Battleblock Theater
In writing reviews, I always keep in mind that the role of a reviewer is not to judge a game based on how well it entertained me personally, but rather, how well it succeeds at the goal it sets out to achieve. Just because I’m not in a game’s target audience does not mean a game is bad, and just because I’m bad at a game does not mean the game is bad. If that were the case, the weirdly large number of platformers in my library would all have abysmal reviews, as I am universally bad at all of them.
That said, Battleblock Theater is tons of fun.
I didn’t say I was any good at it.
Battleblock Theater is a puzzle/platformer where you play as a prisoner trapped in a theatrical show performed for cats and run by a villain named Hatty. If that sounds like nonsense, that’s because it is. Welcome to Battleblock Theater.
In all seriousness, the nonsense is a big part of the fun. It’s one thing to solve puzzles and platform your way into glory on a regular map. It’s another to do so in what’s clearly a ludicrous, nonsense environment. It’s more fun, more surreal, and more of an experience than it otherwise might be.
In addition to being a puzzle/platformer, Battleblock Theater also allows for solving its puzzles with a friend! I’m never one to shy away from being carried through a multiplayer game, so I played with my friend, Snetch.
Pictured: Snetch, departing with the remains of our friendship.
A player’s success in Battleblock Theater is based on how quickly they complete a level, the gems and yarn they collect along the way, and that it’s completed at all. Snetch and I are both completionists, and were happy to try levels however many times it took to get every collectible along the way. Happily, Battleblock Theater’s level design is fairly simple, and its platforming straightforward. Indeed, in multiplayer, it’s simplified further by having a player who dies spawn next to their friend, allowing the less competent player (me) skip some of the more challenging bits. While I can’t say this is necessarily good level design, it does make the game more fun for both players by making it a collective effort rather than having one player spend a lot of time waiting around for me to make a jump.
Everything but the speed bonus
This is one of the biggest critiques of Battleblock Theater. As fun as the atmosphere can be, the levels themselves are fairly easy, both in puzzle design and in playability. It leaves the game couching heavily on its atmosphere and multiplayer. I found that that works for Battleblock Theater, to a point. Though it is fun, it’s a game I pick up intermittently because of how overwhelming and loud the atmosphere can become.
Pictured: Me, learning nothing, but plowing ahead anyway while Snetch throws grenades at me.
When Battleblock Theater works, it works well, catapulting the player(s) through a fun series of levels with an Oatmeal-esque design and sense of humour. Once the humour starts to wear out its welcome, though, the level design isn’t quite enough to keep the player motivated. It’s a game that’s good for short bursts, but each burst, like the grenades thrown at my head, is an explosion of fun.
Developer: The Behemoth
Genre: Puzzle, Platformer
Year: 2013
Country: United States
Language: English
Play Time: 6-8 Hours For The Main Story, Many More Hours For All The Side Games