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PGC London 2016: Super Powerboy wins second place at the Very Big Indie Pitch

Power up!

PGC London 2016: Super Powerboy wins second place at the Very Big Indie Pitch
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SPB

At first glance, Super Power Boy looks like a very, very pretty endless runner. Like super pretty: the game's using prerendered graphics (Donkey Kong Country style) to offer a swish Pixar-like experience.

And from the first level, it might seem super simple, too. The usual mix of jumping over spikes and sliding under floating robots with a quick swipe up or down on the touchscreen. Collect a few gems and you're done.

But play a little more, and start unlocking new gear for your pint-size boy hero, and the game suddenly takes on a new dimension.

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Grind boots let you ride down rails, a blaster lets you shoot robots, a piece of power armour lets you elbow barge into obstacles, a shield lets you bounce bullets back at automatons, and carry on.

Like an auto-running Metroid, you start the game frail and powerless, and end with a tricked-out power suit capable of shooting, deflecting, butt stomping, and diving out of the way of all the crazy obstacles in each stage.

At that point, the game becomes very tough but very fun. Probably why it took home one of the prizes at our Very Big Indie Pitch. The game's coming to iOS and Apple TV in a couple months, and will be a paid game.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer