Just Get Through Review

Just when you thought it was safe to super glue back together that controller you snapped in half playing Super Meat Boy, Just Get Through has appeared.

The game, which is a roguelike platformer that randomly generates levels, will test your nerves with explosions, traps, wall jumping, shotguns and errant crossbows galore.

Just Get Through’s title is very descriptive of its overall experience. Trapped within an alternate dimension, your avatar must jump his way across a variety of increasingly difficult worlds connected via portals. At the start, each level will be relatively small, perhaps with a few platforms and a swinging axe or two but after time these will morph into expansive, analogue-stick-snapping hellworlds.

Soon each level will boast sawblades, swinging axes, patrolling robots, wall-mounted turrets and machine-gun like crossbows. You do not come to this one-sided fight unarmed though, as your character has packed a load of dynamite with him. Using the dynamite is a unique touch, allowing you to blow holes in levels and destroy traps. Every few levels you can upgrade your character, too, increasing health, ammo capacity, jump height and more.

Just Get Through presents itself in a simple yet visually pleasing pixelated style: worlds tend to have one dominant colour scheme (others are unlocked as you discover chests in your journey) and while at first may seem basic, it fits the mood of the game well.

The game borrows heavily from indie classic Super Meat Boy, and while playing Just Get Through, it’s hard not to make comparisons. The two share similar soundtracks, play-styles and level design. Just Get Through’s jumping mechanic - probably the action you’ll be using the most - falls short at times. The lack of ability to wall jump on the same wall is frustrating and often times you’ll miss jumps that you shouldn’t have. Even after expanding jump height, and wall grinding abilities it can still result in frustrating moments where your characters misses jumps they should have made.

Despite this though, I found myself addicted, playing long past when I should have, trying to reach one more portal or even unlock one more colour to paint the game world. After a while the synthy electro music did begin to loop and grate, so I switched it out for my own music.

Just Get Through aims to take a chunk of what leaders in the timed platformer genre did and mould it into something new. In some ways it manages that and in others it doesn’t. The randomly generated levels are a great touch and encourage replayability, while the challenge means that many will be coming back for just one more level. For a game under £5 it’s well worth the purchase.