Hi, I'm the guy who shrinks the animations down and polishes them :) Thank you so much for the kind words! We've been working really hard on the game and it's always great to see people enjoy it!
It's so nice to see multiple people from the dev team in the comments :) Phenomenal work on the game - can't wait 'til the full release! All of you are so incredibly talented
gameplay Animator here, thanks for playing/enjoying the animation. Funny you mention earthworm jim, we do a similar techinque in our animation process where we animate things in high res, before someone shrinks it down and polishes it (I animate the high resolution stuff before its shrunk) also, Big shout to the rest of the team!! They're the best ppl in the world to work with and it cannot be done without them!! Next time you hopefully play, be sure to hop on the enemies! I made unique getup animations for the lot of them. PS. Pikmin 1 is my favorite pikmin game! :} I recall watching your semi recent Huge Review on the first one
As a wannabe game developer, you guys are amazing! I loved Wario Land 2-4 growing up and you guys are keeping the dream going while Nintendo isn't. Keep it up!!
Still hear far too many PT fans slandering this game. As a big PT fan, I won't tolerate AntonBLAST slander. Having played the Dynamite Demo on Switch and Steam, AntonBLAST is clearly an equally (but in a different way) fun "cousin" game. Really satiates my destructive tendency, in contrast to PT's unrelenting speed.
After playing both, I think I prefer Pizza Tower, but AntonBlast is phenomenal as well. They can both be great. AntonBlast is a lot more similar to Wario Land than Pizza Tower, being a weird amalgamation of WL3, WL4, WL Shake It, and WL Virtual Boy with some unique movement mechanics, while Pizza Tower is fairly different from the formula with mostly just WL4 inspirations. Both of these games are AMAZING, and as someone who grew up on Shake It, I'm so glad Wario Land is finally coming back in such a massive way.
In my wario likes family tree they're like sibling games you wouldn't favor one over the other just because it came out first that would be evil and bad parenting 🥺
@@paperluigi6132 The problem is that for a big company like Nintendo Wario Land games are too short to sell well. Nintendo needed them back then because the Wii's hardware is limited compared to Xbox. Therefore a sprite based platfomer was worth it. Indie companies have no problem making short games, because thier smaller than Nintendo.
I'm so happy you liked it! I've been following this game since the Kickstarter and backed the game with a good amount. I love the game, it has so much personality, character, and soul. Anton and Annie are cool characters, the gameplay is super frenetic and fun, levels are fun and super replayable, the music is great, and it's just a super funny game! Hope tons of people get to buy and enjoy it! Summitsphere deserves the love and support!
I remember being absolutely floored by Pizza Tower and I feel like this will fill a similar feeling (while still also feeling like it's own unique thing) so I'm super hyped. Also if you haven't played Pizza Tower I suspect you'll love that as well.
I know this sounds crazy but I slept super light last night, had a bunch of wild dreams, and one of them included you talking in your "real voice" which was super deep, monotone, and gravely, while you were on screen talking in a super down tone, and never addressed it or did it again after that video. It was like Dark Arlo. Darklo if you will. Anyways I woke up this morning and was convinced it was real
True, it really does give those 90s vibes! Nice to see you had a great time with the demo, idk if I’ll get the game I have a lot to play but I can’t deny it is really neat!
You weren't the only one who was reminded of a certain character from Cow and Chicken by the main villain of this game, Arlo. I noticed too. And some others are saying that he's a mixture of that character and the AoStH version of Dr. Robotnik. And when I first heard him, I thought it was Charlie Adler.
Just throwing it out there, I love this new trend of indie developers making new Wario Land-inspired games. Pizza Tower and ANTONBLAST are the most popular ones, but there’s also Sugary Spire (a Pizza Tower fan game), Antonball Deluxe (Summitsphere’s previous title), Treasure Tech (a DOOM mod with a Wario Land influence), Duke Dashington, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Shovel Knight: King of Cards (if you can count that as a Wario-Like), and just recently I discovered a new game called “Susan Taxpayer” that’s shaping up to be a lot of fun! As much as I want Nintendo to make a new Wario Land game, I am at least glad the spirit of Wario Land lives on through these other excellent games.
@@ssg-eggunnerwell, technically, that’s not a game, at least not yet. There were plans and early gameplay footage, but Avario Avarius hasn’t really gotten his own full game at the moment.
Been following this game for a while and had an opportunity to play it on my first trip to Pax East! It definitely has one of those "easy to play, hard to master" gamefeels that is really satisfying when it all comes together. I never got it down fully in the original demo I played but it was still a great time!
