I was interested in checking this game out the second I saw the trailer just by how much fun it looked like it was going to be. It reminded me of Super Meat Boy but still looked different enough and seemed to have its own identity. The level design seemed a bit reminiscent to Super Meat Boy at times and of course you’re playing as beef, but that’s honestly where the similarities stop for the most part. Retrific has been inspired by a few other games like 10 Second Ninja and Super Meat Boy but they have really gone all out in trying to create their own game here and I think that they have succeeded. What we have here is some inspiration and a love letter to recent games in the platformer genre and some great new and original ideas that help blend this into a delicious beefy stroganoff.
Beeftacular is interesting because it manages to not look as original as it really is and I can only imagine how frustrating that is to those that worked so hard on this because I know it frustrates me greatly and I didn’t even work on the game for months on end. No, this is a new and original platformer that may bear some resemblance to existing games but is in fact its own game. The premise alone is different and creates its own challenge. Speed and precision are extremely important and much more so than Super Meat Boy, where you weren’t timed. Beeftacular manages to differentiate itself greatly here because there will be times where the solution may be simple but actually completing it in the required time can be difficult and, of course, sometimes vice versa.
Beeftacular has a simple, but tough, premise. You have to kill all of the rotten meat on screen that is scattered throughout the stages. You can do so by getting next to them and using a melee attack or by using a limited use ranged attack. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. There’s a huge catch with this. You only have ten seconds to take them all out. If that still sounds easy then you’re crazy because there are some challenges in knowing what to do or just being able to pull it all off in ten seconds. This adds a nice edge to the gameplay and will really work to test your reflexes and on-your-feet thinking which and in turn will try the patience of even the most skilled gamers.
It’s this back and forth that helps keep this game from becoming rotten. Well, that and the overall great level design that is featured in the majority of the levels. I enjoyed many of the levels in this game and even found myself replaying a fair few of them after solving them. Improving my time wasn’t even the main goal in these instances; I was just wanting to recapture the exciting level design that I experienced within the level. I did this a lot in Portal too as it can be done to replicate what took you five minutes to solve but in forty seconds. Some of the levels are even a bit of a puzzle in how they need to be completed and it’s a lot of fun trying to learn how to approach them. A nice cherry on top of this beef-tastic sundae is the fact that your time doesn’t start until you move so you can start to plan your approach before you begin, which really increased my level of enjoyment for the game. It’s great being able to just hit the ground running with the first few moves already planned. Adapting as I learned the level was extremely satisfying, especially when I was able to complete the level during that first attempt.
There isn’t too much to the story in Beeftacular but, like many games before it, that isn’t too important. All you know is that you need to destroy the rotten meat so that you aren’t thrown out with it. It might not make too much sense but, like many other games in the platformer genre, the story takes a backseat and the motivating factor for playing and mastering it is simply for the sake of gameplay. I do wish that the story was bit more developed but at the same time I understand that it just wasn’t an important factor in the development cycle. Retrific wanted to focus on the gameplay and just deliver a fun experience, and they certainly succeeded.
Beeftacular looks great and I didn’t experience any frame rate issues or drops either. If, for some reason, your graphics card can’t handle it then you could always lower the settings if you want but the system requirements are low enough that I don’t think any still functioning computer is going to have any issues running this game at high settings. It makes me extremely happy that the frame rate is so consistent because every frame can count for these types of games and it’s much more enjoyable to have such a smooth experience in such a fast paced game.
The sound effects are definitely forgettable in that they don’t really add anything to the game but they aren’t bad or distracting by any means. The music makes up for all of this though as it brings ambience and atmosphere with a kicking beat that will propel you forward no matter how frustrated you get with a difficult level. I enjoyed the music quite a bit and played with headphones throughout the majority of my time with the game. It feels like the developer put a lot of time into making sure the music matched the tone and atmosphere of the game while also ensuring they picked the perfect tempo for the action.
I had a great time with Beeftacular and am excited to see not only the game grow but the developer as well. There are a lot of great ideas here and I’m excited to see them developed further. Many of the levels feature some great design choices, for example, but there are some that feel a bit lackluster. There are definitely more great levels than poor ones though and the in-game level creator will undoubtedly help the community create some great content as well. This isn’t a slam against the original levels by any means but rather a hope that the rays of brilliance that manage to shine throughout the game get to brighten more of Retrific’s next release. Beeftacular is mostly good but there are aspects of it that are just great and I’m hoping this release is successful so we can see more of that brilliance in future updates and future games.
It’s obvious that Beeftacular took some inspiration from some other games, such as Super Meat Boy and 10 Second Ninja but it’s what they do with it that is entertaining. It doesn’t feel like they copied design choices or borrowed too heavily at all. It just feels like they took some inspiration for the direction they wanted to go (and that’s been happening to music since a little band called The Beatles emerged and there are still plenty of great bands that I also enjoy listening to, despite The Beatles doing something similar first). I feel that Beeftacular definitely stands on its own and is worth taking a look at if you enjoy platformers that require a little problem solving and don’t mind a bit of challenge with a time constraint tossed into the mix. There are some difficult levels that may stump you at times but with some extra patience you will move onto the next challenge with some extra knowledge from the experience. The game is priced very well and I think that, with a sale or two, it will sell enough to make a good return for the developer and hopefully some more great games for us to check out from them as well. This is a great start though and I’m personally looking forward to seeing what’s in store next from Retrific.