The Meating is a puzzle-platformer for the Nintendo Swap. Or is it for the NES? Really, it’s each. Sure, builders Mega Cat Studios have created one thing utterly new for the bricky NES. We’re reviewing the Swap model, nevertheless it’s precisely the identical both approach, for higher or worse.
The quirky story actually stands out. It appears Kon, a rogue minotaur, is bored, and is utilizing some type of relationship app to discover a buddy. When he falls sufferer to catfishing, he lands himself within the arms of a sadistic butcher who chops Kon to items. Fortunately, a mystical presence (the god of gyros, no much less) grants Kon the power to hop round as a head and collect his physique again collectively. ‘Tis the season, I suppose?
Oddness apart, the premise is easy. You play the function of the minotaur’s head as he platforms his approach by way of 60+ ranges to gather the remainder of his physique. You possibly can leap, headbutt, and float. Kinda. Urgent leap twice and holding it permits you to stay airborne. An power meter depletes whereas floating, that means it ought to be used sparingly. Nonetheless, it’s a sure-fire option to attain platforms too far to easily leap between.
The gameplay loop is equally easy. Every degree is a puzzle. Your objective? Gather the important thing hidden someplace and take it to the door. There are triggers to push alongside the best way, transferring parts like partitions or flooring to create new pathways. There are additionally loads of monsters to get in your approach, together with particular skills to unlock, equivalent to telekinesis and possession.
You’ve heard of the time period “NES laborious”, proper? The builders apparently took this phrase to coronary heart with The Meating. It is a robust outing. Sadly, this creates an expertise that’s usually extra irritating than enjoyable. Enemies respawn whenever you revisit a room. Indestructible flying roast chickens fall on you (now that’s a sentence I by no means thought I’d write). And even these cool headbutt assaults could be laborious to drag off with out taking injury.
One other NES-ism is using passwords. You start the sport with a mere three lives. These rapidly deplete, leaving you with a “Recreation over” display screen and password. Write it down and sort it in if you wish to proceed. Whereas this can be a cute little slice of nostalgia, it’s simply annoying in 2024.
Visually, The Meating presents a neat 8-bit NES-like aesthetic. The pixelated sprites stand out and are effectively designed. There’s a meat theme happening right here, with a number of reds and browns used all through. Vegetarians may need to steer away from this title. The audio is equally pleasing on this regard, giving a wholesome dose of sounds that belong within the glory days of yesteryear.
General, The Meating is an fascinating title. The quirky story is memorable, although the platforming is lower than excellent. Maybe the Swap model might have used a couple of enhancements to separate it from the NES tackle issues. There’s lots to do, and it’ll attraction to anybody in search of an genuine NES expertise.
