VVVVVV

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 273 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 189 out of 273
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 273
  3. Negative: 21 out of 273

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  1. Jerg4n
    Mar 7, 2023
    7
    A fun, short adventure with great music. Nothing phenomenal but it¨s a fun way to spend an evening.
  2. Dco326
    Dec 8, 2022
    8
    Bila je okej igrica nisam nesto wow sa njom ali bilo je fun tih 2 sata sto sam je igrao.
  3. AntonL1kesPotat
    Nov 17, 2022
    9
    Good gameplay, good artstyle, AWESOME MUSIC, good game overall. Even if you don't plan on playing this game, you gotta listen to it's OST.
  4. Wrathzo
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    VVVVVV is a 2010 puzzle-platform game created by Terry Cavanagh. In the game, the player controls Captain Viridian, who must rescue their spacecrew after a teleporter malfunction caused them to be separated in Dimension VVVVVV. The gameplay is characterized by the inability of the player to jump, instead opting on controlling the direction of gravity, causing the player to fall upwards orVVVVVV is a 2010 puzzle-platform game created by Terry Cavanagh. In the game, the player controls Captain Viridian, who must rescue their spacecrew after a teleporter malfunction caused them to be separated in Dimension VVVVVV. The gameplay is characterized by the inability of the player to jump, instead opting on controlling the direction of gravity, causing the player to fall upwards or downwards. The game consists of more than 400 individual rooms, and also supports the creation of user-created levels.… Expand
  5. grimreapersims
    Oct 13, 2021
    9
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  6. nathano
    Apr 16, 2021
    9
    The soundtrack is absolutely amazing - I honestly think the game would be a 5 or a 6 without it. It's very energetic, matching the often-fast gameplay, and the chiptunes perfectly match the game's graphics. The characters, despite only having a few lines each, are still rather charming. The rooms are named cleverly, often capturing their personality, especially in cases of particularlyThe soundtrack is absolutely amazing - I honestly think the game would be a 5 or a 6 without it. It's very energetic, matching the often-fast gameplay, and the chiptunes perfectly match the game's graphics. The characters, despite only having a few lines each, are still rather charming. The rooms are named cleverly, often capturing their personality, especially in cases of particularly difficult rooms, whose names often feel like a light-hearted joke at the player's expense. The game never drags out and is a good length - I think if completing the main part of the game had lasted more than another hour or so then it would have started to get boring. The difficulty is rather sporadic, quickly jumping from careless exploration to very precise flips, but I don't see this as an issue - it keeps you on your toes, as encapsulated by the energetic soundtrack. Overall this is a very good game - I would certainly recommend it.… Expand
  7. kezzyhko
    Jan 6, 2021
    9
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  8. PublicNuisance
    Nov 27, 2020
    4
    VVVVVV started off with an interesting twist to platformers where you change gravity instead of jumping and it also included a more interesting story than many platformers have but it got bogged down by what I call trial and error game play. Basically many parts to the game are going to force you to die because you can’t possibly see where the traps are so you are meant to play sectionsVVVVVV started off with an interesting twist to platformers where you change gravity instead of jumping and it also included a more interesting story than many platformers have but it got bogged down by what I call trial and error game play. Basically many parts to the game are going to force you to die because you can’t possibly see where the traps are so you are meant to play sections over and over until you memorize it. Now I will give the game credit in that checkpoints are a lot more common than some other platformers but at the same time I despise this mechanic. The soundtrack was decent and the visuals, while simple, were well done and stood out.

    I played VVVVVV on Linux. It never crashed on me. The game has many checkpoints but these are just temporary saves for this session and are lost when you quit to the menu. Actual full saves only happen at designated teleporters. This can become annoying if you just want a quick session and also isn’t explained very well in game. The game has a 30 FPS lock. Now this isn’t a game that suffers terribly from such a low frame rate but I see no reason to have the lock on any game. I played using the keyboard as well as using an F310 game pad and both worked well. The game pad was the winner for me as I found my hand got tired quicker using the keyboard.

    Game Engine: C++
    Game Version Played: 2.2
    Save System: Save Stations (checkpoints for current session)
    Disk Space Used: 74 MB
    CPU Usage: 1-9 %
    RAM Usage: 1.4 GB

    If it weren’t for the trial and error style game play I think I would have loved VVVVVV but as it stands I didn’t love it, I can’t even say I liked it. If you’re a fan of the style then you’ll probably enjoy it as the rest of the game is well done. I paid $3.29 CAD for the game and can’t say I got my money’s worth but again it will come down to your love for the style.

