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. EmberVine
    Dec 17, 2011
    10
    Soundtrack. Soundtrack. Its amazing, the chiptune fits so well with the puzzling world of pixels and perplexion and FRUSTRATION!!!!
    Its a hard game, and honestly i would download it just for the pure fun it implies. Its a good timewaster and everything, and it really challenges you. You can actually unlock challanges and things, if you hate doing the story mode. Did i mention the soundtrack?
  2. Apz
    Jul 26, 2011
    9
    Tons of fun. Kept me completely entertained for the whole ~2 hours length, which is more than I can say for a few big releases out there currently. You'll set a world record for obscenities while playing. I still haven't collected all of the collectible energy trinkets, so I'll have to go back and finish that up.

    The room titled "Your Bitter Tears are Delicious" will leave you with a    Tons of fun. Kept me completely entertained for the whole ~2 hours length, which is more than I can say for a few big releases out there currently. You'll set a world record for obscenities while playing. I still haven't collected all of the collectible energy trinkets, so I'll have to go back and finish that up.

    The room titled "Your Bitter Tears are Delicious" will leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.    … Expand
  3. Diogovsky
    Dec 5, 2011
    5
    If you like these old games that you need to get past of pits or games that change gravity up-down this game is highly recommended. But if you are those who get stressed easily with "impossible" challenging parts, don't play this game. You will get trapped, you will die hundreds of times and if you don't have patience enough don't buy it.
  4. namDa65
    May 20, 2012
    8
    Awesome 2D platformer. Pretty difficult but doable. I like this game over super meat boy. Purchase when you have spare change, it will be worth it for sure.
  5. Noncohesive
    Aug 5, 2011
    10
    Wow. When first starting the game, i thought "hmph, just another indie game". But oh how i was wrong. This puzzle platformer is incredibly fun and tricky. At one point, i even got light headed from this game, it was amazing hahaha.
  6. tech-noir
    Apr 29, 2012
    7
    VVVVVV takes its name from the game's main objective, which I shall not touch upon in order to leave the discovery to you. The first aspect of the game that took me by surprise is the superb 8-bit chiptune music. The only problem with that is that it does get repetitive only because it replays one single track for about 30 minutes at a time, until you complete each level. The graphics areVVVVVV takes its name from the game's main objective, which I shall not touch upon in order to leave the discovery to you. The first aspect of the game that took me by surprise is the superb 8-bit chiptune music. The only problem with that is that it does get repetitive only because it replays one single track for about 30 minutes at a time, until you complete each level. The graphics are imitating the general style of the Commodore 64, including its startup screen. VVVVVV's main platforming mechanic is the player's ability to flip the character's screen position vertically, going from bottom to top and vice versa. This makes for some complicated platforming in general, as well as some challenging and entertaining rooms. Because of the game's incredible difficulty, the developers have cleverly implemented checkpoints liberally throughout the game world, which cuts down on rage and frustration. With that said, VVVVVV still manages to be extremely difficult, and you should expect to die hundreds of times, if not one thousand times by the time you complete the game. The platforming and controls are not badly designed, as in Super Meat Boy, so do not confuse this well crafted, yet simplistic game with that developmental disaster. Younger generations of gamers may find the overall presentation of VVVVVV to be unique and hip, but as we all know, these graphics have been done before, about 30 years ago. One serious flaw is that there are no audio options for volume. The in-game default is quite higher than usual, and requires turning down in Windows. While the majority of the levels' rooms are a lot of fun, and well designed, some are simply unreasonable and require too much luck as opposed to actual precision and skill. Because of this, you will die many times and spend far too long attempting single rooms. Which also means being forced to listen to a single song on a loop, for the entire duration of your trials. This is something of a shortcoming and should have been avoided completely by the developers, as these uncalled-for rooms only add negatively to the experience. Even though you get unlimited lives and unlimited continues, having to repeat a single room hundreds of times in order to pass it gets boring, repetitive, annoying, and only serves the purpose of replacing actual content with limited and mundane game play. While the music is once again, excellent, there are only a few that repeat over and over, as the rest must be unlocked by finding and collecting certain orbs within the game world. There are also a few more game modes for the player to experiment with once the campaign has been completed. The storyline and ending are endearing and delightful, and once you complete the game, there is an overall feeling of satisfaction. VVVVVV is short but perfectly sweet. It took me about 3 hours to complete.… Expand
  7. n8r8r
    Nov 13, 2011
    10
    Its almost as tooth-and-nails hard as super meat boy, and incredibly addictive. While I wouldn't call it the best platformer of all time, its the most fun i've had playing a game in a long while.
  8. Jotto999
    May 25, 2012
    7
    Good: Excellent exploration, neat theme and pleasing music. Bad: it is tainted by some of the worst controls of a platformer I've ever had the frustration of using. The game itself is not hard, but the controls have been designed to be awkward. The time it takes to accelerate and decelerate is far too slow and so the handling is quite screwball. This would be forgiveable if theGood: Excellent exploration, neat theme and pleasing music. Bad: it is tainted by some of the worst controls of a platformer I've ever had the frustration of using. The game itself is not hard, but the controls have been designed to be awkward. The time it takes to accelerate and decelerate is far too slow and so the handling is quite screwball. This would be forgiveable if the content did not sometimes require millisecond timing and precision within a few pixels, but that's exactly where most of the game's challenge is concentrated. The game gives you a very narrow and winding racetrack, but then puts you in a WW2 Jeep with rusted, stiff steering.