as an artist and aspiring game dev antonblast is the kind of game that really inspires me to make stuff. it just feels like it has such a clear, unfiltered vision and it's obvious everyone working on it is in their element. idk that sort of game just gives me the motivation to make something cool of my own
I'm really glad you clarified that you've never actually played the Wario Land games, I was always curious about that ever since you said you wanted more Wario Land reacting to WarioWare: Move It! despite saying you're not that into 2D platformers. I'm tempted to gush about them and also the rise of a budding subgenre of "Wario-Like" platformers that are being made as of late, but for now I'll boil down what I want to say to 2 points: 1.) The Wario Land series is surprisingly varied, though they can be placed into 3 groups: the "traditional platformer" group (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land), the "immortal puzzle platformer" group (Wario Land II and Wario Land 3), and the "race back to the beginning" group (Wario Land 4 and Wario Land: Shake It!). In terms of where to start if you're interested in the series, Wario Land 4 is widely considered the best of the series and it's what ANTONBLAST is primary based on (with a dash of Virtual Boy Wario Land on top of it), and Wario Land 3 is already available on Nintendo Switch Online, so I'd start with either of those first. Keep in mind, though, Wario Land 3 is a much slower experience compared to Wario Land 4 and ANTONBLAST, there's a bigger emphasis on exploring and puzzle-solving in that game, so don't go into it expecting the stimulus overload ANTONBLAST offered. 2.) If you liked ANTONBLAST, I highly recommend giving Pizza Tower a try some time. I know the comparisons are obvious, and I find the constant accusations of ANTONBLAST being a rip-off of Pizza Tower disrespectful and annoying, but they both have the same inspiration and are both really fun games. Pizza Tower in particular is one of my favorite games of all time now, ever since it came out last year, and despite looking similar, it plays quite a bit differently than ANTONBLAST. I also wouldn't hope or expect a Nintendo Switch port or any kind of console port of the game anytime soon; the developers (which consists of 2 people, 5 if you include the composers) are more focused on adding to Pizza Tower and potentially making more games and have shown little to no interest in porting Pizza Tower. Maybe that will change in the future, I certainly hope it does, but for now, PC will be the only way you can play this game if you want to play it. Regardless of all that, though, I'm happy you see you liked ANTONBLAST, it's my most anticipated game of this year next to the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake, and I hope it it becomes a big success, the developers at Summitsphere have earned it!
ANTONBLAST is great man. I love how hectic and chaotic it is, which is enhanced by the amazing cartoony sound design. It feels really satisfying to plow through levels once you get the hang of the controls. I will say that I’m iffy on the precision platforming and the secret areas that don’t really have any rewards. But we’ll see what I think once the full game comes out. Also to those calling this game a Pizza Tower clone, please stop. That’s just wrong.
It is really interesting hearing your thoughts on the inspirations you feel from this game; because, quite honestly, the vibes it gave me are far more late 90s early 2000s; stuff like "I am the Weasel", "Cow and Chicken", "Angry Beavers", maybe a lil "Ed Edd n Eddy"; and it felt very strongly Game Boy Advance/Nintendo DS 2D Platformers. I think the game is just, so stylistically strong, and has such a strong identity they managed to create, that it CAN probably be all of those things, you know?
honestly that's why i recommend giving the Wario Land games a try, they have a far more linient learning curve than both Anton Blast & Pizza Time that require a lot more precision & yeah Wario Pilled games do such a great job at capturing the Essence of Sonic-style platformers: the Attitude, the constant movement, using exploration as a tool to find the faster/uninterrupted route
Ima be real I was concerned about the comments section being turned off in the other anton blast vid but as soon as I started reading this videos comments I got why.
I backed this game on Kickstarter when it was announced and have been following it’s development progress, the team is super kind and passionate it’s incredible. Antonblast also has a lot of Crash Bandicoot influence, mainly in the crates, the Nitros, and the Charge Combo meter in the bottom right is inspired by Crash Team Racing, where by pressing the Charge button again after a little bit, you get to continue the charge further and further, and that alone makes the game so much more quick and satisfying. I’m so excited to play the game in November, it’s gonna be a… Blast…
I love how this game's pool of inspirations is so large that it'll evoke a different thing to different people, like to you it's Earthworm Jim but to others it's also Crash Bandicoot. That's the stripes of a truly inspired game that manages to build an unique blend you kinda haven't seen before. Yet to everyone it feels familiar in some shapem
Been keeping a close eye on this game since its Kickstarter went live since I've been a massive Wario Land fan since childhood and the devs have shown in a lot of their updates and on their Discord that they are EXTREMELY passionate about this game and it's really been showing so far. Couldn't be happier with the way the game has been shaping up so far and it's remained not just my most anticipated indie game of the year bit my most anticipated game of the year full stop.
Arlo should play Wario Land 4. Cause this game is so similar it's uncanny. Everything from the multiple objectives to the runaway sequence and the mechanics and the sounds Anton makes.
When i saw the trailer i didn't know what to think of it, but within a minute of watching this playthrough i got serious Earthworm Jim vibes. I was very happy to hear you say the exact same thing.
I love how one of the main inspirations is the insanity of Crash Bandicoot. I love the sound effects, including the ground pound having a bomb dropping sfx. I Cannot wait for this game to come out!
I knew there was a vibe I couldn't pin down, but Earthworm Jim/Toejam & Earl is that exact feeling. This feels like Wario if it were a genesis game with all the edge and chaos that comes with. I'm also picking up a different vibe, which is, of all things, Dust: An Elysian Tale, but that might just be because the second level has you spinning tazmanian-devil style decimating everything in your path.
I bet other people have already recommended it in these comments but Pizza Tower is another Wario Land inspired game that I really like, it's much more focused on speed than Antonblast is and has some super good feeling controls
This game reminds me of a game I played on the N64 back in the day called Tonic Trouble. The angular heads, the weird, drastic movements of the characters, capture it perfectly.
i know everyone and their brother has already told you about pizza tower, but considering you're such a fan of antonblast (as am i), i'm curious to hear what you'd think about it. to me personally it's easier to read visually, but it's probably even faster than this, and it more heavily encourages you to go for a high score (something i know you aren't a huge fan of)
The Wario pill reigns supreme. AntonBLAST and Pizza Tower are such great games to play, and shows Nintendo absolutely could have found something new to do with the series.
