Team Meat has done pretty well establishing its Super Meat Boy franchise over the years. Although only two games in the series have been released thus far, they’ve gone a long way into pushing players to become better at platforming, lest becoming a red-colored stain somewhere in the universe.

Now we have a spin-off from that universe, Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine, a budget-priced puzzler that runs on the same difficulty level as those previous games. It takes the Puyo Puyo format – connecting four or more colored creatures together to eliminate them from a small playing field – and grinds it into its very own.

It’s a neat idea, and the game has some colorful additions that work in its favor. But, ultimately, its high difficulty setting proves to be its undoing. Not to mention the fact that you can’t have a friend join in on the meat-slapping. (We assure you we didn’t know how bad that sounded, whoops.)

Into the Grind

The general gameplay of Mean Meat Machine works reasonably well. You rotate pieces and put them down on a playfield, setting up strategic combos to eliminate pieces and even do harm to certain boss characters.

However, it’s the changing conditions of the game that give it that all-too-tough edge. That includes introducing grinders, electrical currents and other things that can take out meat pieces before you have a chance to properly match-four them for yourself.

It’s good for those seeking a challenge, but, unfortunately, it leaves rookie players out in the cold. Team Meat and the publishers at Thunderful didn’t even consider adding difficulty settings to the game, or, at the very least, helpful tips to avoid you trying to bite into your controller like a pepperoni stick. As a result, many of you will likely walk away frustrated.

Those that stick around will find the 120 stages of action worth taking on. But that’s asking a lot.

Also…why is there no multiplayer here? That would’ve made this bitter pill a little easier to chew on, either with some kind of co-op mode or, at the very least, a versus mode with the last meat boy standing. Sigh.

A Meaty Presentation

While the gameplay holds the game back from pure joy, the presentation is on the money, like other Team Meat games. Mean Meat Machine has terrific level design, along with inspired animations (the meat pieces show concern when others connect to it, as if they know their number is up), and neat cinema sequences. What’s more, the changing variety of backgrounds keep things interesting and fresh.

Plus I really enjoyed the music. It’s on the same level as previous Team Meat games, and well worth a listen. The slapping sound effects are good fun as well, though this game would’ve benefitted from more character noises. That’s right, we wanted to hear these pieces yell at us for some reason. We’re weird.

This Meat Could’ve Used More Time In the Oven

For a $10 release, Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine isn’t a bad puzzle game. But it is heinously difficult, to the point that a majority of fans of the genre will likely be turned off. Had Thunderful and Team Meat considered other options – and some sort of multiplayer – we would’ve been more grateful for it. As it stands, it’s recommended for fans of the Super Meat Boy franchise and those seeking a higher level of play from their usual puzzle stuff. Everyone else…just play Tetris Effect Connected instead.

RATING: 2.5 JOYSTICKS (out of 5)