Spiritual successors are deeply popular in the modern gaming industry. They combine a unique idea with a foundation previously established by a previously beloved IP. There are countless examples of great successors to classic titles that honor the original release while also bringing a unique style and premise that manages to stand apart from the rest.
Platformers are the most popular genres that new developers like to revisit. Nowadays, it’s common to see indie devs use some form of crowdfunding to appeal to players by pitching a platformer that is both familiar and new. That unique combination of nostalgia and creativity sometimes works wonders and creates all-time classics like Shovel Knight. If done wrong, however, they can create experiences that sour players on the mere idea of crowdfunding games.
So, where does Antonblast fit into this formula? It’s a platformer that clearly wears its inspirations to the genre’s history on its sleeves. Further, the developers, Summitsphere, turned to crowdfunding in order to acquire both support and funds. It has all the makings of a great spiritual successor, so how does it stand alongside an industry filled with both indie and AAA platforming classics?
I’m pleased to say that, after playing for ten hours on the Steam Deck, Antonblast is a brilliantly fun time. While it has its problems, it’s easily one of the most fun platformers I’ve ever played and a great addition to the modern platforming landscape.
A Bombastic Premise
Antonblast starts with a literal bang. The moment you start the game, you’re bombarded by a voice that narrates the game’s developers and title as the titular character, Dynamite Anton, is crushed by the title card. You’ll immediately notice the thrilling music and the incredible art style that feels nostalgic yet new.
The game truly begins by asking the player to pick between two characters. The choice immediately separates it from other entries in the genre. What further separates it is a fully animated (and voiced) opening cutscene. The cutscene depicts Satan looking into a mirror as if he’s the main villain of an old Disney film. He asks the mirror, “Who is the reddest of them all?” Shockingly, it’s not Satan. Instead, it’s a demolition expert by the name of Dynamite Anton (and also his co-worker Annie).
It’s a premise that feels right out of an old Cartoon Network series, specifically the likes of Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Annie and Anton feel like your typical 90s or 2000s cartoon protagonists in that they are reluctant to do anything heroic until their personal belongings (in this case, their drinks or “spirits”) are taken from them. The presentation of the overall game really adds to this cartoon-y feel.
All of the characters, from the protagonists to Satan and all of his minions, are animated expertly. All of the designs strike the right balance between being charming and slightly intimidating. Some shots of the protagonists feel right out of a nightmare, the same with some of the later bosses. In that way, it once again feels like an old cartoon, and I am reminded of older series that had visuals that were far too haunting for any child.
That’s one thing you’ll immediately notice about Antonblast: it wears its inspirations on its sleeves. The gameplay, for instance, is very similar to both Crash Bandicoot and the Wario Land series. The visuals are a mixture of several old cartoons and games that date all the way back to the Game Boy Advance era. The thought may cross your mind that Antonblast is trying to ride the nostalgia of the past, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The unique premise at the heart of Antonblast, as well as its compelling visuals, feel like they’re paying tribute to the past, rather than imitating it. Everything in the game is designed to feel familiar yet new. Even the things that may feel like an imitation are inverted to have a new layer or dimension that can only be attributed to this game.
Antonblast‘s identity doesn’t just come from its visuals and story, however. It also comes from the gameplay, which once again honors what’s come before by building on a preexisting foundation with some brand-new materials.
A Blast From The Past
Antonblast‘s gameplay is a melting pot of different mechanics and structures implemented from previous franchises and molded into something new. This is abundantly clear once you play through the first level. Like most platformers, the goal is to get to the end of the level. On the journey there, you’ll break boxes, barrel through enemies, use a weapon to reach higher altitudes, and collect as many poker chips as possible (the game’s currency).
Once you get to the end of the level and collect one of the spirits that the devil stole from either Annie or Anton (depending on who you picked at the beginning), you enter a new phase: Happy Hour. As the environment begins to explode around whichever demolition expert you choose to play as, you have to make a mad dash to the end of the level before the time limit runs out.
As mentioned before, Antonblast pulls its gameplay from several other games. The basic mechanics, such as the fast speed movement and the idea of running to the beginning of the level once you reach the end, are pulled from Wario Land 4. Further, the box-breaking and overall physics are inspired by Crash Bandicoot.
