Back in July, I had a chance to chat with nerdcore rapper 8Bit Duane, and one of the things we brought up was the game he was co-creating. Action Adventure World: The Game was an opportunity for him to branch out in game development while taking his music down another avenue. It was also an opportunity to get people to say, “God, f*ck that guy,” in the most endearing way possible.
AAW is a “Nintendo hard” platformer that incorporates elements from various games such as Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, Chip ‘n Dale, and more. The game is split across multiple episodes, with each new installment introducing new mechanics and surprises. At its core, it’s similar to Super Meat Boy in that you have an assortment of micro levels and death comes after a single hit. The first episode, released in August, was a fairly straightforward, “reach the goal quickly” affair capped off with a boss battle homage to Rocket Knight Adventures. Episode 2, which will release by Christmas, appears to introduce the ability to attack enemies directly as well as an even wilder assortment of obstacles.
AAW is hard as hell. I was able to get through the main levels of the first game without issue, but the bonus levels have really been working me over. If you think you’ve got the cojones, visit the game’s page and throw down some cash. Episode 1 costs $2 while Episode 2 can be pre-ordered for $5.
