Bzzzt
Developer: Ko.dll
When it comes to difficult platformers, there’s certainly no shortage from across the years. The same can be said of cute pixel art games. So what makes Bzzzt stand out?
For one thing, I’ve been following the development of Bzzzt for a little while. The creator, Ko.dll, has been posting regular updates on their social media as the game has progressed, and it’s always had a certain appeal. Firstly, it’s an indie game, which is always a good way to grab my attention. Secondly, it’s a retro-style platformer with a collecting-things feature (in this case, bolts). And thirdly, it’s got some beautiful pixel art. We’re ticking all the right boxes on paper.
As platformers go, there’s nothing inherently unique about the gameplay. All the usual suspects are here - double jump, dash, die on contact - but it’s how the levels are carefully laid out that add the challenge. Or 5 challenges, if you want to get technical. Getting to the end of the level is just one aspect, but if you want to scratch that completionist itch you’ve also the option of collecting all the bolts in each stage, completing the stage under the time limit, or both in the same run for the masochistic among us.
If you’re feeling extra spicy, the fifth challenge was added some months after release, by way of the appropriately named ‘Challenge Chips’. Some levels now have subtly marked hidden entrances, which visibly open up a new area when stepped in. They’re not always easy to find or get to, testing your skills and reflexes. Beyond the threshold is anything from a more dangerous, alternate route to collect said chip before navigating to the finish, or an entire homage to a vintage game.
There is very definitely an ‘efficient path’ through each level, and if you want to 100% this game, you’re going to have to find it. And that’s going to lead to a lot of trial and error. There’s very little you can do to trick the game, like finding a platform a pixel too low and bypassing half the level - it’s clearly been playtested thoroughly. Thankfully reloading the level is very quick, and you can happily go off to get your little metal body mangled again. It’s not quite as speedy as games like Super Meat Boy, but it’s almost there. I did find on occasion that the hitbox felt slightly off. It could be because some of the environmental hazards change size, or maybe I just need to ‘git gud’. Either way, some deaths felt a little less deserved.
There’s not much in the way of a story. Your character is an advanced AI newly placed in a shiny new robot body by some lovely scientists, then a mad scientist shows up and shenanigans ensue. In a world where someone is always trying to tell an intricate and elaborate story at every turn, I’m okay with hand-waving the narrative so I can get into the challenge. I didn’t need long soliloquies to get me to collect floating doodahs in the olden days, and I don’t need them now. Don’t get me wrong, the characters are charming, but it’s entirely secondary.
Graphically, this is your bread-and-butter 2D-pixel platformer. The art is lovely, with some very smooth animations and cute characters. It’s the little details that make them pop, and as with level testing, it’s clear a lot of time and love has gone into them. My only gripe are the text boxes used for dialogue felt like they were getting in the way. They’re not background elements, but foreground, meaning when you’re jumping about your character can get lost behind them. And as the story is sometimes delivered by floating televisions that follow you, it’s not always a simple case of just running off. Not game-breaking, but still distracting enough for me to notice.
The sound design does fade into the background a little. Levels have a fast-paced track to boost that adrenaline and the feel of haste, but I’d struggle to recall it in any meaningful way. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The music may not wow you, but it also doesn’t distract you. Some of the worst offending for do-die-repeat games can be a repetitive soundtrack or a particular sound that drills its way in for years. As much as I love old Sonic games, that high-pitched ring-collect noise isn’t leaving my brain any time soon.
There are some really nice, nostalgic throwbacks scattered throughout Bzzzt that make for a refreshing variety to a standard reflex platformer. It’s great to see it being reviewed and updated after release, and the dev is very friendly and interactive with the fans. And for the price, it’s an absolute steal. There’s nothing industry-defining about Bzzzt, but when you want to scratch that itch for new punishing platformers, this is where you should look.
