Mutant Mudds released back in the early days of the Nintendo eShop and was a huge success. Those who played it before absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait for the sequel to release. It’s been some time since the original release but the sequel, Mutant Mudds: Super Challenge finally released on Wii U and 3DS. It looks like Renegade Kid did it again, they released another ‘hard but fair’ platformer on the Nintendo systems.
Sequel? Not really. Fan service? Hell yes!
Super Challenge can’t really be considered as a true sequel to the original Mutant Mudds, it’s basically a continuation of what you’ve played in the original Mutant Mudds with some extras of course. If you’re familiar with the franchise, you know what to expect, an extremely hard challenge. Super Challenge isn’t different and as the name already suggests, things got even harder with the inclusion of boss fights.
Fans of the game have been asking for boss battles since the original release and it’s great to see that Renegade Kid listened to the feedback. Super Challenge offers some difficult bosses to beat that reminded us of the glorious Mega Man days. It’s never easy to bring them down but it’s a welcome change to the regular platform segments. It’s without a doubt the biggest and most fun innovation of this follow-up title. But you’ll need to work for it! Only by completing all bonus and normal stages in a region, you’re able to fight the boss. It’s worth the trouble however since each boss feels different and brings something fresh to the table.
Fight those Mudds with deadly precision
That being said, the main focus of the game remained the platform sections of course. Unlike the Super Mario Games, you’ll need deadly precision to survive. The most important tool you’ll need to use is Max’s waterpack. This is used to bring down the enemies or to hover with your special backpack. It’s a great combination of reward and punishment. Be aware, however, the later levels will demand you still have the maximum amount of water in your tank, if you don’t have it, you won’t make it across the gap. While playing, you’ll need to learn where to use your backpack and where to shoot enemies. If you spill too much water in the later levels, you won’t make it to the end.
Those challenges form the beating heart of the game. If you don’t like hard games, please stay away as far as possible. If you do like yourself a challenge, this is the perfect game for you. Thanks to the solid controls and great character design, the game doesn’t allow any technical problems causing you to fall towards your doom. If you mess up, it’s because you lacked the skills to properly survive. It’s a game that’s easy to understand when it comes to controlling Max but it’s a game that will test your skills to the maximum in order for you to reach the end.
Besides just completing the levels, those are also filled with collectible coins and things to unlock. Each level is filled with coins, these are used to set records or to unlock alternative protagonists. We won’t spoil them for you in this article but you’ll be surprised to see who joins the playable cast later on in the game for sure!
An extra layer on 3DS
The great thing about Mutant Mudds: Super Challenge is the fact that it’s a cross-buy game. Meaning that if you own it on Wii U, you’ll get the 3DS version for free, this works the other way around as well, of course. The 3DS version is probably our favorite one because the game just feels more at home on a handheld system. There’s something about that typical retro 2D indie theme that just works better on smaller screens. Besides that, the 3DS also uses its 3D effects in the best way possible.
You’ll need to travel between layers in this portable version and with the 3D effect switched on; it’s even more fun to see the flat Max jump between the foreground and background of the environment. The game looks sharp, plays great and adds an extra dimension on the portable system. If you’re in the position of owning both platforms, be sure to check the game out on both!
| The good: | The bad: |
| + Addictive gameplay | – Too difficult for some |
| + Great visuals | |
| + Boss fights |
Mutant Mudds: Super Challenge offers more of the same but adds great things such as boss battles. If you like challenging platform games, this is probably the best option. The game combines great environments with simple yet perfect visuals and gameplay. It’s definitely one of the must-own games in the eShop to date.
4.5 out of 5
