The first video game I ever played at three years old, the game that sent me on a lifelong path of being obsessed with and fascinated by the medium, was Super Mario Bros. on the then-top-of-the-line NES. It’s one of the most influential games of all time – millions of words have been written about it, thousands of hours of video essays exist breaking down every frame of a game that is still a joy to play to this day – and for good reason. It jump-started the video game revival at-large, really, but more narrowly, it defined a genre of game that would become known as platformers.
Over the 40 years since Super Mario Bros. released, the platformer genre exploded in popularity, but has in recent years seen a decline in interest. Sure, there are outliers, from the super hard but captivating Celeste to last year’s Game of the Year Astrobot, but for the most part, pure platformers have fallen out of favor to make way for open world adventures, battle royales, and extraction shooters.
So when a pure platformer comes across my desk, I pay attention. When one like Bionic Bay, who Mureena co-founder Juhana Myllys describes as a love letter to games like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, and Tomb Raider comes along, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Bionic Bay is about as pure a platformer I’ve played in a good long while. This isn’t a Metroidvania type exploration game where you’re acquiring new items or powers and backtracking to open up previously inaccessible areas. You’re moving forward, generally to the right, performing crazy long jumps, executing precise platforming sequences, and occasionally figuring out a puzzle to allow you to get to the next level. The gameplay is fast-paced and rewards both precise play and outside-the-box puzzle solving. In other words, it’s everything I love about the genre distilled into an incredibly addictive experience.
Very quickly, the game centers around the Swap mechanic, allowing you, the unnamed main character, to instantly swap positions with just about any object in your way. This opens up tons of possibilities, from solving puzzles to killing yourself in innumerable ways. The game’s ragdoll physics both make Bionic Bay feel super smooth and allow for some hilarious deaths. This experimentation is sometimes rewarding and sometimes just plain funny to see how your character explodes, gets squished, or otherwise meets his untimely demise.
Death is a part of the game, but Bionic Bay has a very generous checkpoint system so don’t be afraid to try to see if you can make that jump or if the idea you have will work out – you’ll instantly be put right back in the action after dying. Speaking of which, Bionic Bay is pretty challenging – not quite Super Meat Boy level of sadism, but far from a walk in the park either. Be prepared to die often, but also be prepared to feel like a genius or a gaming god when you finally do make it to the next area.
The game’s story is simple and honestly not incredibly important – publisher Keplar Interactive describes it as “A scientist uses a unique teleportation instrument to escape an ancient biomechanical world filled with imaginative technology, deadly traps, and hidden secrets,” and…yeah, that about covers it. As you venture deeper into the game, you’ll find logs from past scientists who encountered these torture devices before you. They add some flavor to the game, but don’t expect a particularly deep or moving story here. Bionic Bay is all about the gameplay.
Graphically, Bionic Bay is simple, but highly effective. I recently upgraded my television to an OLED and the game’s dark, moody atmosphere with rays of super bright light breaking through the mechanical wasteland looked absolutely incredible. Every level can feel somewhat same-y, though, as the major difference in visuals from level to level is color. Outside of differences in color, each level is differentiated by the type of mechanics it employs – one level is called “Beam”, another “Projectiles”, and so on. The lack of differences between levels also contributes to a feeling that you aren’t really progressing much, as the game tends to feel like one long level rather than a series of small accomplishments. That’s a minor gripe, though, and shouldn’t prevent you from checking this game out.
In addition to a single player mode that should take around 10 hours to complete, the game also offers an Online Mode that promises more challenging levels than single player. However, in the pre-release version of the game, there wasn’t much action in the Online Mode for me to test out, so I can’t speak to it.
I had an absolute blast with Bionic Bay. This is the exact type of game I wish was released more often – tight, rewarding, deceptively simple platforming with a lot of depth and not much fluff.
Bionic Bay is available starting April 17 on PlayStation 5 – which is the version I played for this review – and Steam for $19.99.
‘Bionic Bay’ is a love letter to the golden age of platforming
Bionic Bay
Bionic Bay is a rare breed: a focused, finely tuned platformer that knows exactly what it wants to be. It’s tough, clever, and endlessly satisfying – a modern throwback that earns its place alongside the greats. If you’ve been craving pure platforming without the fluff, this one’s for you.
Incredibly tight, satisfying platforming with smart level design.
The Swap mechanic adds depth and creativity to every challenge.
Minimal downtime – pure gameplay from start to finish.
Repetitive environments can make progression feel a bit flat.
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