    My Score: 4/10

    My System:

    Intel I5-4590 | 16GB DDR3-1333 | Intel HD 4600 1536MB | Mesa 20.0.8 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Trisquel 9.0 | Mate 1.20.0 | Kernel 5.4.80-gnu    … Expand
  9. Pinkpansylove
    Nov 11, 2020
    6
    This game is good, but I cant really see why I could give it more than an average score. Simple but fun gameplay with a cute soundtrack.
  10. doodlerman
    May 26, 2020
    9
    An extremely challenging game that, while small, has a grand sense of exploration to it as you piece together the world in search of your lost comrades. It's weirdly forgiving, too. I died hundreds of times, but I never felt frustrated. The checkpoints are abundant and respawning is immediate, so there's rarely any downtime when it comes to overcoming difficult rooms. The only thing I tookAn extremely challenging game that, while small, has a grand sense of exploration to it as you piece together the world in search of your lost comrades. It's weirdly forgiving, too. I died hundreds of times, but I never felt frustrated. The checkpoints are abundant and respawning is immediate, so there's rarely any downtime when it comes to overcoming difficult rooms. The only thing I took issue with is the speed your character moves at. I'm not sure I can call it slidey, but there's a brief winddown to running that frequently caused me to fall off edges. But, perhaps without that winddown the game would feel too sticky. It's hard to say. Either way, it's an excellent game.… Expand
  11. amazingmold46
    Mar 2, 2020
    8
    VVVVVV is probably the biggest surprise of a game I've played. I bought it on whim when it was on sale for a couple bucks and thought it'd be something I played for a max of 30 minutes and never touch it again. I then played through it all in one sitting.

    I'm honestly not that big of a 2d platformer guy, but VVVVVV switching of gravity really clicked with me and I had a lot of fun with    VVVVVV is probably the biggest surprise of a game I've played. I bought it on whim when it was on sale for a couple bucks and thought it'd be something I played for a max of 30 minutes and never touch it again. I then played through it all in one sitting.

