is eccentric. You control Dynamite Anton, a somewhat slovenly and charismatic citizen of Boiler City who, after having his liquor supply stolen by Satan (yes, the bad guy himself), goes on an adventure to recover his precious supply. With the support of Annie, your companion, and Brulo, the owner of the local casino, you will travel through different worlds to destroy their structures, collect Anton’s spirits and return to the real world before Happy Hour ends.

Explode boredom

The best thing about Antonblast is realizing that its journey of destruction and chaos to recover the protagonist’s alcoholic treasure has a narrative that never takes itself seriously, but that’s not a problem. It’s all part of the game’s charm, with a story that serves as a backdrop for the game’s true focus: gameplay. At this point we have a question that can divide opinions about Summitsphere’s work, as the game has a very familiar style for those who grew up with Sonic, from the 2D platform generation, with the speed of the gameplay being able to become a differentiator at the same time as it emerges. as a factor that may displease.

Controlling Anton is simple and easy, with one button for his sledgehammer, another for jumping and another for sliding. With each blow, your fury increases and as a consequence the character’s speed increases as well. Even with excellent visual work, Antonblast ends up becoming a blur with so much information and explosions on the screen, making it difficult to understand what is happening during your progression through the scenario. Even worse are scenarios like, for example, Cinnamon Springs, which require a certain amount of precision to reach platforms with a timer.

The slightest contact with elements around the scene or enemies is the necessary reason to explode whatever is in front of him, causing Anton to use his hammer to destroy everything around and be able to advance to the place where his spirit is, using the explosives of Brulo (with playing card suits) to open the way and trigger Happy Hour, needing to go back all the way to escape with his life. With the same structure as Pizza Tower, forward and backward, you will need to go back and complete the race before the timer runs out to be able to use the elevators towards hell.

Does it seem confusing and meaningless? Yes! However, this chaotic little world of Antonblast exists only for you to have fun in quick matches while destroying everything in front of you. For the most attentive and completionists, the level design is competent enough to hide collectibles that allow you to complete 100% of the game. You may feel a good dose of vertigo due to the barrage of information and the speed at which the action unfolds in front of your eyes, but it is undeniable that this indie game manages to offer very challenging fun.

In this regard, apart from the lack of coherence when combining precision and speed, the game’s difficulty increases even more when we face the bosses. With a very short learning curve, from the first to the second boss, we have a very quick escalation from a combat with just one phase and five hits to win, to an enemy with four phases, two scenarios and 42 life counters. The same happens with phases that work on the scenario with much more punishing elements and a large number of enemies than others.

Perhaps there is a lack of balance or even other forms of evolution for Anton, making the difference in the challenge more subtle as the game progresses, in addition to reviewing choices such as the lack of double jump to use the sledgehammer when reaching higher locations, but at the same time decrease the character’s speed. What is more fundamental? Run, explode, escape or test players’ skill in controlling precision amid chaos and visual confusion?

Chaotic nostalgia

Antonblast is one of the best examples of how a game can be frenetic while at the same time managing to combine classic platform elements, adding its authorial and destructive style. In addition to jumping and running, you can destroy everything in your path, which turns each level into an action puzzle, where destruction is not only encouraged, but essential to progress. With influences from Donkey Kong, Rayman and Bubsy, in addition to those already mentioned, the levels are well designed, with multiple paths and secrets that encourage exploration.

Very well crafted and with a style reminiscent of the heyday of the Super Nintendo, Antonblast can be considered a beautiful retro work. Summitsphere created a vibrant and detailed pixel art world, with Anton and enemy animations always very fluid and full of personality, while the scenes are an explosion of colors (excuse the pun) that have different themes: bathrooms, industrial parks, forests, mountains, sewers, among many others. Another detail that deserves to be highlighted is the care taken with the visual effects, meaning that each sledgehammer blow, explosion or scene collapse is accompanied by particles and animations that increase the sensation of impact, making the player feel every bit of the chaos it creates.

For players who grew up with a chiptune soundtrack, Antonblast brings the best of rock in this style, with tracks that stick in your head and perfectly accompany the frenetic pace of the gameplay. The developers managed to make you feel like having the soundtrack so you can put on your headphones and simply enjoy good music. Not to mention that, as well as the attention to detail, the sound effects are allocated perfectly and in a very exaggerated way, complementing the cartoonish tone of the game. Almost as if MTV and Cartoon Network got together to make a game based on their most caricatured cartoons, such as Beavis and Butt-Head, Fudêncio and The Cow and the Chicken.

Antonblast is a game that knows exactly what it wants: to be a love letter to classic platform games, with its own flavor. Extrapolating its formula and trying to break the genre bubble, the creativity and additions to the gameplay, following its story proposal, make it a good indie to close the year. Despite the level of difficulty and imbalance between phases, especially when mixing precision and speed, which can be an obstacle for more casual players, those who suffered from difficult games for no reason in the 16-bit generation or who persist in the game will certainly be rewarded with a fun, challenging and chaotic experience. If you are a fan of retro games, looking for a challenge or simply want to laugh while destroying everything in front of you, Antonblast is the perfect choice for you.