ANTONBLAST Review
“BLAST From The Past” Written by: Ethan (@ChaoticAether)
If you’ve been here long enough you’ll be well aware that Antonblast has been on my radar for quite some time now. Originally kickstarted in 2022, I initially came across Antonblast due to my history in the Crash community. I had followed a fan game called Crystal’s Wrath for a long time, and had been following one of the devs on Twitter for years. When they started tweeting that they had a kickstarter in the works, I kept my eyes peeled and saw Antonblast announced alongside a playable demo. I loved what I saw. From its funky soundtrack to Wario Land inspired gameplay, I was immediately hooked, but unfortunately didn’t have the funds to support it at the time.
Fast forward over the years, and I’ve constantly kept my eyes peeled for Antonblast and its wild 90s aesthetic. From demo releases to trailers, I’ve always tried to engage with everything Summitsphere has released over the past two years, and Antonblast quickly rose to become my most anticipated indie title for 2024. There was a lot to live up to and thankfully Antonblast delivers on those expectations in spades.
Antonblast is one of my favorite 2D platformers in recent memory. It's a fast-paced, frantic, and freaking difficult explorative platformer that puts emphasis on its tight and addictive control scheme, excellent level design and bombastically over the top set pieces. Mash that with hilarious dialogue, a wonderful soundtrack and an art-style ripped straight out of a 90s cartoon, and it leaves us with a game unlike any other.
Image Credit: Summitsphere
Antonblast has you taking control of Dynamite Anton and Annie, a pair of demolition experts who reside in boiler city. One day Satan himself asks his magic mirror who the reddest being alive is, and discovers to his dismay that Dynamite Anton is much redder than him. Enraged, Satan creates a plan to siphon Anton’s redness for himself, and steals Anton’s prized spirit collection as a means to bait him to the underworld. Taking the bait, Anton and Annie vow to get their booze back, storming off to boiler city and beyond to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.
The presentation heavily reminds me of late 90s cartoons, with the dialogue and animation style feeling right at home with classics such as Ed, Edd and Eddy, Cow and Chicken or Ren and Stimpy. As you blast through Anton’s window and into the first level of Boiler City, you really get a sense of the immaculate presentation the game has to offer. Its booming soundtrack and genesis inspired sprite work and sound effects all add together to create this chaotic noise that suits the game perfectly. From the rattle of pipes in the sewers to the volcanic destruction of “Happy Hour”, it's chaotic yet manages to blend together so well. Mix this with its hilarious animated cutscenes and well performed dialogue and you have a game that is a joy to look at and listen to.
But a game like Antonblast is only as good as it plays, and thankfully that's where Anton and Annie truly shine. Antonblast is a 2D platformer that takes heavy inspiration from the Wario Land franchise. It's an explorative platformer, where you must venture screen to screen in order to find your booze and make your way to the end goal, destroying every enemy that stands in your way. Anton or Annie can run, jump, slide and slam their way through the level, but the pair also have a few extra tricks up their sleeves. This is where Anton’s signature clutch mechanic comes into play. When you press the attack button Anton will swing his hammer forward giving you a momentum boost in the process. Time it correctly using the meter in the bottom right like in Crash Team Racing or by tapping it exactly on an enemy, and a second press of the button will chain your momentum and keep Anton running. Chain this with Anton’s hammer slam for extra height and invulnerability and you can quickly become an unstoppable menace. Your objective is simple: Find your booze, initiate “Happy Hour” to open the elevator and get the heck out of there as quickly as possible.
Image Credit: Summitsphere
Levels are often split into two gameplay halves. The exploration half of the level often has you taking your time, looking for collectibles and finding the four card suit switches to destroy coloured crates blocking your path within the level. These sections will often teach you the level's mechanics, and allow you to master a variety of level-specific abilities before the chaos ensues. From light puzzle solving to some seriously tricky collectibles to discover, I love the way that Antonblast gives you the chance to explore and understand level mechanics in a safer space before everything hits the fan. As once you reach the end of the level, you’ll hit a switch triggering the signature “Happy Hour”, causing the level to start collapsing and a timer to appear at the top of the screen. At this point it's your job to get back to the start of the level by any means necessary.
“Happy Hour” is chaos incarnate, and usually involves you dashing your way through a variety of different areas and set pieces to get to the elevator in time. Unlike in other games like Wario Land and Pizza Tower, these events often feel more like a controlled power trip rather than an anxiety filled escape. Anton is in his element during these enhanced phases of madness, and it’s your job to conquer the obstacles before you and not screw it up. These sections get truly insane, with set pieces aplenty ranging from hot air balloon chases to solving various pinball mazes to reach your goal in time. From changing level structures to mastering abilities, Happy Hours really test your skill. Add to this a lack of checkpoints during the countdown and some of the toughest platforming challenges the game has to offer, and you end up with a challenging loop that simultaneously ends up being extremely addicting.
