Some levels, such as warp zones and boss levels, can only be played with specific characters. Some bandages can only be collected by using certain characters. These characters can be unlocked by collecting bandage items placed throughout the game's levels or completing certain warp zones. Each character has different attributes, such as Commander Video's ability to momentarily float in midair. The player may control characters other than Meat Boy, many of whom first appeared in other independent video games. These warp zones feature bonus levels that have either the art style of older video games and a limit of three lives, or are patterned after another indie video game such as Castle Crashers or Braid. Hidden stages called warp zones are accessed by finding portals in specific levels. Completing a level within a certain time earns an 'A+' grade, which unlocks a harder alternate version of the level in the 'dark world', an optional set of especially difficult levels. A replay function, which may be accessed after a level is completed, simultaneously shows all the player's attempts to complete the level. If Meat Boy is killed, he immediately restarts the level, though the ornamental red meat juice left behind on surfaces that the player has touched remains. The player has an unlimited number of attempts to complete each level. Levels in each chapter can be played in any order, but a certain number of levels need to be completed to access the boss stage, which unlocks the next chapter if cleared. The core gameplay requires fine control and split-second timing, and was compared to, regarding both gameplay and level of difficulty, traditional platform games such as Super Mario Bros. The player can jump and run on platforms, and can jump off or slide down walls. Players attempt to reach the end of each level, represented by Bandage Girl, while avoiding crumbling blocks, saw blades, and various other fatal obstacles.

The game is divided into chapters, which together contain over 300 levels. Super Meat Boy is a platform game in which players control a small, dark red, cube-shaped character named Meat Boy, who must save his cube-shaped, heavily bandaged girlfriend Bandage Girl from the evil scientist Dr. Gameplay Players navigate Meat Boy through each level while avoiding traps and hazards, such as saw blades and crumbling blocks. A sequel, Super Meat Boy Forever, was released on December 23, 2020, without McMillen's involvement. The game was also a commercial success, selling over a million copies by January 2012. Critics lauded the game's controls, art, soundtrack, and challenging gameplay. Super Meat Boy won several awards and has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The game's soundtrack was written by Danny Baranowsky, who had also worked on the original Meat Boy. McMillen worked on level design and artwork, while Refenes coded it. A Wii version was in development but was ultimately cancelled.ĭevelopment of the game began in early 2009. Super Meat Boy was first released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, and was later ported to Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch. The game also supports the creation of player-created levels. The gameplay is characterized by fine control and split-second timing, as the player runs and jumps through over 300 hazardous levels while avoiding obstacles. In the game, the player controls Meat Boy, a red, cube-shaped character, as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the game's antagonist Dr. It was self-published as the successor to Meat Boy, a 2008 Flash game designed by McMillen and Jonathan McEntee. Super Meat Boy is a 2010 platform game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes under the collective name of 'Team Meat'.

Meat game