really polished visual style (some find it too cluttered, I think it’s fine) and a lot of very very cool moments but the platforming just isn’t there. levels alternate between so easy they’re playing themselves and unsatisfying puzzles that are easy to figure out but awkward to actually execute, transformation gimmicks that largely feel similar to one another, and very unconfident level rhythms with strange decisions leading to a pattern of seemingly post-hoc remedial signposting (there’s even an option to turn this off, which is a terrible sign) and a bit of rail-roading to force the player in the right direction in a way that feels kinda unnatural. it feels good to blow through crates and enemies, but there’s a lot of cruel moments where you are given little time to react to level hazards making the most fun strategy suboptimal the first time through a level.
Antonblast feels too easy and too difficult at the same time in a way that kind of just turns out boring. the best sections are some of the set pieces in a few level sections and boss fights, they are absolutely next level and what I want to see from more indie devs in the future: economic, cinematic gameplay that plays on existing mechanics while providing a unique self-contained spectacle. those parts are just too far apart. I really wanted to like this game and it has a lot of great qualities but I will not finish it because I’m not having fun.