    The game tries to compensate for this by dumping a snowfall of save and reload points all over the place, but this does little if anything to reduce the frustration. It genuinely baffles me why the makers decided to inject so much potential frustration into it. Making the controls awkward does nothing to add to the game, it's the shallowest way I can think of to make the game seem longer.

    For improvement, you've got a great concept here, I loved the exploration and music/theme combo. But the physics of the controls are appalling.    … Expand
  9. Andreakossa
    Apr 22, 2012
    6
    If you enrage easy stay away from this game, it has no God mode, and probably you will die a lot, so well now is your decision, or else if you like challenges this is good for you.
  10. SirCrimsonFox
    Dec 27, 2012
    10
    Wonderfully innovative platformer with a twist. The gravity changing action button is really unique yet the whole game feels like the classics like megaman right down to the MIDI soundtrack. A Great story supports it. A very nice complete package. Love the creativity involved in the "monsters". Simple yet effective.
  11. Disisidi
    Oct 25, 2013
    8
    When you get past the harder parts of this game, you will feel very accomplished.
    The game is difficult in all the right places.
    The only downside of VVVVVV is its lack of replay value. There are extra content after you beat the main levels, but it's a different, less fun, mini-game.
  12. 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
  13. arcadesdude
    Apr 27, 2011
    10
    Very Fun Game! The retro-esque gravity defying platformer VVVVVV takes one back to the days of better gaming -- where skill actually matters because the reward is worth it. You'll find the game-play difficult but not overly so and the payoff of finding new areas or making an "impossible" maneuver worthwhile. The music gives me goosebumps and fits in quite well with the game -- that ofVery Fun Game! The retro-esque gravity defying platformer VVVVVV takes one back to the days of better gaming -- where skill actually matters because the reward is worth it. You'll find the game-play difficult but not overly so and the payoff of finding new areas or making an "impossible" maneuver worthwhile. The music gives me goosebumps and fits in quite well with the game -- that of exploring space in an strange and unknown dimension to find your crew-mates. Precision platforming -- retro style -- at its best! 10/10… Expand
  14. KlassicKritic
    Oct 18, 2010
    8
    It's almost impossible to believe that something like this was not done in a full 2D game. This game challenges the player into reacting. Looking at the graphics, it may not look like a lot, but when you go into the gameplay, you will feel the urge to trial and error (and feel pain) again and again. The plot is not amazing, but it suits the atmosphere, and the trial and error idea does notIt's almost impossible to believe that something like this was not done in a full 2D game. This game challenges the player into reacting. Looking at the graphics, it may not look like a lot, but when you go into the gameplay, you will feel the urge to trial and error (and feel pain) again and again. The plot is not amazing, but it suits the atmosphere, and the trial and error idea does not make the game too bad either. It can leave you on your computer for about a few hours, if that's alright with you. It's a good game, even for the impatient people.… Expand
  15. gmans_uncle
    Mar 31, 2011
    10
    In all the years I've spent as an inthusiest of the video game arts, I can only recall a handfull of games I've had legitamitly no criticism for; among these are masterpieces sutch as Portal, Shadow of the Collosus, Beyond Good and Evil, and Half-Life 2. Today, I am pleased to announce that VVVVVV stands proud among those titles as one of the the best games of 2010, and one of the mostIn all the years I've spent as an inthusiest of the video game arts, I can only recall a handfull of games I've had legitamitly no criticism for; among these are masterpieces sutch as Portal, Shadow of the Collosus, Beyond Good and Evil, and Half-Life 2. Today, I am pleased to announce that VVVVVV stands proud among those titles as one of the the best games of 2010, and one of the most inovative inde games since Braid! VVVVVV is an inde 2D platformer developed by Terry Cavanagh with a retro 8-bit style, something shared by it's spiritual sister game Super Meat Boy, which I had not played at time of writing, but from what I understand is very well desighned as well, and definatly deserving of your time! Now, when 8-bit visuals show up, their buddy, brutal dificulty, shows up to the party as well, and I'll warn you, like another of my favorate games of 2010, Dead Rising 2, will lose points with some people crying about the dificulty. But you know what, the difficulty balences itself out, theres a check-point every screen and the gameplay is very rewarding, every screen is an accompishment in and of itself. the gameplay centers around your ability to shift your character's gravity from the floor to the cealing and vise versa, it really reminds me of old game on the NES called Metalstorm, which had a very simular mechanic, but it was a contra style side-scrolling shooter, this is a combat-free puzzle platformer. Now the developers clearly took a few pointers from Portal when making this game, IE: the idea of making the whole game eighty percent tutorial, becoase it's always introducing new play mechanics expanding apon the gravity manipulation concept, this ensures that the gameplay never gets old or overstays it's welcome. another thing it seems to have borrowed from portal is it's length, becoase it can easily finished in a couple hours if you try, but this is a five dollar steam game here, on a rediculusly tiny budget, so what do you expect? Anyway, this game has incredably modest eystem requirements, so if you can read this, chances are you can play VVVVVV, and I highly recomend you do, there's so much to like here, and also it stands to be mentioned that once you beat the game you can re-play with the entire world map fliped on it's head Castlevania: Symphony of the Night style, which is practacly like an entirely seperate game. But the two biggest reasons for buying this game are: 1- it's FIVE BLOODY DOLLARS, and 2- you can take relish in the idea that you have suported the independent developers, instead of put more money into the pockets of the AAA industy fat cats. I emplore you, DO NOT pass this one up!… Expand
  16. 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
  17. 0235
    Aug 26, 2012
    8
    because having to buy a new keyboard every time you play this game is fun.
    to call this game difficult is a little bit of an understetement. to quote someone else "if i were to meet the maker of this game, i would ske his hand with my left hand, and punch him in the gut with the right".
    thats the main impression. its oddly a good looking game and an amazing soundtrack, but keyboard    because having to buy a new keyboard every time you play this game is fun.
    to call this game difficult is a little bit of an understetement. to quote someone else "if i were to meet the maker of this game, i would ske his hand with my left hand, and punch him in the gut with the right".
    thats the main impression. its oddly a good looking game and an amazing soundtrack, but keyboard smashingly difficult    … Expand
  18. Pr3tzals
    Dec 19, 2010
    8
    A great retro indy game.

