A few months ago, the Switch finally got Pizza Tower, an indie action-platformer that received a lot of praise for how well it channeled Nintendo's long-dormant Land of Wario series. However, developer Tour de Pizza wasn't the only team inspired by Wario. Summitsphere's Antonblast is a wild and beautiful action platformer that feels like it might be the next Wario Land game if it comes with a different coat of paint; its combination of speed, precision and clever level design makes for a truly exciting experience that's only let down by issues with stable performance.
Antonblast stars as the titular dynamite Anton, whose angry, red-skinned appearance leaves Satan envious and insecure of his status as “the reddest being of all.” So, in a petty act of revenge, he sends his minions into Anton's apartment to steal what he values most: the ghosts he kept in his living space. Enraged, Anton grabs his hammer and sets out on a quest to recover what was stolen and give Satan a piece of his mind.
Play through any given level here and the inspiration Wario Land 4 takes is immediately clear. Anton (or his roommate, Annie, if you prefer) blasts through levels like an almost unstoppable force of nature, smashing boxes and blowing up enemies while jumping around with his hammer and blasting through obstacles with his 'Clutch' charge ability. There are plenty of side paths to explore and collectibles to grab along the way, but the ultimate goal is to get to the bomb at the end of the level so you can start “Happy Hour”. Once activated, a countdown clock begins, and you only have a few minutes to run all the way back through the level with the spirit you've collected. These mad dashes to safety are a real thrill, as you're often forced to take an alternate route back to the start and usually leave a giant path of destruction in your wake on the way back.
However, simply beating a level isn't enough for the full experience, even if you've taken the time to scour it for all the collectibles. After beating each one, you unlock a time attack and combo chain for the level, and this is where the exceptional level design really comes into focus.
For Time Attack, each level gives you a small amount of time to complete that requires you to master the level layouts and understand the nuances of Anton's moves to optimize your attempts. Combo Chain works much the same, but here you're tasked with maintaining an uninterrupted combo by strategically smashing boxes and blowing up enemies, all without any health measures to help you. We enjoyed what these two modes brought to the table, forcing you to engage with each level in a different way each time and adding more challenge and replayability to an already great platformer.
Even if you only stick to minimal content to clean up the basic story, Antonblast showcases an incredible amount of variety in its relatively short run. It will only take you about 10 hours to clear (maybe double that if you do). all), but makes the most of that time by constantly introducing new ideas and level concepts along the way.
One level has a power-up that essentially turns you into Taz the Tasmanian Devil, completely destroying everything in your path as you transform into a chaotic vortex. The second phase introduces a lightning-fast shark animal friend that Anton can ride on land or sea, giving him new travel options while hanging on for dear life. This is the kind of game that preserves things is movingand its dedication to introducing new ideas and building levels around them keeps it always fresh.
In terms of its visual presentation, Antonblast is clearly inspired by old Newgrounds-style Flash animations and Nickelodeon shows from the 90s. The vivid worlds you terrorize on your journey have a twisted and somewhat dreamlike quality to them, and all the characters and animations have a very Looney Tunes-esque vibe with its exaggerated movements. At any moment there's something on the screen that's sure to explode, scream, or crash, and with that accentuated by the Joy-Con's vibration feature, it makes for a very lively visual experience. But it's the attention to small details that really sell the art style, such as the long trail of the letter 'A' trailing the terrified enemy you've just sent crashing into a brick wall.
The sound follows the frenzy of the action with a soundtrack infused with pop and jazz that keeps the energy level high throughout. We especially appreciate the frequent cartoon sound effects that highlight Anton's destructive actions—things like the sound of a plane falling used when Anton body slams from a high jump to keep the goofy atmosphere in the center.
One drawback is that the performance can hardly keep up with the constant action. There are plenty of moments where the screen is positively drenched in explosions, poker chips and screaming enemies, leading to a noticeable drop in frame rate. These drops don't have a huge direct effect on your ability to control Anton, but they certainly cheapen the experience enough to be disappointing. We've seen reports of crashing issues and some bugs encountered by other players during the launch period. The developers have assured us that a performance patch targeting these issues has already been submitted to Nintendo, but we're just warning you that the current version available at launch is pretty rough around the edges—you might want to wait for the fixes.
Conclusion
Antonblast is a great homage to Nintendo's Wario Land series with its insane action and focus on gameplay variety. The cartoony visuals, high replayability, and overall spectacle of the experience make this one well worth recommending, although we'd temper that by saying that the Switch's performance really needs some work. Whether on Switch or elsewhere, we suggest you pick this one up if you're a Nintendo fan else Italian mascot and you're looking for a well-made and fast-paced new 2D platformer—Antonblast has got it where it counts and deserves a place in your library.