As someone who plays the first level on the demo more times than he can count, I feel Antonblast will be a way more satisfying game for me to go through then (that other indie games name I do not speak). As fun as I’ve had with that other game on Steam, AB feels way more cathartic for my general play style. You’re not going as satisfyingly fast as you are in the “speedy chef” sure, I love how you can rack up points by simply destroying more stuff. Definitely a day one purchase for me that’s for sure. (And I know it’s doubtful so soon, but I also wouldn’t mind that OTHER indie game on consoles at some point either.)
I am obsessed with this demo. I honestly don't really love the earlier Wario Land games (3 was very good though), but Shake It was pretty fun. This feels insane, LEAPS AND BOUNDS over everything it was inspired by. It feels a lot like the Superstar Saga era of offbeat Nintendo, which even that era was more inspired by the cartoony platformers you mentioned. It's truly the most I have ever been convinced to play a game from a demo alone.
7:47 Funnily enough, AntonBlast is quite generous with its escape sequence in comparison to WarioLand 4 and PizzaTower, in AntonBlast you get a redo from the escape sequence, but in WL4 and PT, if you fail the escape, you are forcefully exited out of the level and you have to play the entire level from the start.
I'd say all of them are generous in their own ways PT still gives you a chance if you escape from Pizzaface And WL4 lets you survive off your remaining coin amount
I'm glad to see more content creators who aren't mostly focused on indie games exposed to Antonblast. I've heard this since the Kickstarter Demo days, and seeing the progression of their community is a good sign that this game is going to sell well day one.
Antonblast definitely delivers. I struggled the 2nd demo level time limit being admittedly strict as a Wario-head fan, but definitely down for a second round the new release trailer demo
I actually got to talk with the lead developer at PAX East this year! Super cool dude, and it was cool picking up on the other platformer references while playing. I was reminded of Mutant Muds when I saw the foreground and background jumping mechanics, and he said that game was one of the main inspirations. If you're reading this, I do hope you take what I said about the flashing afterimages and the deadzone options for controllers into account. Other than those relatively minor nitpicks, this game looks sick as hell and I can't wait for the full release!
Interesting that you specifically tied this game evoking Earthworm Jim and its ilk when I always got the feeling it was trying to lean less in that direction compared to Pizza Tower and mainly attempting to recapture the essence of the GBA, going off of what I read on the game's Kickstarter.
Probably not an original recommendation, but I would suggest giving WarioLand 4 a try, of all WarioLand games, 4 is the one that specifically inspired certain aspects of both Pizza Tower and AntonBlast, specifically the escape sequence, while character transformations appear as far as earlier WarioLand
You know what? I'd also like to see more games take inspiration from Wario Land 3, it's a unique concept I'd like to see iterated on. There's actually a video that echoes these sentiments from a TH-cam channel called "hotcyder" called "Wario Land 3: Nintendo Perfected", I recommend giving that video a watch.
Warioland 1 (Super Mario Land 3 on GameBoy) is >still< one of the best platformers I've ever played. It is so damn smooth to play, gorgeous world, just great all around! No caveats, you'll like it!
i enjoyed the demo for the most part but thought the controls were a little frustrating like i REALLY wish the hammer spin drop bounce move wasn’t on the same button as the dash. i also wish you could start a dash in midair, idk how many times i tried to dash as i hit the ground only to press the button a split second too early while i’m still barely in the air and cause myself to bounce up and completely kill my momentum aside from that it felt pretty good
I hope they add a toggle for the points icons + a toggle for the poker chips' collection animations. Those two things really contribute to how overwhelming the visuals can get.
Played the demo and I think they’ve really blown it out of the water compared to Demo 1. Not just tuned up the platforming but amped the style up to 13! Love how it’s so unabashed with it’s style, can’t wait for it to come out now!
This is VERY Wario Land 4, specifically. WL3 is my fav, but 4 is a close second! You gotta play those! (1 and 2 didn't do it for me, but maybe someone else can vouch for them...)
I have a friend that is hyped for Antonblasts, and for me I've not played any Wario lands, but have played Pizza Tower I probably should try it out. But yeah here's another person saying try Pizza Tower. I'll be trying the Demo for Antonblast probably sometime soon
I played the demo. Felt a bit weird about the controls, since I'm used to Wario Land 4 and VB Wario Land. Still, it works. Also, strangely enough, a demo for Penny's Big Breakaway was released, so I understand the feeling.
Have you played Demon Turf: Neon Splash? It's a 3D platformer that gave me a similar feeling as the movement system makes it so fun to speedrun the levels.
I've had this game on my wishlist for a while now, yet myself, I kinda preferred when Anton had a slower base movement and jump speed in the very first demo. The level design better fit that speed, the best example of such being that part of the Boiler City underground where you can bounce on crates to get over to a launcher. With the increased jumping speed, it's harder to break all the boxes in the way I assume the devs were planning us to. I also kind of miss pressing down to do the ground pound rather than A, and the fact that you'd automatically start spinning before bouncing when you did a hammer bounce. The clutch mechanic is 100% a fantastic addition, I can't argue that.
It borrows HEAVILY from Wario Land 4 and Virtual Boy Wario Land. You need to play those 2 games in the wario series. And how can you say 2D games are not really your thing when you LOVED Super Mario Bros Wonder.. Let me give you an example of how it borrows from those 2 games. Going back through the level after getting tot he end is exactly what you do in Wario Land 4.. every stage has you trying to escape after getting to the end. And the jumping into the background in Virtual Boy Wario land. If they ever add Wario Land 4 to the switch online GBA app, play it. As for VB Wario Land.. emulate it. You see what i'm talking about.
