Mutant Mudds Super Challenge Review

It’s been a few months since I reviewed Mutant Mudds Deluxe, so I thought it’d be a good time to take a look at the sequel, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge. I skipped Super Challenge when it was first released on the Wii U. This was during a stubborn period of mine. I wasn’t buying eShop games because they always seemed to get released on physical media soon after my purchase. Well, Atooi released a Mutant Mudds collection for Switch and it was ridiculously cheap a while back, so I didn’t mind picking it up. Now that I’ve completed the game, I’d like to take a look at its joys and cons.

Slightly More Challenging, but Still Great

For those that played Mutant Mudds Deluxe, you already know what to expect here as the gameplay is identical. This isn’t a bad thing as you get more time in the Mutant Mudds universe. You still play as Max, who douses Mutant Mudds with his water gun and hovers over dangerous obstacles using his water powered jetpack. These basic gameplay mechanics still work and feel as great as they did before. The biggest change this time around is that levels are more challenging. Not much has changed in the way of enemies, or level design, so the game feels extremely familiar. Well, you can now find secrets inside some walls, and destroy certain blocks, so there are at least a few new elements here.

Your main objective remains the same, which is to reach and touch the water sprite waiting at the end of each level. This time around, you can complete levels in any order you wish, save for the game’s boss fights and final world. Of course, you’ll be collecting 100 golden diamonds in every level, as well as finding the secret level that is waiting on every level. Some new things to find in Super Challenge are the CDs on each level, and hidden characters. Collecting the CD unlocks a track in the game’s music room found in the hub world, while finding hidden characters lets you play as that character. There are quite a few secret characters to find, however, they mostly serve as a skin for Max.

The last new thing about the game concerns the way you use the game’s powerups. The three power-ups from the first game return, but you actually have access to all three right from the beginning of the game. However, you can still only use 1 at a time. There really isn’t much more to be said about the game. It is a pretty solid action platformer that is just as enjoyable as its predecessor, even if things do feel a bit familiar. There is one more big gameplay element that must be discussed, and it deserves its own section. I’m talking about the highly anticipated and newly introduced boss battles.

Boss Battles Are Disappointing

Boss battles were my top request for a sequel, but unfortunately, this ended up being a “be careful what you wish for” scenario. These battles are quite hard and some have an element of luck that makes them frustrating instead of enjoyable. One battle in particular took me over 50 tries because of luck and that doesn’t sit well with me. Battles also take place in claustrophobic conditions, which makes it incredibly hard to not take damage. To elaborate, let me tell you about Super Sacky.

The objective of every boss battle is to attack, or clear a certain set of conditions, until their green heart appears. When it does appear, you must then shoot the green heart. So, when fighting Super Sacky, the game’s first boss, you must attack him until the green heart appears. When you attack Super Sacky, smaller sacky enemies spawn, and Super Sacky keeps jumping toward you. What makes this poorly designed is that you really have no way of avoiding being hurt. Yes, you could hover over Super Sacky, but if there are small sacky enemies crowding the claustrophobic room, you really can’t do much. You could clear out the smaller sacky enemies, but you’d be wasting your time with that strategy. The best thing to do is to stay in one spot and keep shooting until you get lucky. At least, that was my experience with the battle.

Not every battle is terrible, as there are a few cool ideas here that I did like. One battle in particular sees you completing platforming trials before being able to attack the boss, which I thought was interesting. However, I feel like the developer could have taken more time to design better battles instead of sticking you in close corridors with random elements that almost ruin the experience.

Atooi Knows how to Package the Goods

The beautiful 12-bit style from the first game returns here in Mutant Mudds Super Challenge. The game looks extremely familiar, but there are some new graphics and environments that make the game feel fresh. The real highlight in this package is the soundtrack delivered by Troupe Gammage. Gammage delivers new music here and it’s just as good, if not better than the original soundtrack. The game has a music room in the hub world, which is no doubt put there to enjoy the game’s incredible tunes. Also, some tunes from the first game return, which is a welcomed addition.

Conclusion

Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is a pretty good sequel, but it falls a bit short compared to the first game. There isn’t as much content here, and the boss battles were disappointing. Plus, it would have been nice to see some exciting new elements introduced. Regardless, if you’re looking for a challenging version of Mutant Mudds gameplay, then this is the game is for you.

Final Score: +2