Citation:

Payne, Matthew T. & Campbell, Stephen. “Super Meat Boy: A Love Letter.” Well Played: A Journal on Video Games, Value, and Meaning 2.1 (2012).

Abstract:

Super Meat Boy (2010) playfully draws on the representational tropes and narrative conventions popularized by classic video game platformers, while simultaneously improving on the core design principles found in this popular genre. In particular, this game invites players of different skill levels to best its tiered challenges, which scale elegantly in difficulty from one level to the next. With its tight controls and its non-punitive punishment system, Super Meat Boy demonstrates that an ostensibly “hardcore” platformer can nevertheless appeal to broader gaming audiences.