    I'm honestly not that big of a 2d platformer guy, but VVVVVV switching of gravity really clicked with me and I had a lot of fun with it. The only negative things about the game really are that not everyone will like how the game looks and it's too short, only being around 4 hours long. The game is only $5.49 on steam and it's absolutely worth it for that price. An amazing game!    … Expand
  12. HipMahoko
    Jan 29, 2020
    1
    This game is boring. Many NES games have a much better visuals than VVVVVV. And it does'nt have a plot. If you want a good retro-styled Indie game, better go play The Messenger (2018).
    VVVVVV is a cheap garbage.
  13. loll0one123
    Aug 26, 2019
    5
    Playing this game after years of release I found the game very short, it ends after one hour
    but it is difficult.
  14. glitchboi
    Jan 4, 2019
    7
    Slightly difficult game with challenging parts. This game can be completed in under 3 hours if you have the adequate amount of skill. If you're bored as hell and have nothing to do but stare at your Steam wallet as you only have $1.24, this will entertain you.
  15. ashketchum
    Apr 16, 2018
    7
    Higher difficulty doesn't always equate to a fun game, but VVVVVV generally strikes a good balance to present a challenging experience, that anyone can pick up and play, but requires a lot of trial and error by even the best players. However, the controls feel unnecessarily slippery a lot of the time, and this is clearly evident in sections such as The Tower and The Final Challenge, whereHigher difficulty doesn't always equate to a fun game, but VVVVVV generally strikes a good balance to present a challenging experience, that anyone can pick up and play, but requires a lot of trial and error by even the best players. However, the controls feel unnecessarily slippery a lot of the time, and this is clearly evident in sections such as The Tower and The Final Challenge, where the narrow platforms and limited screen space make these sections feel like forced difficulty, instead of providing an enjoyable challenge. Due to this, there is no satisfaction in passing these sections, as it feels more like luck than skill. Most of the sections don't work like this, though and the soundtrack is fantastic, and matches the game well. Overall, it is a fun game, and worth a try by people willing to overcome the challenges it present, especially since it doesn't take long to finish.… Expand
  16. shumpc
    Aug 10, 2017
    1
    This game is highly over-rated. The character moves too quick. the story and script is un-inspired. The music is also terrible. This game has no redeemable features. Thomas Was Alone is a hundred times better.
  17. HyperFunTime
    Jul 16, 2017
    9
    VVVVVV is a retro-style, challenging 8-bit platformer with on simple premise. Instead of jumping, you switch gravity.
    The game has a story that goes deeper only if you look at the games terminals, which is completely optional. The basic story is, you and your crews ship has a malfunction, and when you try to escape, you all get separated. You have to find all 5 of them. The game starts    VVVVVV is a retro-style, challenging 8-bit platformer with on simple premise. Instead of jumping, you switch gravity.
    The game has a story that goes deeper only if you look at the games terminals, which is completely optional. The basic story is, you and your crews ship has a malfunction, and when you try to escape, you all get separated. You have to find all 5 of them. The game starts with giving the player the simple idea of the game, then gives the player an open world to find areas that lead to other linear paths. The game is also visually stunning for an 8-bit. One of the games strongest points is its pumping soundtrack that's catchy tunes will be stuck in your head. Too bad you can't buy the soundtrack on steam.
    The game has a lot of additional content as well. In the main campaign, there are things called trinkets that add more challenge to the game. There are 20 in total and if you collect them all, your pain will be worth it. There are also time trails, a flip mode which is basically playing with your computer upside-down, and a no death mode, which is playing through the whole 2 hour campaign without dying or saving.
    Overall, VVVVVV is a challenging, fresh experience that you will finish. However, some additional things will be missed out on because he campaign is promoted the most. This game is absolutely worth the $5 price tag.    … Expand
  18. sswam
    May 4, 2017
    10
    VVVVVV is my favourite game.
    Terry has created an awesome challenging innovative indie game.
    Souleye has created the best music ever heard in a video game.
    10/10, and I bought this game four times.
  19. nilsy
    Apr 7, 2017
    4
    Ok so this is just to hard for me.
    Found myself turning on the game and dying 50 times without completing a single 5 second mission turning it off.
    Next day it was just a little bit harder to die against 60 times without completing the same 5 seconds mission. Rinse and repeat until i stopped playing it without ever completing the game Ill give the soundtrack a 5 out of 5, seriously i    Ok so this is just to hard for me.
    Found myself turning on the game and dying 50 times without completing a single 5 second mission turning it off.
    Next day it was just a little bit harder to die against 60 times without completing the same 5 seconds mission.
    Rinse and repeat until i stopped playing it without ever completing the game

    Ill give the soundtrack a 5 out of 5, seriously i went and got the soundtrack mp3 files since its just so great.

    Still think it its on a BIG sale you could check it out maybe ur better then me and wont get completly stuck    … Expand
  20. Dannystaples
    Apr 4, 2017
    10
    SO much fun.

    The game is just brilliantly simple and yet hard as balls. It doesn't have photorealistic graphics, massive complex action, RPG skill trees or sprawling dialogue and still manages to have presence and a well constructed world/narrative. Albeit a SIMPLE narrative but still a narrative none the less and one that is more interesting that most AAA games at the moment.
  21. rodericrinehart
    Feb 19, 2017
    7
    Challenging but fun for the most part. Some parts were very twitchy and not what I wanted, but most of it was a fair challenge. You can beat it in less than 3 hours, even if you die hundreds of times because the reloads take less than one second.
  22. Basquilly
    Mar 14, 2016
    8
    I spent 4 hours one morning trying to complete one platforming puzzle in VVVVV. After hours of frustration I finally completed the game 100% and was left with a feeling of satisfaction few games manage to evoke in the player these days. Excellent game, could have done with a stronger storyline.
  23. smilzoboboz
    Nov 14, 2015
    10
    A perfect game, on all compartments.

    Want to play for the story? Then hop on a journey to rescue your crew-mates who got lost in space, the game is extremely fun and with a "normal" difficulty degree if you don't go for trophies. Want more challenge? Then challenge the game and try to get all the discs to unlock more hardcore content. Mad enough? Then get to play one of the most    A perfect game, on all compartments.

