Mutant Mudds Deluxe Review: A Golden Diamond Itself

Mutant Mudds Deluxe Review: A Golden Diamond Itself

Mutant Mudds Deluxe
Wii U
Renegade Kid
Platformer

Thank you, Renegade Kid, for the reminders of why I love Mutant Mudds so much. A game that was previously released on the Nintendo 3DS, and previously loved by me, has been brought to the Wii U. Mutant Mudds Deluxe gives Max, our hero, a slight makeover with HD visuals and brand new levels for the Wii U edition. The same great platforming experience is still present, along with the same frustrating levels (in a good way) and the same muddy characters that stand in the way of collecting gold diamonds and completing levels.

Pull out the water gun because it’s time to shoot some invaders! Max’s wonderful weapon and upgradable abilities are just as rockin’ on the Wii U; using his jetpack of water to help navigate each area and shooting mudds with a water gun. It’s also great to see the layered levels once again, with three different depths. No matter where Max is located, either up close or far off into the distance, it’s all layers of fun.

Mutant Mudds Deluxe gets ghostly. The Deluxe Edition adds 20 new ghost levels for players to navigate their way through without having a weapon that’s effective against the ghosts, except for a specialized gun that’s laid out somewhere on each map, with only 10 bullets to use, wisely. The ghost blaster only stuns the ghosts, making them disappear for a few moments until they come back. What a welcomed addition to the game, though. It not only provides more great levels on top of what the original 3DS version had, but also changes up the way gamers need to play in order to successfully get through the ghost levels. It’s quite the challenge as well; I’ve been doing some grumbling at the screens. Ok, a lot of grumbling.

Speaking of screens, it’s nice to play the game on the Wii U Game Pad or by looking at the television screen. However, playing it on the Game Pad feels natural for those who have played Mutant Mudds on their 3DS; it feels like more handheld greatness. Not that a TV and controller isn’t great, because it is as well.

Mutant Mudds Deluxe has superbly designed levels that can be difficult and even frustrating, but are still a great joy to experience and play. And my goodness, does it feel wonderful when I beat a level that has me holding my breath with every jump. Players get three hearts, meaning it takes three hits for them to die, forcing a restart. It’s incredibly intense when dealing with a tough obstacle, such as ice or mudds dropping bombs, while having one heart left and knowing that the exit is within reach. Scary stuff!

Players deal with a lot of tough situations thanks to the platforming elements and enemies. Some of the enemies that players deal with are mudds with swords that quickly hack players down, bombing mudds, mudder thumpers (well, something like that), and mudds that shoot objects in a players direction. Having those guys in a difficult platforming area where timing is crucial creates an opportunity for players to get a major beating. It’s so rewarding to successfully beat these levels, though. Also, to help with the difficulty, each level has a checkpoint halfway through so players don’t have to start over from the beginning.

Muddy fans should be happy to hear that this is the definitive version to own thanks to 20 additional levels of ghostly fun. For those who are new to Mutant Mudds, this game features 80 levels with great replayability thanks to all the hidden extras throughout. If players don’t collect all the golden diamonds, they’ll have to return to a level so that they can collect them all and unlock additional levels. There are also hidden doorways with other objectives for players to accomplish. The game really has all one could ask for in a platformer, including great entertainment and replay value.

I had great praise for this game before and so there is no doubt that I was going to hand it great praise once again. It is just as fun the second time around as it was the first time on the 3DS, with the original levels. The new levels and enhancements made it even more gratifying, and players don’t even have to wait long to experience the new ghost levels. As players beat an original level, the corresponding ghost level unlocks, giving them quick access to experience the spooky mudds.

Get Muddy, folks!

Score: 9/10