I tried the demo for a bit but as a completionist it felt kinda overwhelming. I am willing to give it another shot tho. The gameplay was very fun and love the art style too
Arlo is the only reviewer who won't mention Pizza Tower (I assume because he hasn't played it). Everyone would remember that AntonBlast was announced first. :)
Did Summitsphere announce this game before their Kickstarter campaign in 2022? Because I remember following the developer after hearing about Antonball Deluxe and wasn't aware of ANTONBLAST until the Kickstarter, whereas Pizza Tower had the SAGE 2019 demo and I believe development for Pizza Tower began in 2018.
As one of the few people that owned a Virtual Boy, and breaking my neck and eyes enjoying Wario Land this demo had me smiling. Will definitely be grabbing it. Edit: oh yeah I love the climbing speed. So many developers get that wrong and have it be a total momentum killer. In this you fly up and down the ladder. Very nice
Do highly recommend the Wario Lands, mainly 2, 3, and 4. The original is kind of an awkward inbetween of classic Mario and what Wario Land would become. 4 is the closest to what Anton Blast is going for, faster paced and a little more chaotic. 2 has a very interesting alternate story route system with new groups of levels unlocked by doing different things, and 3 is the most exploration focused and has a really creative world even for Mario
I think I speak for all the Warioland fans out there when I say that, since it seems Nintendo is done with them, seeing fans come in and crank the energy to eleven with the Warioland-style games is a breath of fresh air. Between this and Pizza Tower, fans are eating good, and I hope we see many more!
Arlo you should see Anton’s original design, it’s more or less a Wario OC. The redesign has done wonders for the character. The Wario inspiration remains, but he’s more distinct now.
Anton's very first design in 2007 was initially inspired by homer simpson, yosemite sam and captain haddock, by around 2019, anton got the wario inspiration
@nikkimvee4710 I actually didnt know that. I assumed they saw Pizza Tower an inspired game of Wario Land and made a game inspired by that. As a game dev i probably shoulda known better!
@verzionhorizon Ikr, after all this time of Wario Land not having another game or mainstream awear, then 2 games with the same inspiration, starting development around a similar time sounds like a rare moment indeed xD
This game has Wario + Earthworm Jim energy. Where its combo meter is mostly out of well…i guess some modern combo meters? But what ya said fits more. Its like, maybe its a wario like….but it feels like its own identity. Cause there is so many mechanics in it that are, interesting.
Hi, I'm the guy who shrinks the animations down and polishes them :) Thank you so much for the kind words! We've been working really hard on the game and it's always great to see people enjoy it!
DEV IN COMMENTS! What an honor!
It's so nice to see multiple people from the dev team in the comments :) Phenomenal work on the game - can't wait 'til the full release! All of you are so incredibly talented
the animation looks stunning!!! can’t wait for the full release!!!
very cool!!!
your work is amazing
gameplay Animator here, thanks for playing/enjoying the animation. Funny you mention earthworm jim, we do a similar techinque in our animation process where we animate things in high res, before someone shrinks it down and polishes it (I animate the high resolution stuff before its shrunk)
also, Big shout to the rest of the team!! They're the best ppl in the world to work with and it cannot be done without them!!
Next time you hopefully play, be sure to hop on the enemies! I made unique getup animations for the lot of them.
PS. Pikmin 1 is my favorite pikmin game! :} I recall watching your semi recent Huge Review on the first one
Ooh, insight in the animation process. Sweet.
That's how I imagined it must be done, it looks so good! Thanks a ton for the insight!
I am mega looking forward to playing this!
I can’t wait for the full game guys
As a wannabe game developer, you guys are amazing! I loved Wario Land 2-4 growing up and you guys are keeping the dream going while Nintendo isn't. Keep it up!!
Still hear far too many PT fans slandering this game. As a big PT fan, I won't tolerate AntonBLAST slander. Having played the Dynamite Demo on Switch and Steam, AntonBLAST is clearly an equally (but in a different way) fun "cousin" game. Really satiates my destructive tendency, in contrast to PT's unrelenting speed.
people who hate this are mostly late gen z twats
After playing both, I think I prefer Pizza Tower, but AntonBlast is phenomenal as well. They can both be great. AntonBlast is a lot more similar to Wario Land than Pizza Tower, being a weird amalgamation of WL3, WL4, WL Shake It, and WL Virtual Boy with some unique movement mechanics, while Pizza Tower is fairly different from the formula with mostly just WL4 inspirations. Both of these games are AMAZING, and as someone who grew up on Shake It, I'm so glad Wario Land is finally coming back in such a massive way.
As ive heard plenty describe, this is a "HOLY SHIT, 2 CAKES!" situation, which i couldnt agree with more.
In my wario likes family tree they're like sibling games you wouldn't favor one over the other just because it came out first that would be evil and bad parenting 🥺
humanity's tribal tendencies strike again
Everyone out here making Wario Land games except for Nintendo.
The indie Metroidvania scene directly led to Metroid Dread. With enough Wariolikes, actual Wario Land will eventually come back.
@@paperluigi6132Similarly Stardew Valley kicked off a bunch of larger scale projects in that genre after being largely dormant for a while
@@paperluigi6132 The problem is that for a big company like Nintendo Wario Land games are too short to sell well. Nintendo needed them back then because the Wii's hardware is limited compared to Xbox. Therefore a sprite based platfomer was worth it.
Indie companies have no problem making short games, because thier smaller than Nintendo.
