- Featured Title: The End is Nigh
- Current Price: $3.74 (via Steam)
- Developers: Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel
- Core Genre: Hardcore action platformer / "Metroidvania-lite"
- Platform: PC (Steam Workshop supported)
If you have been keeping a close eye on the development of Mewgenics, you already know that the pedigree behind it is as "indie royalty" as it gets. But while we wait for that feline-breeding odyssey, there is a massive opportunity to grab one of the most underrated gems in the hardcore platforming genre for less than the price of a fancy coffee. The End is Nigh is currently sitting at a criminal $3.74 on Steam, and if you consider yourself a fan of tight controls and punishing level design, this is an essential pickup.
For those who missed the boat when it first launched, The End is Nigh represents the first major collaboration between Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel—the same duo currently grinding away on Mewgenics. While McMillen is the mastermind behind The Binding of Isaac, this project saw him returning to his reflex-heavy roots, effectively creating what many consider the spiritual successor to Super Meat Boy.
The Spiritual Successor That Outshines the Original
There is a specific kind of "feel" that a McMillen platformer has, and The End is Nigh nails it while adding a layer of grime and misery that feels far more mature than his previous work. We’ve spent years debating the merits of various "masocore" titles, but our take is clear: this game is actually better than the original Super Meat Boy. That might sound like heresy to the purists, but once you get your hands on the controls, the argument makes itself.
Unlike Super Meat Boy Forever—which took a hard turn into autorunner territory primarily to suit mobile hardware—The End is Nigh is a pure, reflex-oriented experience. It features the same "death-respawn-repeat" loop that defined the era, but it trades in the referential, jokey presentation of Meat Boy for something far more atmospheric and, at times, oddly moving.
"Protagonist Ash 'flops his way through a future of pain and suffering' in search of a friend whose body parts are spread around a spike-filled hellscape. Collectibles are tumours."
This darker tone isn't just for show. It permeates the level design, making every successful jump feel like a desperate struggle for survival in a world that has already given up. The "cartoon darkness" here is a stylistic choice that helps the game stand out from the sea of neon-soaked indies, giving it a unique identity that goes beyond just being "another hard game."
Beyond Linear Level Grinding
One of the biggest shifts here is the structure. While Super Meat Boy was a fairly linear affair of clearing one stage to unlock the next, The End is Nigh introduces light Metroidvania trappings. It’s far less linear, encouraging players to explore a world that feels interconnected rather than just a series of isolated challenges. This non-linearity adds a sense of scale to Ash's journey that was missing from previous titles in this vein.
The Grind for 100% Completion
If you are a completionist, be warned: this game will break you. The primary collectibles are tumours, which are often tucked away in corners of the map that require frame-perfect execution to reach. Beyond that, there are retro-themed cartridges to find, which unlock even more grueling challenges. These cartridges are a nod to McMillen’s earlier work, but they feel more integrated into the world here.
The game also utilizes player ghosts—a mechanic that serves as a constant, haunting reminder of your previous failures. Seeing a trail of your own "aborted attempts" across a screen filled with spikes is a great way to min-max your movement, but it’s also a psychological hurdle that only the most dedicated players will overcome.
Steam Workshop and Community Longevity
For the $3.74 asking price, you are getting an absurd amount of content. But even if you manage to reach that elusive 100% completion mark—and let's be honest, few will—the game features full Steam Workshop support. This means there is a constant stream of community-made levels and mods to dive into. In an era where many single-player games are "one and done," the ability to pull down fresh, high-quality content from the community is a massive QoL win.
Why It Didn't Get the Meat Boy Love
It is somewhat of a mystery why The End is Nigh didn't see the same level of mainstream explosion as its predecessor. A large part of that likely comes down to branding. When Edmund McMillen split from Team Meat in 2017, he didn't take the *Meat Boy* name with him. Without that "Super Meat Boy 2" title on the box, many casual fans simply looked the other way.
However, for the core audience, this was always the true evolution of the formula. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but it polishes it to a mirror finish. The collaboration with Tyler Glaiel brought a level of technical precision to the level design that is evident from the first screen. If you've been avoiding it because it looked "too similar" to what came before, the current sale is the perfect excuse to fix that mistake.
In a market where many action platformers try to "cheese" the player with unfair gimmicks, The End is Nigh remains a gold standard for fair, skill-based difficulty. It is a game made by people who love the genre for people who live for the "one more try" mentality. Grab it now, but don't say we didn't warn you about the spike-filled hellscape ahead.