![]() Save up enough points, and players can purchase a wide variety of gameplay tweaks. Skills alone won’t be enough for most players to get through the game, however - they’ll need assistance in the form of special unlockable abilities.Īt the end of every level, the player is awarded points based on their time, and whether they pulled off any ‘stunts’ such as big airtime or jumping off of a truck while it was in mid-air. ![]() By the time giant cannons are firing trucks at the player, they’ll have all the skills down so pat that it won’t even faze them. The first area focuses on riding trucks on uneven terrain, the second shows how to move from one herd of trucks to the next, the third explains how to manage obstacles, and so forth. The worlds also do a great job of teaching one set of skills at a time. Each world has its own visual style, musical theme, and distinctive types of traps and challenges. I was shocked to discover that yes, apparently they can.Ĭlustertruck has 90 levels split up into nine different worlds. I honestly wondered how the developers could possibly keep this wacky conceit going - it’s entertaining and all, but can dozens of levels be crafted out of such a thin premise? If each level plays differently each time it loads, who’s more responsible for how the level plays out - the person with the controller, or the random number generator responsible for the level’s behavior? Needless to say, I had major misgivings about Clustertruck going in.Ī first-person platformer set in a world with far more trucks than there are roads to carry them, Clustertruck takes the cowboy fantasy of running atop a herd of stampeding cattle and updates it to the modern age as the player bounds from one tractor-trailer to the next, always barreling towards a finish line. Just imagine how unplayable Super Meat Boy would be if the buzzsaws randomly moved wherever they felt like instead of keeping to a set pattern?įew virtual accomplishments compare to executing perfect timing, dodging projectiles and clambering up ledges in challenging platformers, but chaotic platforming steals those moments of triumph from players. When developers then add random elements - chaos, essentially - the core of the experience is at risk. Standard platformers generally ask players to learn specific rules about how their world works, and how to exploit them for the cleanest possible line through a level. Satisfaction is a hard thing to come by in chaotic platformers. LOW Failing a level because the trucks couldn’t make it to the end. ![]() Still, Bloody Hell’s faulty rhythm doesn’t stop it from being a crucial coming-of-age story and a complex investigation of how women and intersex people absorb values that prevent them from exploring their sexuality in a healthy and pleasant way.HIGH Flying through three sets of gears to just barely reach the goal sign. In fact, the film also challenges the conservative vision of sexuality by showing how sexual relationships can exist without any kind of penetration, which should be common knowledge but is still controversial.Ĭonsidering the complicated social context in which Bloody Hell premieres, it’s easy to understand why McGlynn focused on instructing the audience, even when the educational aspirations of the movie get in the way of telling a more engaging story. The movie also explores how pornography can lead young people to understand sex as a performance when it should be a fun experience where people give each other pleasure. McGlynn uses her film to denounce gynecological violence and show how medical tradition helps to reduce women to how their genitals can be used the male pleasure or reproductive functions. So, while it boasts a phenomenal cast and has its heart in the right place, the fact that Lindy’s story unfolds slowly and without surprises might push away some viewers. Lindy’s journey also sticks to the expected path regarding teenage coming-of-age stories, never taking detours that could make the script more engaging. That means some scenes can overstay their welcome as Bloody Hell wants to ensure its message gets across. ![]() Since McGlyn uses her own experience with an MRKH diagnosis, it’s evident the film is being used as a pedagogical tool to spread awareness about the rare birth condition and fundamental questions about gender and sexuality. Still, her first impulse is to hide her condition and perform harmful dilation exercises, all in the name of being “normal.” It’s a heartbreaking journey elevated by a strong performance from Ziegler, even if the movie’s pacing can make Bloody Hell a challenging viewing sometimes. Lindy was raised by her single mother, Rita ( Emily Hampshire), a vocal feminist activist, giving the teenager rare insights into discussions of gender. Bloody Hell dares to approach Lindy’s story with realism, exposing the girl’s doubts and feelings of inadequacy.
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