🤓 Britt's Brief Bulletin PART II | Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe | Nintendo Switch 🤓 @FreakZoneGames #GameDev #IndieGames

Game Title: AVGN1&2 Deluxe

Developer: FreakZone Games

Platform Reviewed: Switch

Rating: 9/10

As a casual fan of the Angry Video Game Nerd since around the late noughties, I was quite looking forward to the release of the game based on his exploits, although I had no idea what to expect. 

The 2013 AVGN game and 2016 sequel came out on PC and were very much what was needed, a tongue-in-cheek take on the platforming genre that was so well designed that it was clearly going to appeal to people outside of the AVGN fan-base, it was a great, challenging game that didn’t outstay its welcome. 

My lasting memories were of awesome music, frustration and satisfaction in perfectly equal measure and a sense of fun; I had an awesome time with them.

This deluxe version – the first time the series has been available on console platforms – again completely won me over. It’s brighter, cleaner and more balanced than the originals and is clearly going to be a game that I will be replaying every couple of years or so (as an aside, my partner @kingdomofcarts also adores it and agrees that it’s one we will return to).

For those unfamiliar with the games from their original PC release, these are 2D platformers filled with numerous references not only to the world of AVGN but movies and games in general. 

Allowing you to attack the different words in order (usually three stages leading to a boss fight), the controls are absolutely pinpoint accurate and progress is almost in the style of tiny set-pieces.

In the easier modes, the game is replete with checkpoints that allow you to master the saucy platforming action, designed as bite-sized challenges set over a whole level set to a specific theme. 

All the tricks are here from timed puzzles to disappearing platforms etc. alongside a host of collectable characters and items/upgrades to be discovered. It’s also perfect for speedrunners, the secrets and shortcuts begging to be discovered in pitch-perfect runs.

In standard difficulty mode, you can complete both games in 3-4 hours and whilst that may seem brief to some, it feels perfectly balanced to me (there’s an extra section unlocked after completion as well, new to this edition) as the game finishes before running out of ideas or overly-regurgitating them for artificial padding. 

This isn’t a game that introduces any clever new mechanics or twists to the genre but instead is presented as a highlight reel of it and the 8-bit era as a whole and is extremely successful in doing so. 

Through the many deaths, re-starts and vibrant stages, I had a smile on my face that was backed up by a really energetic soundtrack – a soundtrack that I am on the cusp of purchasing. 

Loved it.

9/10