Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine Review (PC)

I have learned to deal with all the saws that move on the same line, side to side. I can easily get the pair of Meat Boy clones past them, although sometimes they get a little too close for comfort. The problem is the really big rotating spinning blade at the bottom of the screen and its slow but constant progress. It basically means I have a limited time window to create my chains before they get wiped out.

Moving fast means making quick and sometimes dumb decisions, which in turn leads to contact with the blades and a restart. I always see the two pairs that are coming up next and, after about six attempts, I have a clear idea of how to beat the level. I just have to move fast and execute flawlessly to create my required color chains.

After a few much easier levels, I get to the boss at the end of this world. Dr. Fetus is wielding two massive chainsaw arms that move across the board. Some careful work controlling how quick clones move means I am reliably able to get past them. But this boss fight has phases and the spiky roller that pops up adds an extra layer of challenge. I need to fail a few times to get a clear idea of how to puzzle past all these obstacles.

Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine is developed by Headup Development and published by Headup Publishing. I played on the PC via Steam. The title is also on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older devices from Microsoft and Sony. It offers a mix of puzzle and platforming, with a unique approach for both core mechanics.

+4more

Dr. Fetus, the antagonist of the franchise, has a big new plan to defeat Meat Boy and it involves a ton of clones, some of them better than others. As he prepares for another showdown with his rival, the good doctor needs to test his creations and evolve them into better versions. The game is set after Super Meat Boy Forever and adds to the lore of the series in some quirky ways.

Everyone is a cute cartoon-drawn character but the core story still involves creating clones that seem somewhat sentient and basically torturing them to select the best and then creating new batches of clones, which is a pretty horrific premise. The trademark violence of the franchise is taken to a new level, although squeamish players can choose to turn the blood effects off. The terror of constantly dying close remains.

The tutorial is short and introduces the game’s core ideas. Pairs of clones start off at the top of the level, with players in control of how fast or slow they move and how they are positioned. Think Tetris or Puyo-Puyo. Connect four of them of the same color and you create a chain, making them disappear from the board. In a perfect world, players will carefully place their pairs of clones to create ever-growing chains.

But Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine is not about clearing boards. Obstacles quickly start appearing. Buzzsaws pop up, both static and mobile, Ghosts roam the level, new sets of blocks drop down, rockets strike, and more. It’s a constantly escalating set of obstacles deployed in creative ways.

Play Video

Any touch between a hazard and the clone pair leads to a restart but clones can be eliminated once they are set with no repercussions. Thankfully, the game saves at certain thresholds within a level. At the same time, new hazards become active. The incoming pieces remain the same for a new attempt, which means gamers have the ability to create a plan and then only worry about flawless execution.

Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine has six worlds, each coming with 20 levels to move, including a final boss battle puzzle. It’s a lot of game and the way challenges constantly change and evolve really showcases the development team's imagination. Some of the scenarios start off so simple it almost feels like the game is hiding something, only to morph, in their final stage, into monstrous challenges that easily require 20 tries to get through.

But the difficulty level is nowhere near that of the core Meat Boy experiences. Dr. Fetus wants players to have fun, discover how to deal with each set of dangers, and execute complex moves under pressure. There’s even an option to turn on invincibility for anyone who needs it. When I failed a level ten times or more, I simply stepped back from the game for a few hours. When I returned, I often had a good plan and managed to win in a couple of tries.

Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine uses a colorful and bright look, which clashes with its dark theme in just the right way. The Meat Boy clone blood that covers every surface when players accumulate failures is in tune with the rest of the franchise. The game tweaks play spaces and backgrounds to keep players engaged. I especially like the weirdness of the boss battles.

The splatter sound of a destroyed clone is the most important sound element and it has been obviously lovingly crafted to be both disgusting and somehow fun. The rest of the effects work well with the work but give players space to focus on the puzzle-solving. The soundtrack, created by RIDICULON, combines remixes of classic franchise tracks with good new material.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion