What happens when you mix old school Mega Man with a dash of insanity and a whole lot of explosions?

You get Explodemon from the makers of Stealth Bastard Deluxe.

You play as the title character, Explodemon, a rather dimwitted and sometimes outright insane “savior” of the planet Nibia. Faced with invasion at the hands of the Vortex, the planet calls on the help of the Guardians. Unfortunately, they are nowhere to be found. Given the choice of surrender, or releasing Explodemon from stasis, the elders choose surrender. Ironically, the Vortex invasion releases Explodemon at that very moment. Set loose in the world once more, our hero(?) must run, jump, puzzle and explode his way to victory.

Its this rather wacky setup that gives Explodemon much of it’s charm. The story is told through wonderfully stylized animated sequences that feel as if they might have been ripped from Ren & Stimpy. While there is no voice acting, the writing more than makes up for it with Explodemon spouting absurd gibberish in response to the questions of NPCs and the taunts of his foes. This is backed up by handsome 3d models set against gorgeous backdrops as Explodemon ventures across futuristic cities and ancient temples. The music, while nothing amazing, does a good job of being catchy and urging you forwards. But..what would a game called Explodemon be without some seriously good explosion sounds? Fortuantely, those deliver in spades, never failing to bring a smile to my face when I exploded multiple times in a row and brought doom to my enemies.

Its here that Explodemon really shines. This game hearkens back to the tough as nails days of old SNES games like mega Man X. Explodemon can’t shoot. Instead, he has a meter that fills up over time. Once charged, he can explode. This mechanic affects every aspect of the game. A well timed explosion after jumping will propel you to new heights. Need to throw a box across an area and onto a pressure switch? Exploding at the propr angle will get the job done. Enemies must be taken down with well placed explosions. It may sound like a button spamming gimmick, but there is real depth to it. Enemies take more damage the closer to the center of an explosion they are, fostering a risk reward mechanic. Do you get close enough to do maximum damage, but risk a potentially fatal blow if you mistime it? Or do you stay at a safe distance and chip away slowly? Add in to this the powerups that Explodemon gets from vanquishing bosses – a double jump that can be extended into something nearing flight with well timed explosions for example – and the depth on display is extremely satisfying. Furthering the depth of the game is an upgrade shop. Collecting currency found in the game world will allow you to purchase armor, extended dash capability and a longer explosion fuse for Explodemon. Add on top of that the ability to find items within each stage that allow you to level up Explodemon’s charge time and abilities for that specific level and there is a very complex meta game underpinning the seemingly simple mechanic of run, explode, repeat.

Each stage is well designed, and chock full of hidden collectibles. If you are a completionist, tackling some of the more mind bending physics based puzzles and nigh impossible to reach trinkets will eat up a ton of your time. To Explodemon’s credit, acquiring these hidden gems never feels like a chore. Instead, it becomes a challenge to master the timing needed to propel yourself into that tiny space high up on a wall. If I have one complaint with Explodemon and its excellent design, it would be that the sliding mechanic is a bit touchy. More than once, I would find myself sliding in the wrong direction, leading to a death by bottomless pit. A minor gripe, to be sure, but one that caused my demis on multiple occasions.

In the end, Explodemon is a quirky, funny, immensely satisfying throwback to the golden days of 2D platforming, shoot-em-up goodness. If you ever enjoyed Mega Man, Castlevania or Metroid during the SNES era, you owe it to yourself to pick up Explodemon.

Explodemon is available now on Steam.

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