VVVVVV and Super Hexagon – Review and Giveaway!

Introduction

Releasing at the beginning of the last decade, VVVVVV is one of the games that helped propel indie developers to the forefront of the general consciousness. Released by Irish developer Terry Cavanagh, the game was a massive success story that saw many ports on computers, the Switch, mobile phones, and even the Commodore 64! He went on to (commercially) release Super Hexagon in early 2013 and eventually Dicey Dungeons in 2019.

VVVVVV

VVVVVV is a quirky platformer and a big success story for Terry. While the game might not look like a technological marvel, it excels greatly in its simple and effective gameplay, combined with its humorous story, awesome chiptune music, and level editor. In addition to the main game, VVVVVV has a free Make and Play version for custom levels on PC and the Super Gravitron minigame free for mobile platforms (Apple Appstore – Google Play – Amazon Appstore).

Playing as Viridian, the captain of a spaceship, your job is to find your missing crew after crash landing into a strange dimension. The only ability Viridian has is flipping gravity, provided he is not in mid-air. This forces you to think before you flip into one of your hundreds or even thousands of deaths to spikes. While the game is far from easy, the frequency of checkpoints and how quickly you respawn allow the game to be challenging and fun without being too frustrating.

The best aspect of VVVVVV is the level of care that was put into it, which the game shows almost immediately. Every room is not just designed around the gravity flipping mechanic, but also have themes accompanied with often humorous “room titles,” giving each room its flavor and unique feel.

Super Hexagon

Super Hexagon is a brutal arcade game in which you keep a tiny triangle floating ahead of the revolving hexagon from being crushed by the oncoming walls. If you can somehow beat all the game’s six difficulties in one attempt, it will only take you around 6 minutes to complete, but completing Super Hexagon typically takes hours or even whole days.

You must survive in each difficulty for 60 seconds as the game throws all manners of tricks at you. The hexagon will constantly beat to the music, change shape, or even reverse direction, while the walls’ patterns become even more maze-like. Moving the triangle in the same direction as the hexagon’s rotation makes it move faster, and vice versa.

Like VVVVVV, you can retry instantly after failure, however, the game is unpredictable and there’s little to keep you coming back other than beating your previous record. That said, Super Hexagon remains an enjoyable challenge with chiptune music that will keep you on edge.

In Conclusion and Giveaway!

If there’s an indie game you should have in your library, it’s VVVVVV, and while it might not be your cup of tea, you can’t go wrong with Super Hexagon as well! They’re both fun games with a lot of passion and challenge without being super unforgiving. If you’re interested in trying them out, we’re giving away Steam and GOG keys for VVVVVV and Super Hexagon on our Discord server! Simply join here and respond to the giveaway announcement before the 8th of June for a chance of winning!

Want to try other indie games? Then check out GRIS and On Rusty Trials, two solid platformers! You can read about the equally brutal arcade indie Highway Pursuit!

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