I'm so happy you liked it! I've been following this game since the Kickstarter and backed the game with a good amount. I love the game, it has so much personality, character, and soul. Anton and Annie are cool characters, the gameplay is super frenetic and fun, levels are fun and super replayable, the music is great, and it's just a super funny game! Hope tons of people get to buy and enjoy it! Summitsphere deserves the love and support!
it's like a cross between Wario Land and Earthworm Jim.
I remember being absolutely floored by Pizza Tower and I feel like this will fill a similar feeling (while still also feeling like it's own unique thing) so I'm super hyped. Also if you haven't played Pizza Tower I suspect you'll love that as well.
I know this sounds crazy but I slept super light last night, had a bunch of wild dreams, and one of them included you talking in your "real voice" which was super deep, monotone, and gravely, while you were on screen talking in a super down tone, and never addressed it or did it again after that video. It was like Dark Arlo. Darklo if you will. Anyways I woke up this morning and was convinced it was real
creeepy dude
Shadow Arlo revealing himself through your unconscious
this is something i expect to see in jerma's chat not some random comment section
Been following the creation of this for a loooooong while, super hyped that it finally got announced
2 months from now!!! Can't wait xddd
Man now I wanna see what 2024 Earthworm Jim would look like
Get amiico console 🙃
@@mr.pedroonlineearthworm jim 4 never actually started developement and the trailer got privated as soon as the amico came out
@@RandomGreenKirb wait. The amiico did come out?! Lol
What's an amico?
Preferably without Doug TenNapel involved, that guy's a scumbag.
it's really super impressive how well they nailed the GBA aesthetic. good job Antonblast devs :)
I played the demo too yesterday, didn't know this game even existed until the direct but im soooo buying it
True, it really does give those 90s vibes! Nice to see you had a great time with the demo, idk if I’ll get the game I have a lot to play but I can’t deny it is really neat!
You weren't the only one who was reminded of a certain character from Cow and Chicken by the main villain of this game, Arlo. I noticed too. And some others are saying that he's a mixture of that character and the AoStH version of Dr. Robotnik. And when I first heard him, I thought it was Charlie Adler.
Another one consumes the garlic pill. We are so wahck.
Just throwing it out there, I love this new trend of indie developers making new Wario Land-inspired games. Pizza Tower and ANTONBLAST are the most popular ones, but there’s also Sugary Spire (a Pizza Tower fan game), Antonball Deluxe (Summitsphere’s previous title), Treasure Tech (a DOOM mod with a Wario Land influence), Duke Dashington, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Shovel Knight: King of Cards (if you can count that as a Wario-Like), and just recently I discovered a new game called “Susan Taxpayer” that’s shaping up to be a lot of fun! As much as I want Nintendo to make a new Wario Land game, I am at least glad the spirit of Wario Land lives on through these other excellent games.
Don't forget Vario Avarius
@@ssg-eggunnerwell, technically, that’s not a game, at least not yet. There were plans and early gameplay footage, but Avario Avarius hasn’t really gotten his own full game at the moment.
Been following this game for a while and had an opportunity to play it on my first trip to Pax East! It definitely has one of those "easy to play, hard to master" gamefeels that is really satisfying when it all comes together. I never got it down fully in the original demo I played but it was still a great time!
as an artist and aspiring game dev antonblast is the kind of game that really inspires me to make stuff. it just feels like it has such a clear, unfiltered vision and it's obvious everyone working on it is in their element. idk that sort of game just gives me the motivation to make something cool of my own
I'm really glad you clarified that you've never actually played the Wario Land games, I was always curious about that ever since you said you wanted more Wario Land reacting to WarioWare: Move It! despite saying you're not that into 2D platformers. I'm tempted to gush about them and also the rise of a budding subgenre of "Wario-Like" platformers that are being made as of late, but for now I'll boil down what I want to say to 2 points:
1.) The Wario Land series is surprisingly varied, though they can be placed into 3 groups: the "traditional platformer" group (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Virtual Boy Wario Land), the "immortal puzzle platformer" group (Wario Land II and Wario Land 3), and the "race back to the beginning" group (Wario Land 4 and Wario Land: Shake It!). In terms of where to start if you're interested in the series, Wario Land 4 is widely considered the best of the series and it's what ANTONBLAST is primary based on (with a dash of Virtual Boy Wario Land on top of it), and Wario Land 3 is already available on Nintendo Switch Online, so I'd start with either of those first. Keep in mind, though, Wario Land 3 is a much slower experience compared to Wario Land 4 and ANTONBLAST, there's a bigger emphasis on exploring and puzzle-solving in that game, so don't go into it expecting the stimulus overload ANTONBLAST offered.
2.) If you liked ANTONBLAST, I highly recommend giving Pizza Tower a try some time. I know the comparisons are obvious, and I find the constant accusations of ANTONBLAST being a rip-off of Pizza Tower disrespectful and annoying, but they both have the same inspiration and are both really fun games. Pizza Tower in particular is one of my favorite games of all time now, ever since it came out last year, and despite looking similar, it plays quite a bit differently than ANTONBLAST. I also wouldn't hope or expect a Nintendo Switch port or any kind of console port of the game anytime soon; the developers (which consists of 2 people, 5 if you include the composers) are more focused on adding to Pizza Tower and potentially making more games and have shown little to no interest in porting Pizza Tower. Maybe that will change in the future, I certainly hope it does, but for now, PC will be the only way you can play this game if you want to play it.