There’s another mechanic inspired by Crash Bandicoot. You can tap the run button to boost your character. However, just before the boost expires, either when your smoke trail turns black or before the boost meter fills up, you can tap the run button again to boost yet again. The mechanic, pulled from Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart, is a great way to add some extra flavor to the gameplay premise.
Of course, with the clear connections to Wario Land 4, there are bound to be comparisons to another spiritual successor to the same game: Pizza Tower. There are certainly quite a few similarities: similar mechanics, similar inspirations, and even a slightly similar art style. However, both were clearly in development at separate points in time, and both offer very unique experiences.
This comes across in the game’s style and how it handles platforming staples such as power-ups and boss battles. The power-ups in Antonblast are unlike anything I’ve seen in a platformer. In some cases, you’ll be riding on a narwhal across the map. In others, you’ll literally become a bomb that bounces around. My favorite example is in the late game, where you take control of a giant mech with a unique twist. Each power-up has a visual flair that adds to the power trip you’ll be experiencing throughout the game.
Speaking of visual flair, the bosses are phenomenal. All of them use perspective fantastically, and there are plenty of moments where the boss chases the player through the screen. My personal favorite boss in Antonblast is about halfway through the game, where you fight a colorful dragon. The floor is made of piano keys, the background is a pachinko machine, and the presentation keeps escalating as you’re forced to use completely different tactics in order to bring down the monster.
Another aspect I really appreciate is the game’s humor. There are dozens of hilarious gags where the characters of the games make fun of you for doing certain things. Whether it was Satan himself opening up every level with a one-liner or his many minions insulting the player in various creative ways, I had to fight not to laugh to myself every few minutes.
Unfortunately, there are a few major problems with Antonblast. The first one that immediately comes to mind is a combination between the controls and the physics. Movement can feel a bit too slippery and often too unpredictable. Both of the main protagonists are extremely hard to control at later points, especially as you’re forced to go faster and faster to beat the clock.
Something else I noticed was the insane difficulty spike throughout the game. Some levels are extremely easy and can be beaten without dying once. However, every once in a while, I’d encounter a level that had a nonstop gauntlet of enemies, an extremely frustrating gimmick, or something else that would create further difficulty. These would keep me from beating the level for anywhere between ten minutes or, in rare cases, two hours.
This brings me to the most egregious problem that came up a couple of times: the crashes. My game crashed twice, once when I was almost finished with a level and once halfway through a boss battle. In both cases, I would have to restart the entire level from the beginning. Having to restart levels that sometimes took hours to complete is one of the worst experiences you can have in any game, let alone a platformer. I hope Summitsphere is able to fix this soon.
Despite these issues, though, I adored my time with Antonblast. I loved the premise, the visuals, the gameplay, the mechanics, the level design, and everything in between. It’s a more than worthwhile addition to the broader gaming landscape, let alone the platforming genre.
Flawed But Filled With Promise
Antonblast is fantastic. From beginning to end, I was in awe of everything this game had to offer. The premise was brilliant, a charmingly simple concept with effort that you wouldn’t really see from games like this. The visuals are beautiful, a great callback to classic cartoons and the hits that defined the Game Boy Advance.
Further, the gameplay is effortlessly fun, and I couldn’t stop myself from playing more. I expected to only spend five or six hours playing the game. Instead, I ended up investing ten hours into Antonblast, and I don’t regret a second of it. Of course, there were still some problems, namely the crashes, the difficulty spikes, and the slippery controls. Yet in spite of this, I still had a blast.
In the end, that’s what matters most. In a time where spiritual successors can either rely too much on nostalgia to their own detriment or become classics in their own right, Antonblast firmly fits into the latter. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Wario Land, Crash Bandicoot, and other platformers, you will enjoy your time with this game.
Summitsphere has firmly put itself on the map with this one. I can’t wait for what comes next for Antonblast, whether it’s a sequel, DLC, or something else entirely. I highly recommend giving this game a try at some point, as it is a thrillingly fun time filled with so much promise, creativity, and love that is bound to give you an experience you won’t forget anytime soon.
Disclaimer: Joystick Ventures provided Final Weapon with a PC (Steam) copy of Antonblast for review purposes.
