The End is Nigh review - a hopeless or gloriously punishing platformer?

Platformers are generally predictable, right? You hop along platforms, dodge obstacles, occasionally deal with bad guys, and eventually land on the other end of the level.

The End is Nigh likes to take those of us who find comfort in this sort of familiarity and shake us up like a martini on a Friday night.

You're left sweating and wondering what you've done to displease the gaming gods, but at the same time utterly buzzing each time you finally complete a tricky section.

The End is Nigh is a hard-as-nails platformer by Edmund McMillen, made with the idea that it's kind-of a spiritual successor to the ever-popular The Binding of Isaac.

In a dying world filled with death, destruction, and catchable tumors, you play as a tar-like blob called Ash as he traverses an apocalyptic, crumbling wasteland.

Whilst also avoiding horrific, mutated creatures, he's on the lookout for fresh
body parts to build himself a pal. Aww.

That's all easier said than done as, after the first few introductory levels, you're then thrown into more difficult territory where your moves have to be practiced, planned, and precise to avoid a painful demise.

Though the levels are maddeningly difficult at times, they've been designed in a way that you can't just stumble through them. With collapsing buildings and cliff pieces, plentiful spikes, cavernous drops, and enemies galore, one wrong move will send you back to the beginning.

The whole experience would have been unbearable if you had to start the world over each time you died. Instead, the process is incredibly swift, respawning you instantly at the beginning of the current area so you can try again.

It's also nicehow the level resets whenever you cross from one area to the other. Even if an entire segment of rock/building has collapsed in your path, as soon as you leave the area and walk back in again, hey presto, it's back.

In some cases this gives you the chance to reach more difficult sections of the level, or discover one of the many hidden tumors in the game.

Its bleak and morbid design is incredibly effective even with its bland, more toned-down colour palette. The music and sound effects also add another dimension of polish to the game, making it feel more rounded and premium.

As platformers go, this is certainly one of the better ones. That's not saying it doesn't fall prey to the usual shortcomings of the genre. After a while things get a little samey, at least, once you've lost the drive and determination to defeat one tricky level after the other.

It's also incredibly easy to undo some of your progress, which I found out the hard way. By selecting specific worlds on the menu screen, you're then transported to the beginning of them.

This is great for heading back to your starting point to play found cartridges, but not so great if you're trying to reach an area towards the end of the world or have pressed the button by accident.

Even with these teeny flaws, The End is Nigh is a brilliant platformer for gamers who love a challenge.

It's dark with an engaging melancholy atmosphere, doesn't hold your hand, and all-over entertaining as you figure out the best way not to die.