Regardless of all that, though, I'm happy you see you liked ANTONBLAST, it's my most anticipated game of this year next to the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake, and I hope it it becomes a big success, the developers at Summitsphere have earned it!
my name is anton; I think I'm obligated to play it
Now that we have pizza tower and Antonblast (which are both AMAZING games), I think we need to come up with a name for wario land like games.
well during happy hour you're supposed to get secrets that you can't get during your first time, it isn't just running back to the beginning
ANTONBLAST is great man. I love how hectic and chaotic it is, which is enhanced by the amazing cartoony sound design. It feels really satisfying to plow through levels once you get the hang of the controls.
I will say that I’m iffy on the precision platforming and the secret areas that don’t really have any rewards. But we’ll see what I think once the full game comes out.
Also to those calling this game a Pizza Tower clone, please stop. That’s just wrong.
This game looks awesome, and I fully support the rise of the "Wario-like" genre (along with all the other inspirations you mentioned).
Loving the new channel. I am happy it is making you happy.
It is really interesting hearing your thoughts on the inspirations you feel from this game; because, quite honestly, the vibes it gave me are far more late 90s early 2000s; stuff like "I am the Weasel", "Cow and Chicken", "Angry Beavers", maybe a lil "Ed Edd n Eddy"; and it felt very strongly Game Boy Advance/Nintendo DS 2D Platformers. I think the game is just, so stylistically strong, and has such a strong identity they managed to create, that it CAN probably be all of those things, you know?
the jewel boss in particular has huge Ed Edd n Eddy vibes!
@@thisisaduckindisguise6206 I KNOW RIGHT??? GOSH I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS, I HAVE BEEN PLAYING THE DEMO NONSTOP!!!
Earthworm Jim, Wario Land, Crash Bandicoot... the inspirations are insane.
Why insane?
honestly that's why i recommend giving the Wario Land games a try, they have a far more linient learning curve than both Anton Blast & Pizza Time that require a lot more precision
& yeah Wario Pilled games do such a great job at capturing the Essence of Sonic-style platformers: the Attitude, the constant movement, using exploration as a tool to find the faster/uninterrupted route
Ima be real I was concerned about the comments section being turned off in the other anton blast vid but as soon as I started reading this videos comments I got why.
Anton Blast left an excellent impression on me! Only downside till now: Sometimes there is simply too much going on
Thanks so much for making this vid! Checked out the demo today, had a super good time with it, and will absolutely be getting the game when it’s out!
I backed this game on Kickstarter when it was announced and have been following it’s development progress, the team is super kind and passionate it’s incredible. Antonblast also has a lot of Crash Bandicoot influence, mainly in the crates, the Nitros, and the Charge Combo meter in the bottom right is inspired by Crash Team Racing, where by pressing the Charge button again after a little bit, you get to continue the charge further and further, and that alone makes the game so much more quick and satisfying. I’m so excited to play the game in November, it’s gonna be a… Blast…
i really like this Topicarlo guy. kinda reminds me of Arlo, i wonder if he's a fan
I love how this game's pool of inspirations is so large that it'll evoke a different thing to different people, like to you it's Earthworm Jim but to others it's also Crash Bandicoot. That's the stripes of a truly inspired game that manages to build an unique blend you kinda haven't seen before. Yet to everyone it feels familiar in some shapem
Been keeping a close eye on this game since its Kickstarter went live since I've been a massive Wario Land fan since childhood and the devs have shown in a lot of their updates and on their Discord that they are EXTREMELY passionate about this game and it's really been showing so far. Couldn't be happier with the way the game has been shaping up so far and it's remained not just my most anticipated indie game of the year bit my most anticipated game of the year full stop.
Arlo should play Wario Land 4. Cause this game is so similar it's uncanny. Everything from the multiple objectives to the runaway sequence and the mechanics and the sounds Anton makes.
When i saw the trailer i didn't know what to think of it, but within a minute of watching this playthrough i got serious Earthworm Jim vibes. I was very happy to hear you say the exact same thing.
I love how one of the main inspirations is the insanity of Crash Bandicoot. I love the sound effects, including the ground pound having a bomb dropping sfx. I Cannot wait for this game to come out!
I knew there was a vibe I couldn't pin down, but Earthworm Jim/Toejam & Earl is that exact feeling. This feels like Wario if it were a genesis game with all the edge and chaos that comes with.
I'm also picking up a different vibe, which is, of all things, Dust: An Elysian Tale, but that might just be because the second level has you spinning tazmanian-devil style decimating everything in your path.
I am so eager for this game! THANK YOU for doing a video on this! This game deserves all the ANTON-TION!
The art is so good it makes me wanna say: "oough ambouta blast!!!"
I bet other people have already recommended it in these comments but Pizza Tower is another Wario Land inspired game that I really like, it's much more focused on speed than Antonblast is and has some super good feeling controls
This game reminds me of a game I played on the N64 back in the day called Tonic Trouble. The angular heads, the weird, drastic movements of the characters, capture it perfectly.
i know everyone and their brother has already told you about pizza tower, but considering you're such a fan of antonblast (as am i), i'm curious to hear what you'd think about it. to me personally it's easier to read visually, but it's probably even faster than this, and it more heavily encourages you to go for a high score (something i know you aren't a huge fan of)
Great, now I want to watch a Toejam & Earl animated series in the vein of a 90s Nickelodeon cartoon.
The Wario pill reigns supreme. AntonBLAST and Pizza Tower are such great games to play, and shows Nintendo absolutely could have found something new to do with the series.
We need a wario land done by the same guys of shake it but this time donw right
This game looks absolutely beautiful
As someone who plays the first level on the demo more times than he can count, I feel Antonblast will be a way more satisfying game for me to go through then (that other indie games name I do not speak). As fun as I’ve had with that other game on Steam, AB feels way more cathartic for my general play style. You’re not going as satisfyingly fast as you are in the “speedy chef” sure, I love how you can rack up points by simply destroying more stuff.
