There are many sampler platters to sift by way of throughout Steam Subsequent Fest, however for those who’re a Mega Man fan on the lookout for one thing quick and enjoyable, you’ll want to put aside a half-hour or so to take a look at the Berserk Boy demo. 

Developed by BerserkBoy Video games — hey, for those who’re gonna put all of your eggs in a single place this ain’t a foul basket — Berserk Boy presently has a few ranges accessible in its demo. After a short opening that finds our hero studying tips on how to harness his berserk potential, we’re instantly thrust into robot-busting motion. Quite than utilizing an arm cannon or laser sword, which is legally distinct from a lightsaber, Berserk Boy goes utterly ham on his hops. Leaping and attacking hones in on enemies from all angles, making for a handy guide a rough mixture of Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog fight that actually works.

We’ve been leaping on enemies for the reason that daybreak of gaming, however Berserk Boy works these actions into the general move of traversal. You possibly can soar on robotic heads, positive, however you can even use your leaping assault to blast by way of enemies horizontally and vertically, letting the momentum carry you thru to the subsequent platform or enemy. You possibly can leap into Donkey Kong Nation-style cannons and blast off in set instructions. You possibly can juggle floating laser cannons, and kick the face of a crawling boss spider from above, under, and side-to-side. When you full an assault you can even ship your little robo-bird companion careening into enemies for some bonus injury. Later, you’ll unlock one of many different powers that turns Berserk Boy right into a spinning drill, good for piercing by way of rock partitions.

Working round on the velocity of sound

It’s all very satisfying, and inside the first couple of minutes I might solely take into consideration what an absolute delight Berserk Boy goes to be for speedrunners. When you get within the groove, which doesn’t take lengthy, it turns into a mesmerizing act of zipping from one finish of the stage to the opposite. It’s straightforward to select up and makes you’re feeling such as you’re actually good at a sport you actually simply began enjoying. While you’re not bouncing off enemies, you’re kicking off partitions and sliding alongside rails, which is one other half that seems like one of many Biggest Hits from the Sonic sequence. 

The visuals backing up all of the motion are just about precisely what you’d need from what Berserk Boy is cooking. Respectable-sized sprites mirror robust character designs, and each phases current within the demo trace at layouts and targets that blend the formulation up somewhat. The tunes are additionally good and chuggy, with loads of electrical guitar fonts, synths, and driving drum tracks to propel you ahead to the subsequent goal. As I write this I’ve the bottom stage paused with the jams full blast, so I’ve bought excessive hopes for the remainder of the soundtrack. 

Sporting inspirations on a sleeve

There’s a ton of Mega Man Zero DNA in Berserk Boy. In case you instructed me the hub base station was from one of many Mega Man Zero video games, my defective reminiscence would quick circuit and I’d haven’t any alternative however to imagine you. The demo doesn’t go an excessive amount of additional past your introduction to the bottom, however there are numerous characters littered about, and there’s an space for buying upgrades to well being and different elements of Berserk Boy’s ‘bot physique, together with including new strikes and assaults. There’s even a short part that has you keeping off an assault on the bottom, so all of it felt very acquainted. 

One factor I’d like to see extra of are the boss battles. The demo solely pits you in opposition to two slight variations of the identical spider, which is enjoyable to struggle however doesn’t inform me an excessive amount of about what the meatier showdowns can be like. Enemy variation is respectable thus far, so I’m desperate to see what else Berserk Boy has to point out us.

Fortunately, there’s only one month to go earlier than the total launch on March 6, so I’ll preserve training my jumps and looking out ahead to seeing what the broader group does with this punchy little platformer.