BattleBlock Theater Review

The aim of each stage is to collect a minimum of three gems and make it to the exit. That’s far too easy though. Most stages have seven gems tucked away, along with a ball of yarn. It becomes a completionist’s dream trying to find everything in a stage. You’ll need to investigate far reaches of the map or even push your face into some blocks in the hope they’re fake ones that you can walk through to collect hidden items.

The campaign is great fun on your own and will last at least eight hours, many more if you’re serious about finding everything. Playing the game in local two player co-op is even better though. Stages have been tweaked to make you work together. Higher platforms need you to stand on each other’s shoulders and jump, and then use the shoulder button to lean down and give your partner a hand, bringing back some fond Mega Drive memories of World of Illusion. To jump across large gaps you run at your buddy, who holds down RT, in order to fling you across. Taking turns on pressure pads is another key element.

You’ll just have fun messing around though. Slapping each other into traps, particularly in mid-air when they’re following you, is the sort of random betrayal that isn’t cruelly punished thanks to you respawning near your partner. Instead of splitting the screen, the camera pans out to accommodate players. While sometimes things get a bit too small or you fall into a trap because the camera hadn’t given you enough room ahead, it never puts you off playing.

Competitive online options are a mixed bunch. Arena matches certainly enjoy some varied stages with lots of fiendish traps, but seeing as combat is a sticky mess, it’s hardly surprising to find that attacks and kills are a bit random. Points are awarded for damage and kills, with grenades proving a popular choice.

Other modes include king of the hill (push other players off scoring zones), racing, basketball/platforming arenas and a mode similar to ‘graffiti’ in the Tony Hawk games, where you aim to dominate a stage by colouring more clocks than your opponent. Most of these modes are available to play locally too, even in co-op against the AI.

The level editor is a breeze to use. The shoulder button allow you to swap between the different types of blocks like regular, lava launchers, sticky, spikes, treadmills, checkpoints and everything else you’d find in the regular game. The only requirement of each stage are start and finish gates and at least three strawberries (replacing gems) .

It’s easy to design your own stages, but you’re free to try ones other gamers have created. It’s such a shame that LittleBigPlanet never had decent platforming mechanics. If Media Molecule’s effort handled like this, there would be more incentive to use its level editor.

The main campaign is of a decent length, but already I’m seeing some great solo and co-op stages appearing from other players, some of them proving extremely challenging, but in an enjoyable way. If the community can keep this up, Battleblock Theater will become a favourite for months if not years.