Growing up in the early 90’s, I was blessed with great platformer games. Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog all kept me from going outside during my early years. Now that I’m a bit older, I still play all those games. And I still don’t go outside. But what do younger children growing up these days play in the platformer genre? Are they as lucky as me to have an unforgettable experience of staring blankly at a screen all summer instead of seeing friends? Can Meganoid fill that void, leaving a whole new generation devoid of the outdoors? I don’t know. I can't see through time. Yet.

The Basics

Meganoid is very much a classic platformer. Taking influence from retro games like Megaman and Metroid, the game has a focus on precise platforming and sudden jumps in difficulty. Yep, I killed my hero quite a bit along the journey. So whatever you do, don’t get too attached to the little guy. You’ll only get hurt in the end. Until he respawns that is.

The Gameplay

Meganoid keeps that platformer charm of 90’s retro games, but makes it more or less “bite sized”. For example, while a classic SNES platformer level will be anywhere from three to five minutes, Meganoid’s levels will usually only take around half a minute. In fact, many of the levels are timed at only around 20 seconds each. However, if that time runs out, nothing bad happens. You mean I risked my virtual life rushing to the end for nothing?!

Is It Fun?

Meganoid is one of the better platformers available for Android. It’s got all that classic charm while never feeling stale or repetitive. Additionally, the general shortness of the levels makes it perfect for a mobile game. There was only one minor issue I had with the game. Where are the bosses and enemies? The only things I got to actually fight the entire game were some green aliens that are only defeated when you throw crates at them. While that did the trick for a bit, I want more enemies that I can destroy. Am I asking that they make this game more violent? Yes, yes I am.

The Bottom Line

If you love platformers, you’ll love Meganoid. Unlike many other platformer games available on the Google Play store, Meganoid pays homage to classic games without ripping anything off. (*cough* Andrio’s World *cough*) And while it wasn’t totally action-packed, you do get to throw crates at aliens. That’s a new experience for me.