I didn't think it could be done, but Super Meat Boy 3D's Steam next fest demo proves Team Meat's masocore platformer translates to 3D shockingly well
32.0k
Scott McCrae
2026-02-24
My Steam Next Fest demo of choice has been Super Meat Boy 3D, which is a concept I never expected would work out.
Before making two of the best roguelikes of all time in The Binding of Isaac and Mewgenics, Edmund McMillen was known for creating Super Meat Boy alongside Tommy Refenes, a platformer that helped popularize the "masocore" subgenre, even if it has roots in Mario hacks and the likes of I Wanna Be the Guy and the game's flash predecessor Meat Boy. McMillen has since left Team Meat, but Super Meat Boy persists as the studio has continued the franchise.
And 18 years after he made his Newgrounds debut, Meat Boy is going where all platforming mascots go eventually: into 3D.
15 years later, after 700 hours of grinding, speedrunner finally beats all of Super Meat Boy without dying
"What else are we going to do, another f***ing platformer?": Mewgenics took 15 years to dominate Steam, but its secret sauce was cooked up in just 2 weeks
Diablo creators' new action RPG feels like sampling bread by eating raw flour in rough Steam Next Fest demo
The Steam Next Fest demo features what I assume are the opening 10 levels of Super Meat Boy 3D. And given how precise the original game could be at times, I was concerned about how that aspect would transfer. Will it have to be dumbed-down to work better in 3D or would it just be an unplayable test of frustration? But so far I'm pleasantly surprised to report that it seems to be neither. Super Meat Boy 3D is still filled with close calls and precise jumps in the way you'd expect from Team Meat's classic.
In fact, my only real gripe with the demo is that the animation – specifically the ones at the end of each level – are a bit awkward. But that's hardly a dealbreaker when this feels like a natural extension of Super Meat Boy's gameplay and a proper follow up to the game in a way the disappointing auto-runner Super Meat Boy Forever failed to capture.
15 years later, after 700 hours of grinding and "at least" 100,000 deaths, speedrunner finally beats all of Super Meat Boy without dying, earning a "congrats" from co-creator Edmund McMillen
powernapper
Apr 08, 01:24 AM
This is intense.
gamer_grandpa
Mar 30, 07:04 PM
I found it. 🐸 whatever
muffinTop
Feb 25, 03:12 PM
^blah blah blah nice
rustyGear
Feb 25, 02:22 PM
💀 all of the above. This isn't a game, it's a time sink. Bad multiplayer.! totally normal.
quantumCoffee
Feb 25, 11:02 AM
🤯 yep
Recent Articles