Although the App Store, Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade are great ways for smaller games to get noticed, the truth is, there are so many other great indie games that no one ever sees simply because they are stuck on the PC. It’s a shame because there’s some brilliant stuff out there, like Terry Cavanagh’s VVVVVV. I remember hearing about this game when it was first released back in January, but it wasn’t until it hit Steam and I found it bundled with the Indie Clever Pack that I finally loaded it up and became completely hooked. After being greeted with a wonderfully nostalgic Commodore 64 style presentation and soundtrack, I dove right into this manic platformer. I couldn’t believe how quickly the difficulty ramped up early on, but as I continued to play I found myself relishing the challenge.

Much like Super Meat Boy (the PC version of which also incidentally features VVVVVV’s Captain Viridian as an unlockable character), the game instantly reloads on death, never giving you the chance to contemplate defeat. It also uses a very fair checkpoint system, and the controls are extremely tight. There is really only one main game mechanic and it involves flipping gravity, but I was impressed by how much mileage Cavanagh gets out of it. It is actually somewhat reminiscent of Portal with regards to how clever and innovative the puzzles are, not to mention the mysterious sci-fi story. The game also has an open “Metroid-vania” style game map with teleporters to quickly warp to various points of the world. I’m sure you’re starting to see why I loved this game so much.

At 3 to 4 hours of gameplay, it’s a pretty short ride, but there are some additional game modes and the $5.00 price is more than reasonable. You can currently play a demo of the first two levels on Kongregate. Do yourself a favour and check this game out ASAP.