    ~Pros~
    - Varying levels of difficulty
    - Original Concept
    - Cheap
    - Around 3 hours of gameplay.
    - Great Soundtrack
    - Works seemlessly with GamePad
    - Ingame Collectables

    ~Cons~
    - Not alot of replay value
    - No multiplayer or Co-op

    Overall 8/10
  19. EastonReviews
    Nov 13, 2011
    5
    Darn you, addictive game. VVVVVV is super addicting, funny, creative, but too brutal. The difficulty of the game is too hard for you to get better at as a starter and it only gets worse. With that and the graphics, this game seems like a old 80's game with a confusing idea and level transportation delevopment.
  20. Ahrun_Wolf
    Apr 30, 2012
    9
    Don't have doubts about this game: BUY IT. Despite being short, VVVVVV is a valuable experience that's truly vital for any video-gamer who values a game devoid of vanity.
  21. Blaine
    May 18, 2013
    7
    Well done! Really amusing game.
    Nice game-play, interesting exploration elements (not common in platform games), humorous dialogues (at least for me).
    Absolutely not as difficult or frustrating as Super Meat Boy can be, except for a few spots. Took me around 4 hours to complete the game and collect all the shiny trinkets. Mesmerising soundtrack, it really took me back in time. Not    Well done! Really amusing game.
    Nice game-play, interesting exploration elements (not common in platform games), humorous dialogues (at least for me).
    Absolutely not as difficult or frustrating as Super Meat Boy can be, except for a few spots. Took me around 4 hours to complete the game and collect all the shiny trinkets.
    Mesmerising soundtrack, it really took me back in time.
    Not perfectly calibrated controls, not the end of the world though.
    Definitely a buy during Steam sales.    … Expand
  22. 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
  23. ultraviper
    Apr 13, 2012
    3
    Nice retro music and graphics. But that's about all this game has going for itself. As for the difficulty, there is hard, then there is unfair. This game leans heavily toward the unfair side. "Hard" can be something like Super Meat Boy where you can plainly see all the challenges in front of you, and it's up to you to be skillful enough to pass them. VVVVVV's version of challenge is toNice retro music and graphics. But that's about all this game has going for itself. As for the difficulty, there is hard, then there is unfair. This game leans heavily toward the unfair side. "Hard" can be something like Super Meat Boy where you can plainly see all the challenges in front of you, and it's up to you to be skillful enough to pass them. VVVVVV's version of challenge is to punish players for not being psychic. It's trial-and-error gameplay at its worst. Your vision is limited to 1 tiny screen at a time. Get to the edge of the screen, and you appear in the next one. If you happen to be falling (up OR down, in this game) you go very fast and if there just happens to be a pit of spikes in your path, there is little you can do about it except die and remember they are there during your next attempt.… Expand
  24. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    1
    Another rage-inducing "indie retro platformer." I'm not sure if anyone genuinely enjoys games like this or if they're designed as masochism simulators. No old platformers were nearly as hard as this and other recent similar titles (like super meat boy) so it must be some combination of purposefully making overly hard games coupled with cheapo graphics design. If you feel video games areAnother rage-inducing "indie retro platformer." I'm not sure if anyone genuinely enjoys games like this or if they're designed as masochism simulators. No old platformers were nearly as hard as this and other recent similar titles (like super meat boy) so it must be some combination of purposefully making overly hard games coupled with cheapo graphics design. If you feel video games are just too easy for you lately and you enjoy platformers you should try this out but get ready to break your keyboard/gamepad over it.… Expand
