Super Meat Boy 3D frustrates me just as much as the original – in a good way

Super Meat Boy 3D gameplay on Switch 2 showing the protagonist, a red cube of meat, running between lasers and blades.

Super Meat Boy, the 2010 platformer from Team Meat, is all about punishing mistakes. Not for the sake of punishment, really, but as a learning tool to train muscle memory and visual reflexes to eventually succeed. Similarly, having now played nearly an entire world on the Nintendo Switch 2 while at GDC 2026, Super Meat Boy 3D takes the same punishment to an entirely new dimension.

Traditionally, games that have you fail over and over and over again aren't really my thing. The best Metroidvanias and latest Soulslikes all look slick as hell yet absolutely miserable to me – even if I can recognize that they're designed well and understand how they earn their accolades. But Super Meat Boy sunk its teeth into me years ago and never really let go, despite my natural aversion.