For a year or two, hard-core platformers (masocores if you’re nasty) were extremely popular following the success of titles like Super Meat Boy. The fad quickly died down since then, and now we only see a few releases a year in the sub-genre. While some are better than others, I’m always willing to try them out when another developer tosses their hat into the ring. Next up, we’re taking a look at Super Rude Bear Resurrection from Alex Rose Games.
SRBR is a hardcore 2D platformer that holds close to many that have come before while at the same time trying out a few new tricks. The main innovation SRBR brings to the table is affecting the level design via your previous runs’ corpses. That’s right- can’t clear a spike pit? Kill yourself enough times on them, and you can just walk across the bodies. It’s a clever mechanic, but it can at times take away a certain level of challenge and skill… which I thought was the point of the genre.
The game is at its best when you’re working to decipher the best course of action. Can you get it right without multiple deaths? Or, is this gonna be a kill-fest? There’s an enjoyment to the slightly puzzling nature of level traversal that the death mechanic opens up.
Unfortunately, that’s about all I can say about my enjoyment of the game. While it’s far from terrible, it’s not exactly engaging either. The character designs and plot are like Poochy from the Simpsons played without the irony. The level design, concept, and execution never rises above imitation into something its own. SRBR isn’t the worst way into this sub-genre of platformers, but with so many others out there, it doesn’t give you much reason to invest.
Super Rude Bear Resurrection has a few cool elements under the hood. There’s potential for a more well-realized game there, but it just doesn’t measure up. Only huge fans of masocore titles should check it out.