  25. jredekop
    Apr 6, 2011
    6
    Fun enough to play. It's very basic, and nothing new is seen here, though that's not exactly the point. Despite this it's good enough for a download.
  26. Durandal
    Jul 27, 2011
    6
    Retro feel, especially if you've ever owned a Commodore 64... to the point where it probably could have been done ON a C64. Controls are decent... level design is decent... gameplay is frustrating and repetitive. It's a one trick pony. If you like repeatedly bashing your head against a finicky jump over and over trying to reach a checkpoint... you'll love vvvvvv.

    There is some sort of    Retro feel, especially if you've ever owned a Commodore 64... to the point where it probably could have been done ON a C64. Controls are decent... level design is decent... gameplay is frustrating and repetitive. It's a one trick pony. If you like repeatedly bashing your head against a finicky jump over and over trying to reach a checkpoint... you'll love vvvvvv.

    There is some sort of semblance of a story they're trying to push in the little dialog boxes... but honestly it never grabbed My attention and I started just clicking to skip them after a while until I got bored with being frustrated by a couple jumps. I don't know if it gets more interesting later... I only completed a couple of the levels before I got sick of the tedium. If you're into old skool, reflex-driven, platformers... you will probably like this. It is presented fairly well for what it is supposed to be. It is just very niche.    … Expand
  27. 1192249287
    Jun 1, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't know why i can't save!?? This game makes my steam window shaking all the time!!! And when i'm using T-Chinese input method the captain becomes crazy!!! That small man can't stop going left!!! Yes the plot is great but it should be able to be played.… Expand
  28. JonesR
    Dec 1, 2011
    3
    VVVVVV provides the perfect love/hate relationship. Flip gravity one way, love is in the air...flip gravity the other way, and the obscenities coming out of your mouth will make your mother cringe. It's crude and unsophisticated, yet nostalgic and frustratingly gratifying at the same time. I'm still trying to make up my mind...
  29. badrain
    Dec 1, 2011
    6
    Oh well. I really like the idea, but im not sure if I dig this game. I love retro games, especially platformers, but this... feels cheap. There's nothing extraordinary about it, we've seen it all a hundred times before. Of course, this kind of games are kinda unique now, but if I had to choose.. I'd rather play Super Meat Boy. Nevertheless, VVVVVV is decent game and i would definitelyOh well. I really like the idea, but im not sure if I dig this game. I love retro games, especially platformers, but this... feels cheap. There's nothing extraordinary about it, we've seen it all a hundred times before. Of course, this kind of games are kinda unique now, but if I had to choose.. I'd rather play Super Meat Boy. Nevertheless, VVVVVV is decent game and i would definitely play it from time to time. Thing is, there's nothing outstanding here, so I really dont understand what's all this fuzz about.… Expand
  30. Manomama7
    Jan 14, 2012
    10
    First of all this game has THE BEST SOUNDTRACK in a video game ever! So add the sounds with fitting graphics, great gameplay and BOOM!!!! You got VVVVVV
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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

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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.
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  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.
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