In the land of video games, it’s important to remember that death is only the beginning…


Good rule of thumb to keep in mind with mummies, as well…

And to that point, much like the black magic eternal that helps to keep mummies coming back for more, Super Meat Boy may finally be back with a furious vengeance, as the new title, Super Meat Boy 3D, was treated to a “developer’s commentary” gameplay trailer from co-developer Sluggerfly, who are the devs working closely with Team Meat to get the new game into your meaty little hands, feeling exactly the same way you remember.



In following up on the small tease we saw at the Xbox Showcase last month, Sluggerfly’s co-founder and art director, Dominic Plaßmann, helped to narrate on some of the design choices that are going into the new Meat Boy game, which is set to release early 2026.



One of the core aspects Dominic reiterates upon is absolutely nailing the movement, momentum, and responsiveness in trying to make the transition from 2D to 3D feel so perfect. He comments that the player should feel no struggle with the controls, feeling comfortable that any death was a result of user error, and not some cheap cheese that ended a great run. The shift to 3D adds a layer of complexity the game lacked in the 2D space, which has demanded from the team a greater call to arms in terms of polish, refinement, and perfecting the art of expeditious platforming.



One of the ways the team was able to recreate the idyllic sensation of Meat Boy was known for in the control department, was by adding an “always on” wall running maneuver, which acted as more of a slide in the original, as Meat Boy only had to really worry about the verticality involved back then. Now, with an extra dimension to contend with, the ability to freely move Meat Boy in a more open air space, and to be able to painlessly transition from one death to another is vital in the process of perfecting the controls. The always on wall running maneuver is further enhanced in it’s refinement of keeping both the player and Meat Boy alive and well, due to being paired with an air-dash mechanic, further enhancing the refinement process in keeping Meat Boy’s movement speed and accuracy of control in the air pitch perfect, in order to tackle the insane level design with ease.



The fact that developer Sluggerfly got the seal of approval from one of Meat Boy’s original designers, Tommy Refenes, should speak volumes to how much Team Meat is acting in respectful tandem with the studio, to make sure the labor of love bears sweet fruits for a new generation of gamers to reap the benefits of. Speaking to Xbox last month, Tommy sounded confident that Sluggerfly had the pedigree required to get the job done:

“A few years ago I played Hell Pie. I really liked it, and I was hoping Sluggerfly would be interested in doing a 3D version of Super Meat Boy,” Refenes said. “To my surprise, they were fans of Meat Boy and were excited about the possibility of working on Super Meat Boy 3D. Their excitement really shines through with the work they’ve done. They have pulled off a conversion from 2D to 3D that’s on par with the feelings I had the first time I played Metroid Prime. They have nailed it.”

I think, aside from the extraordinary focus on getting the controls pitch perfect, Sluggerfly is adamant about essentially making the translation process from 2D to 3D 1:1, which the quote from Tommy above seems to reinforce. How responsive Meat Boy was in the original was vital in Tommy’s original testing of the title, which they tested and reiterated to hell and back in the development process of the original.



Sluggerfly has also emphasized that the action stays fast and intense, and that only works if the systems in the game are honed and refined to a T. To that point, it looks like Dominic and his team have gone to great lengths to make sure the dynamically adjusted camera system, with it’s focus on the action, moves appropriately in focusing in on the player, so they won’t have to worry about camera movement as they blast through the levels.



Sluggerfly sounds committed to making sure everything flows just as it did in the original, this much is evident with the controls and the blessing from Tommy Refenes backing them up. All that remains for them to lock down is in optimizing the engine with the level design experience, so the frame rate stays rock solid, and have the loading times essentially be non-existent, which will help to recapture the magic of just how insane the original Meat Boy ended up being. Of course, fingers crossed they have some surprises left to wow us with before launch, as other key elements in making Meat Boy such a blast to play, were fun cameos from other game series, a twisted sense of humor via the over the top cutscenes, and a bitching soundtrack to compliment the fast and furious pacing.


Super Meat Boy: Making death a joyful learning experience since 2010* (yes, I know about the 2008 flash game you pedantic sods)

Super Meat Boy 3D is due out 2026. Check out the trailer below.

~Pashford