Definitely a day one purchase for me that’s for sure.
(And I know it’s doubtful so soon, but I also wouldn’t mind that OTHER indie game on consoles at some point either.)
I am obsessed with this demo. I honestly don't really love the earlier Wario Land games (3 was very good though), but Shake It was pretty fun. This feels insane, LEAPS AND BOUNDS over everything it was inspired by. It feels a lot like the Superstar Saga era of offbeat Nintendo, which even that era was more inspired by the cartoony platformers you mentioned. It's truly the most I have ever been convinced to play a game from a demo alone.
same, ive easily put 6 hours into it
Shake it was Fun? I Generally hear it's very very slow
Wario Land but with Kirby Triple Deluxe's background gimmick.
I am so hyped for this game! After you get used to the controls it's super satisfying to control!
I'm excited to beat up Satan in November!
7:47 Funnily enough, AntonBlast is quite generous with its escape sequence in comparison to WarioLand 4 and PizzaTower, in AntonBlast you get a redo from the escape sequence, but in WL4 and PT, if you fail the escape, you are forcefully exited out of the level and you have to play the entire level from the start.
I'd say all of them are generous in their own ways
PT still gives you a chance if you escape from Pizzaface
And WL4 lets you survive off your remaining coin amount
I'm glad to see more content creators who aren't mostly focused on indie games exposed to Antonblast. I've heard this since the Kickstarter Demo days, and seeing the progression of their community is a good sign that this game is going to sell well day one.
Antonblast definitely delivers. I struggled the 2nd demo level time limit being admittedly strict as a Wario-head fan, but definitely down for a second round the new release trailer demo
AntonBlast is going to be amazing!
You should play Pizza Tower too Arlo, you're going to love it! It's a perfect Wario+Sonic mix
I'm surprised pizza tower was mentioned 0 times in this video
I actually got to talk with the lead developer at PAX East this year! Super cool dude, and it was cool picking up on the other platformer references while playing. I was reminded of Mutant Muds when I saw the foreground and background jumping mechanics, and he said that game was one of the main inspirations. If you're reading this, I do hope you take what I said about the flashing afterimages and the deadzone options for controllers into account. Other than those relatively minor nitpicks, this game looks sick as hell and I can't wait for the full release!
Interesting that you specifically tied this game evoking Earthworm Jim and its ilk when I always got the feeling it was trying to lean less in that direction compared to Pizza Tower and mainly attempting to recapture the essence of the GBA, going off of what I read on the game's Kickstarter.
Pizza Tower is Also Inspired by Earthworm Jim but Way Less
The EWJ Influence in McPig's Works are more evident with his Previous Project, Weenie Cop
Remember!
IT'S HAPPY HOUR!!!!
The way you described your impressions of Antonblast is exactly how I feel about Pizza Tower. Genuinely the best 2D platformer I've ever played
Probably not an original recommendation, but I would suggest giving WarioLand 4 a try, of all WarioLand games, 4 is the one that specifically inspired certain aspects of both Pizza Tower and AntonBlast, specifically the escape sequence, while character transformations appear as far as earlier WarioLand
I kinda want a Wario Land 3 game. I really miss the progression, wackiness, and secrets of that game.
You know what? I'd also like to see more games take inspiration from Wario Land 3, it's a unique concept I'd like to see iterated on. There's actually a video that echoes these sentiments from a TH-cam channel called "hotcyder" called "Wario Land 3: Nintendo Perfected", I recommend giving that video a watch.
Arlo - it's hard
Me - good
Warioland 1 (Super Mario Land 3 on GameBoy) is >still< one of the best platformers I've ever played. It is so damn smooth to play, gorgeous world, just great all around! No caveats, you'll like it!
i enjoyed the demo for the most part but thought the controls were a little frustrating
like i REALLY wish the hammer spin drop bounce move wasn’t on the same button as the dash. i also wish you could start a dash in midair, idk how many times i tried to dash as i hit the ground only to press the button a split second too early while i’m still barely in the air and cause myself to bounce up and completely kill my momentum
aside from that it felt pretty good
I hope they add a toggle for the points icons + a toggle for the poker chips' collection animations. Those two things really contribute to how overwhelming the visuals can get.
Played the demo and I think they’ve really blown it out of the water compared to Demo 1. Not just tuned up the platforming but amped the style up to 13! Love how it’s so unabashed with it’s style, can’t wait for it to come out now!
This is VERY Wario Land 4, specifically. WL3 is my fav, but 4 is a close second! You gotta play those! (1 and 2 didn't do it for me, but maybe someone else can vouch for them...)
Tbh i like the WL3 Formula the Best
I have a friend that is hyped for Antonblasts, and for me I've not played any Wario lands, but have played Pizza Tower I probably should try it out. But yeah here's another person saying try Pizza Tower. I'll be trying the Demo for Antonblast probably sometime soon
This game is going to be utterly fantastic
As a Metroid fan, you absolutely need to play the Wario Land games made by the same team.
I played the demo. Felt a bit weird about the controls, since I'm used to Wario Land 4 and VB Wario Land. Still, it works.
Also, strangely enough, a demo for Penny's Big Breakaway was released, so I understand the feeling.
Have you played Demon Turf: Neon Splash? It's a 3D platformer that gave me a similar feeling as the movement system makes it so fun to speedrun the levels.
