One would think that innovation in the genre of side-scrolling 2D platformers would be nearly impossible, but The Behemoth’s new masterpiece “Battleblock Theater” proves that in the age of “Call of Duty” it is still possible to be creative without the third dimension.
It’s been five years since the release of indie video game developer The Behemoth’s popular arcade game “Castle Crashers,” which was famous for its four-player beat-em-up action, hand drawn style visuals and a bizarre and twisted sense of humor. The extremely addictive gameplay and upgradeable superpowers distracted from the repetitive enemies and tedious battles.
“Battleblock Theater” is a huge improvement on the formula. The game spreads out the button-mashing combat elements and focuses more on precisely timed jumps, puzzle-solving and co-operative teamwork.
In fact, the game is nearly unplayable without one of your buddies joining in. Puzzles require bouncing your teammate up ledges, throwing them across the screen and helping them up over obstacles. Not since “Portal 2,” which had a co-op mode that required massive amounts of teamwork, has a videogame focused so heavily on working together. Imagine if Mario couldn’t get to the flagpole without Luigi’s help. It’s fun and challenging, and it has the power to either strengthen or even end friendships. Expect to apologize a lot for throwing your friend into a puddle of lava or bouncing them into deadly spikes.
The humor in the game is what takes it from a good game to a great one. Voice actor Will Stamper narrates almost every action in the game with gusto. Expect to hear things like “Oh, sweet Jesus!” and “No, no, no, you’re not supposed to die” every time you accidentally make a wrong turn and end up electrocuted to death.
Stamper also narrates the game’s storyline, which involves square and triangle-headed friends who crash land on an island and are forced by giant cats to perform deadly stunts on stage at the titular theater. Does it make sense? Of course not, which is what makes it so endearing and hysterical.
Instead of earning points to level-up your character’s abilities like in “Castle Crashers,” “Battleblock Theater” rewards players with gems and balls of yarn that they can spend to get new characters to play as and weapons to use. The characters are simply an aesthetic option, which allows you to change the head of the guy you’re playing as. The weapons range from land mines to giant poison fart bubbles and exploding frog bombs. Be careful how you use them, however, because it’s just as easy to blow up your teammate as it is to kill that ninja cat you’re fighting.
Everybody knows someone who feels left out when video games are being played. Maybe your girlfriend is bad at headshotting newbs in “Halo 4” or racing against you in “Gran Turismo,” but she could definitely play this.
“Battleblock Theater” is the rare multiplayer game that isn’t easy but can be played by anyone. Failing in the game sets you back only slightly, and the death animations are so hilarious that you’ll probably end up laughing as you try again.