    Want to play for the story? Then hop on a journey to rescue your crew-mates who got lost in space, the game is extremely fun and with a "normal" difficulty degree if you don't go for trophies.
    Want more challenge? Then challenge the game and try to get all the discs to unlock more hardcore content.
    Mad enough? Then get to play one of the most balanced, fair, and difficult arcade platformers ever made (yes there are speedrunners too).

    Everything I wrote above seasoned with an intense mixture of 8-bit music and graphics that are just perfect, nothing more to add.

    If you're unsure you may like the game or not (if you don't then probably you don't understand what's good and bad and you don't deserve this game) you can try the first two levels on kongregate, somewhere.
    Anyway I recommend this game to everyone, even just to understand when you can really say that a game is GOOD and not just fancy or cool like most games nowadays.    … Expand
  24. DDilettante
    Jan 17, 2015
    9
    I give this game the award for Best Game Title. Trying to say it sounds like a 1950s busted alien spaceship trying to take off.

    VVVVVV is actually a really fun ultra-retro style puzzle platformer. With its unassuming story and gameplay, it turned into quite the challenge. In essence, you are Captain Viridian, who is lost in an alternate dimension aboard his spaceship, and is trying    I give this game the award for Best Game Title. Trying to say it sounds like a 1950s busted alien spaceship trying to take off.

    VVVVVV is actually a really fun ultra-retro style puzzle platformer. With its unassuming story and gameplay, it turned into quite the challenge.

    In essence, you are Captain Viridian, who is lost in an alternate dimension aboard his spaceship, and is trying to locate the other members of his crew (all with names starting with V. There you go). Instead of jumping around, you can control the direction of gravity. This presents some interesting and unique gameplay when trying to traverse this basic, fluoro, and incredibly dangerous landscape.

    The music is entirely chiptune, to fit in with the retro style, and is extremely funky and addictive.

    Grab this one. It's great fun, even if for a short while.    … Expand
  25. grrrr
    Jul 26, 2014
    9
    One of my most favourite platformer game with original idea. However, the controls could be more accurate, I think. Retro graphic and sounds are awesome.
  26. ChaosHydrA
    Jul 18, 2014
    3
    Cute Story/Characters and a great soundtrack for about 3 hours but thats where the fun stops for VVVVVV.

    While there is a decent handful of good puzzles based aroudn timing in this game, the overall amount of challengeand difficlty of the game is based on really cheap trial and error mechanics. This is due to 2 flaws. First of all the game is heavily based on quick screen changes and    Cute Story/Characters and a great soundtrack for about 3 hours but thats where the fun stops for VVVVVV.

    While there is a decent handful of good puzzles based aroudn timing in this game, the overall amount of challengeand difficlty of the game is based on really cheap trial and error mechanics.

    This is due to 2 flaws. First of all the game is heavily based on quick screen changes and a wrapped up map system ( ie. if you go out of the far left end of the map you will for example pop up on the far right)

    This screen changing mechanic/refresh rate however is overly used in the games puzzles besides just exploring around and while it does open up for creative puzzles it does sadly however also works as the games main difficulty tool and is the cause of alot of punishing deaths. The problem with it is the fact that the refresh rate of these screen changes robs about ½ a second of the player to calculate his movements and with some of the harder puzzles in the game using multiple screen changes (the hardest one was about 10-12) then it turns into a complete mess of a challenge and relies solely on a mass amount of deaths caused by trial and error and eye memorization. There are a great amount of puzzles where you will fall into spikes due to this update rate and it leads toa tedium of simple deaths due to exhaustion of this design choice.

    Secondly theres the control of the main character. The character is overall easy to control and is only causing problems at puzzle which is simply due to a overly sensitive movement. Theres a good amount of sliding (about the width of the main characters body) that makes landing on narrow ledges and platforms a bigger hasle than it should be because of this abrupt sliding. The worst part is that the acceleration in a still position is too high, he will take a long leap forward unless you decide to only tap the dpad/controller once, meaning you will end up in spikes under narrow platforms once again too often.

    The game should have been about timing and easy but challenging memorization not about a difficulty mechanic thats solely based on loose character response and the eyes adaptation of quick and constant screen changes and the game fails at this.

