We want Meat!

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to speak to Edmund McMillen from Team Meat today and he let me in on some new information about their upcoming WiiWare platformer Super Meat Boy. So without further ado, let's get to it.

We mentioned in past news items that the game will feature quite a few hidden characters from other independent game titles. Some have already been announced, like Tim from Braid and Commander Video from the Bit.Trip series of games. Of course what we didn't know was that each character will have their own unique style of play control as well. One example I got the chance to see in action today was Commander Video and his very floaty jump that allows him to hover a short time in the air, sort of reminiscent of the way Princess Peach controls in the NES Super Mario Bros. 2 release. He also leaves a really cool rainbow trail as he runs around the level. Ed assures us that the other characters making a cameo appearance will also feature their own unique traits as well.

We've also reported in the past that the game will feature unique warp levels that resemble past eras of video gaming, like the 8-bit levels with their stripped down and very pixelated look. Now Team Meat has revealed that the game will also feature a very unique set of monochromatic 8-bit levels that resemble those of the classic Nintendo GameBoy system. If you thought the NES levels were cool, wait until you get a load of these in action. They look amazing, as does the little black & white version of Meat Boy you'll see running around the levels.

Edmund says he and the other guys are still hard at work putting the finishing touches on the game and look to have it completed and submitted to Nintendo sometime in the first quarter of 2010. He did give us a new screenshot showing off a brand new area in the game called the Salt Factory. You can see the various layers of parallax scrolling and the added detail of the level. It looks even better in motion.

Just from watching the newest videos of the game in action, it's clear that Super Meat Boy is shaping up to be one of the most exciting upcoming WiiWare titles of 2010. Edmund has told us that we should be getting a new preview build of the game in a couple of weeks, so we'll likely have more hands-on impressions of the game around that time. Stay tuned!