I've had this game on my wishlist for a while now, yet myself, I kinda preferred when Anton had a slower base movement and jump speed in the very first demo. The level design better fit that speed, the best example of such being that part of the Boiler City underground where you can bounce on crates to get over to a launcher. With the increased jumping speed, it's harder to break all the boxes in the way I assume the devs were planning us to. I also kind of miss pressing down to do the ground pound rather than A, and the fact that you'd automatically start spinning before bouncing when you did a hammer bounce. The clutch mechanic is 100% a fantastic addition, I can't argue that.
If you like Anton Blast
You should play Pizza Tower
You mentioned Pizza Tower! Time to dye_!
The game released, I hope you are going to give it a try, Arlo ^^
This game looks really fun and yeah it gives 90’s cartoon vibes nicccce 😊
This game so awesome. Reminds me of SNes and Sega Genesis era and mobile java games like . Dope
Java Antonblast would be Hilarious
It'd be this but with very choppy movement and scrolling
Antonball Classic might be more doable tough
It borrows HEAVILY from Wario Land 4 and Virtual Boy Wario Land.
You need to play those 2 games in the wario series.
And how can you say 2D games are not really your thing when you LOVED Super Mario Bros Wonder..
Let me give you an example of how it borrows from those 2 games.
Going back through the level after getting tot he end is exactly what you do in Wario Land 4.. every stage has you trying to escape after getting to the end.
And the jumping into the background in Virtual Boy Wario land.
If they ever add Wario Land 4 to the switch online GBA app, play it.
As for VB Wario Land.. emulate it.
You see what i'm talking about.
I tried the demo for a bit but as a completionist it felt kinda overwhelming. I am willing to give it another shot tho. The gameplay was very fun and love the art style too
Arlo is the only reviewer who won't mention Pizza Tower (I assume because he hasn't played it). Everyone would remember that AntonBlast was announced first. :)
Did Summitsphere announce this game before their Kickstarter campaign in 2022? Because I remember following the developer after hearing about Antonball Deluxe and wasn't aware of ANTONBLAST until the Kickstarter, whereas Pizza Tower had the SAGE 2019 demo and I believe development for Pizza Tower began in 2018.
@@Rubberman202 I thought it was announced before that, I can't find any evidence of that though. My mistake. Thank you for the correction.
erm, what the blast
As one of the few people that owned a Virtual Boy, and breaking my neck and eyes enjoying Wario Land this demo had me smiling. Will definitely be grabbing it.
Edit: oh yeah I love the climbing speed. So many developers get that wrong and have it be a total momentum killer. In this you fly up and down the ladder. Very nice
TIL there was a Wario Land on Virtual Boy.
@@RunstarHomer yeah it was a really good game too
If you are waiting for this game you can play Pizza tower another Wario Land 4 inspired game that bring this energy and movement.
The difference being instead of angry, your character is constantly a mood swing between baby seals and navy seals.
Great vid loved the demo myself
Im definitely buying tjis when ut comes out.
This game is really good in my opinion
Do highly recommend the Wario Lands, mainly 2, 3, and 4. The original is kind of an awkward inbetween of classic Mario and what Wario Land would become. 4 is the closest to what Anton Blast is going for, faster paced and a little more chaotic. 2 has a very interesting alternate story route system with new groups of levels unlocked by doing different things, and 3 is the most exploration focused and has a really creative world even for Mario
I think I speak for all the Warioland fans out there when I say that, since it seems Nintendo is done with them, seeing fans come in and crank the energy to eleven with the Warioland-style games is a breath of fresh air. Between this and Pizza Tower, fans are eating good, and I hope we see many more!
Boy, do I have the 2023 game that lost the "best indie" title for you
best debut indie
@@MookalH yeah that
AHHHHH! Real Monsters had a platformer on Sega Genesis too, kinda looks like that also
The Happy Hour music is INTENSE.
This game isn't for me, but I'll still listen to you talk about it, haha!
Arlo you should see Anton’s original design, it’s more or less a Wario OC. The redesign has done wonders for the character. The Wario inspiration remains, but he’s more distinct now.
Anton's very first design in 2007 was initially inspired by homer simpson, yosemite sam and captain haddock, by around 2019, anton got the wario inspiration
@@ssg-eggunner Oldest Anton game I could find is Antonball Classic and he looks like Wario in that one.
Ya know, my first thought was this was 100% inspired by Pizza Tower but then i kinda realized...does it have Lost Vikings on SNES inspirations??
This came to the public first. It just increased in popularity with the simultaneous boost from Pizza Tower's development.
Funnily, it's been in development longer then Pizza Tower.
@@lakenzie4924 really?
pizza tower development started in 2018 was antonblast like 2017?
cuz if so thats crazy
@nikkimvee4710 I actually didnt know that. I assumed they saw Pizza Tower an inspired game of Wario Land and made a game inspired by that. As a game dev i probably shoulda known better!
@verzionhorizon Ikr, after all this time of Wario Land not having another game or mainstream awear, then 2 games with the same inspiration, starting development around a similar time sounds like a rare moment indeed xD
I thought he was just gonna do impressions of Anton until I saw the amount of time on the video
Very interesting design
I haven't played a game as thrilling in some time
You say we can check out how you played this game on stream, but I can't seem to find that anywhere. Is there a VOD available somewhere?
This game has Wario + Earthworm Jim energy. Where its combo meter is mostly out of well…i guess some modern combo meters? But what ya said fits more. Its like, maybe its a wario like….but it feels like its own identity. Cause there is so many mechanics in it that are, interesting.
You like this Wario like game and can't wait to play the full one?
Oh boy, do I have news for you.
Pizza Tower