    Pros:

    +Cute style/Characters/Sound effects/Story/Dialogue
    +Soundtrack is amazing
    +Decent amount of nice Puzzles

    Cons:

    -Challenge/Difficulty incorporation Mechanics are cheap and not based on timing in a fair way too often.
    -Map design can be a mess, should have been made so you could get access from multiple ways to certain areas/secrets.
    -Sliding controls+alot of narrow ledged puzzles= Bad difficulty incorporated combo

    Verdict: 4.5/10
    Soundtrack: 8.0/10    … Expand
  27. Rallandollo
    Jun 24, 2014
    7
    Number of deaths: 1.098.908.756 ! VVVVVV is a very challenging platform game. Sometimes it is actually too difficult. But in the end a blast of a ride!
  28. JohnWitten
    Jun 8, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. [Condensed]

    VVVVVV is incredibly cheap regardless of the platform you purchase it for, and for a rough $10 max- a perfect choice for a decently shaped and sized indie game to play for a few hours and then return to every once and a while. The story of a doomed space ship and its crew being teleported to the far regions of the cosmos, and then being sought out by their ever-faithful captain is kind of touching at times, and the platforming proves to be addictive and intense.

    Remember, as already stated via the GI review of the game, this "isn't for the faint of heart," and you will easily test your wits and patience, as well as skills and story-telling and following throughout the run-through of this little gem. While quite good for an independent game, and clocking out at around 4-5 hours should you search every nook and cranny of the game, the game falls just short of great- but makes for a good experience nevertheless.

    Here's the "GI"-type scoring I'd give to the game:

    Concept: Simple concepts that create excellently crafted challenges varying in difficulty revolving around the one main tool: flipping gravity.

    Graphics: Very minimal details, and use barely any graphics save those of Flash players on the PC versions.

    Sound: Complete with all the nostalgia of those old games you love, however repetitive they may seem.

    Playability: The character's speed is annoying at times, and the character- albeit rarely, can encounter glitches that speed up or slow down momentum at weird and unfortunate times.

    Entertainment: While entertaining and utilizing an interesting concept, the game could branch out a bit more- but the game was independently created, so some leeway can be given possibly...

    Replay Value: Medium

    Overall Score: 8.0

    Written 2011    … Expand
  29. NLS
    Jan 21, 2014
    8
    VERY nice platform game. Has a distinctive Commodore 64 feeling (duh!) and works well.
    I really feel I am on my C64. This can only be good.
    Not much else to say. Pure arcade fun.
  30. Draculamarth
    Nov 5, 2013
    2
    Indie games don't have to suck, yet almost always they do, which brings me to this game: VVVVVV. I'll give it props for it's cracking soundtrack and that's all I can say that is positive here.

    For whatever reason, the go-to "modern retro" style is the one employed by I Wanna Be The Guy. WHY?! That game is absolutely terrible. Objective. Fact. Yet here's VVVVVV doing the "Retro is Hard"    Indie games don't have to suck, yet almost always they do, which brings me to this game: VVVVVV. I'll give it props for it's cracking soundtrack and that's all I can say that is positive here.

    For whatever reason, the go-to "modern retro" style is the one employed by I Wanna Be The Guy. WHY?! That game is absolutely terrible. Objective. Fact. Yet here's VVVVVV doing the "Retro is Hard" BS. There's a difference between "Hard" and "Showing Active Contempt For Your Audience"

    The graphics are terrible. You can't even use the "retro" excuse because even old ZX Spectrum games (the system I assume it's trying to replicate) had better detail. You want a ZX Spectrum throwback? L'Abbaye Mortis is a far better game because it's not trying so hard to be a "hardcore platformer". Also, you don't waste money because it's free. Screw this noise. 2/10    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best PC Game of 2010
33
#33 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. PC Zone UK
    Sep 12, 2011
    68
    Nothing VVVVVV does is actually new or different. [May 2010, p.91]
  2. GameCritics
    Sep 12, 2011
    70
    Sporadic difficulty notwithstanding, it's certainly a credit to Mr. Cavanagh that a project with VVVVVV's basic graphics and simple controls can feel so completely energetic and entertaining. Much more than it initially appears, I was quite glad to have spent time with the title, and eagerly look forward to what Terry will be cooking up next.
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    Sep 12, 2011
    75
    It's easy to recommend VVVVVV to fans of the "retro revival" games that seem to be gaining in popularity; but it has more in common with artsy, competent and contemporary titles like N+ and Braid than it does with, say, Konami's Rebirth series on WiiWare, Mega Man 9 or Retro Game Challenge.
    Read full review
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