This is all thanks to the game's masterful level design. I always feel that with 2D platformers there is a fine line between them being difficult and unfair, and Anton manages to walk that tightrope excellently. The difficulty of Antonblast is eased up gently, with no leaps of faith and level layouts designed to be dashed through with speed. That’s not to say you won’t have a tough time, as some of the later levels tend to lean on the harder side, but an abundance of checkpoints before “Happy Hour” and consistent enemy placements make it a fun and accessible challenge to master.
There may only be 12 levels total, but each of them are rather long, expertly crafted and are endlessly replayable. Not all levels will play the same either. Some may have you exploring from point A to B, where others might be more intricate in their layouts. Standouts for me were the pool and garden levels, focussing more on puzzle solving and completing certain objectives to get to the end. The mall level for example has you rushing to the end of four seperate sections before Satan’s minions crack open a safe. These deviations to the gameplay loop really help Antonblast to stay feeling fresh throughout its roughly six hour any% runtime.
After every couple of levels you’ll unlock one of several bosses, which seem to be inspired by cuphead and are equally as fun and challenging. These bosses range in size and length, from the smaller “Bossbusters” to larger scale, multi-phase fights like a dragon and the jewel ghoul. These fights are mainly a test of pattern recognition and survival, so make sure to memorise those patterns and figure out the best chance to strike. I did feel like it was often a game of trial and error with some of their movesets, and there may have been a few more boss fights than I would have liked, but they are really well made and have some wonderful animations and finishing moves.
Image Credit: Summitsphere
Once you have mastered a level or beaten a boss, you’re sent back to Brulo’s bar which acts as the hubworld of the game. Similarly to Crash Bandicoot, the hub unlocks a new level once the previous is completed. All prior levels can be replayed by going back to their respective elevator, and by talking to Brulo you can spend your hard earned tokens on a variety of items. These can range from temporary buffs such as increasing the next “Happy Hour” timer, to more permanent health upgrades, to silly bonuses like buying yourself a cowboy hat (yes it covers your screen and yes I did think it was originally a bug…) or buying the bar a new tv. There are also a variety of additional colour palettes that can be purchased and tapes for you to collect, alongside the ones found as collectibles in every level. From playtime stats, a cassette player, a toilet to change characters and a dedicated backer area, there are a few areas for you to explore and enjoy.
For players looking to master every level, there are also two additional play modes for every standard level: Time Trial and Combo Chain. Time trials are directly inspired by Crash Bandicoot 3, having you rush through each level while collecting timer boxes that pause the timer as you go. The more boxes you smash the lower your time will be! This meshes perfectly with the Crash Team Racing inspired clutch mechanics to make the whole system a blast to play. I’d highly recommend it to anyone wanting to perfect their movement. Combo Chain on the other hand plays more to fans of the combo systems found in games like Pizza Tower, but with a deadly twist. Every clutch, crate and enemy kill refills your combo meter in the bottom left, and your goal is to reach the end with as high a combo as possible. However if you lose your combo, you take a hit of damage, and death has you starting the level from the beginning. Combo Chain is essentially a harder, more punishing form of the base game, and is definitely a good time for those looking for a challenge.
It’s all brought together by just how incredible the sound design and soundtrack to this game is. I can’t think of a single track in the game that doesn’t hit hard while blasting through levels, and from nostalgic sounds from games gone by to the most out of left field samples (the glasshouse?!) everything ties together to form one of my favorite soundtracks of the entire year.
Image Credit: Summitsphere
Summary
Antonblast is a game that proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, yet uses said inspiration to create something wholly unique in of itself. I may have spent a good chunk of my time noticing bits and pieces of beloved games from my childhood, but Antonblast supplements those ideas and creates a game that is not only a blast from the past, but a step forward in the genre. It's a masterful 2D platformer that manages to strike the perfect balance between the refined and the chaotic. It’s a game that begs to be replayed and after finishing the final boss I feel like I’ve only just scratched the surface of its potential.
Antonblast is a Must Play not only for fans of Wario Land and Pizza Tower but for fans of 2D Platformers in general. It's a masterclass in taking past ideas and looking at them with a fresh perspective. Its tight controls, excellent level design and stellar animation leave you with a game that's very hard to put down, and it’s a game I can see myself easily replaying over and over again. Congrats to the guys at Summitsphere for all your hard work, the game truly is a blast.