• Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:

    1. The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
    2. Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration

    Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.

Let's Play VVVVVV

Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)
Hello! It's been a hot minute since I've made a thread in this subforum, so let's go ahead and get started.

O8TBQ1K.jpg

​
Just in case you don't know, VVVVVV is a precision platformer originally released in 2010. It was developed by Terry Cavanagh, an Irish game developer who you might also know as being responsible for Super Hexagon and Dicey Dungeons. It was originally made in Adobe Flash, but was thankfully ported to C++ by Simon Roth and Ethan Lee in 2011, which allowed it to be released on several other systems, including the 3DS, Nintendo Switch, and PS4.

Gameplay revolves around the fact that you can't jump; instead, you push a button to flip your center of gravity. The game makes very creative use of this throughout, which we'll see soon.

Stay tuned for the first episode!
 
Last edited:
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)
Photosensitivity warning! VVVVVV has lots of flashing lights and rapidly changing colors. I like this game a lot, but it's really bad about mitigating effects like that for folks who might be sensitive to this sort of thing. I'll be putting warnings in every video, but I thought I'd also go ahead and warn you now.


​
In which Captain Viridian and his crew find themselves in a strange dimension where gravity doesn't work quite right.

-The setup: Captain Viridian and his crew are traveling through space when something interferes with their instruments and they become trapped in an alternate dimension. Viridian (that's you!) now needs to find the rest of his crew so they can fix the ship and escape.
-Yo this music owns: Sure does! I'll be including soundtrack links in every post as we hear each tune in-game. You should click on them!
-The tutorial level: It's not too difficult - it serves as a good introduction to the kinds of obstacles and challenges you'll be encountering throughout the game. One of the trickier sections is the Driller/Exhaust Chute/Sorrow screens, which you have to complete both forwards and backwards to move on. That's a pretty common challenge in VVVVVV, so get used to it!
-Shiny Trinkets: There are 20 of them throughout the game, and collecting them all unlocks an extra game mode that I'll cover later. We'll be getting all of them, of course.


New tunes:

Presenting VVVVVV
Pause
Pushing Onwards
Power-up
Path Complete
Passion for Exploring

You should give these a listen! The soundtrack was written by Magnus Pålsson, aka Souleye, and it's extremely good - some of the tracks here are among my favorite pieces of VGM.
 
Last edited:
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian explores Dimension VVVVVV, navigates a screen-wrapping maze, and rescues Chief Verdigris.

The central map is pretty big, huh: Yep! It can be confusing to navigate if you just wander around randomly like I tend to. On top of that, the map wraps around both horizontally and vertically, and there isn't a straightforward path from left to right or top to bottom. But I like that it introduces a degree of nonlinearity to progressing through the game - you do have to complete all the levels eventually, but you're given the opportunity to find their locations and do them in whatever order you want. And you're at least given vague landmarks in the form of the question marks that give the location of teleporters sprinkled across the map.
What the heck is with the flashing technicolor elephant: I honestly have no idea.
Research Notes: You'll find these scattered throughout the game, and they give cryptic hints about what little backstory this game has.
The Warp Zone: This level is intentionally kind of confusing to navigate, what with the screen-wrapping shenanigans. The second half features a teleporter obstacle course where you have to carefully flip across the screen to avoid groups of spikes. It also has one of the trickier trinkets to collect - you need to dodge between several different groups of enemies while going back and forth across the edges of the screen. It took me a while my first time through the game! It also has one of my favorite tracks in the game, "Pressure Cooker" (which I'll of course link below).
"I'm an engineer!" He sure is.

New tunes:

Pressure Cooker
 
Last edited:
Eishtmo

Eishtmo

I'm pretty sure the elephant is from a flash game the same developer did. I forget the name of it, but it was a puzzle game.
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Veridian scales an infinitely scrolling tower, rescues Officer Vermilion, and gets teleported to a strange alternate dimension.

Fillin' in more of the map: 'Cause you gotta.
The Tower: It's an auto-scroller! But I think it's a pretty good one. It moves pretty quickly, and it really tests your reflexes and sense of timing. There are only two Shiny Trinkets here, but they're both pretty tricky to get.
Wait a sec, this isn't the ship: Once you rescue your third crew member, you're taken to the Polar Dimension after completing that level. These intermission levels don't have any Shiny Trinkets in them, so you just have to worry about getting through them. In addition, the cutscenes have different dialogue depending on the order you rescue the crew in, which adds a bit of replay value to the game.
Oh no it's an escort mission: And a pretty tricky one! Whichever crew member you rescued will blindly follow you in whatever direction you go, so you need to be very careful about how you navigate each screen.

New tunes:

Positive Force
Predestined Fate
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian fills in more of the map, navigates an obstacle course full of flip-wires, rescues Doctor Victoria, and once again gets transported to the Polar Dimension.

What's with that teal section on the map: We'll be back there later, don't worry. We've also filled in most of the map at this point; the only spots left unexplored are in the remaining levels. Speaking of which...
The Laboratory: This level mainly has you dealing with wires that automatically flip you when you touch them, and the resulting obstacle course therein. It also has the second-highest concentration of Shiny Trinkets in the game, with 4 being in this area. The one near the end is pretty sneaky!
The Gravitron: You get taken here once you rescue the fourth crew member; the goal is to survive for one minute while dodging incoming cubes and being continuously bounced up and down. You do get a checkpoint every five seconds, but even still it's pretty tough.
Victoria's trinket radar: I think this only activates once you've found at least half of the Shiny Trinkets in the game, but I'm not sure. And you have to rescue Victoria, obviously.

New tunes:

Potential for Anything

Like I said in the video, this is one of my favorite songs in VGM, period. It's really good!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)
My posting pace is going to slow down from here on out, due to my upload schedule. Expect the next video on Thursday!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian conquers the hardest challenge in the game surprisingly quickly.

Space Station 2: This is the second half of the first level in the game; I like to save it for last because I find it the most difficult of the levels to complete. The main obstacles here are moving hazards and conveyor belts, both of which move quite fast. This level also has the most Shiny Trinkets, with 5 to collect. Speaking of which...
Veni Vidi Vici: This series of screens is the single hardest challenge in the game. You have to navigate six screens full of spikes with little room to maneuver, land on a tiny platform at the top that disappears in about half a second, then do the whole thing again in reverse. The first time I did this challenge I was stuck here for almost an hour. It's pretty brutal! Having said that, uh, I did not expect to finish it so quickly here! I thought for sure I would be at it for at least another few minutes. Call it luck I suppose.

We'll finish this level (and the main game) in the next video, which will be up on Tuesday!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)
Eishtmo said:
Surprise, you're actually decent at the game!
Click to expand...

Ha, thanks! My previous attempt at recording this series was still fresh in my mind when I made the videos you're watching now, so I guess I still had some residual muscle memory working for me.
 
Last edited:
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian rescues Professor Vitellary, gets sent to the Polar Dimension one more time, and is sent hurtling into deep space (but only for a little bit).

Prize for the Reckless: This is probably the second most difficult Shiny Trinket in the game to get, after the Veni Vidi Vici one of course. You have to purposely ignore checkpoints for several difficult screens full of obstacles, so that you can free a moving platform and reach the trinket. It's also the only trinket in the whole game that you have to purposely die to obtain.
Regular Service Will Return Shortly: We have one last intermission level, which also acts as the first half of the final level in the game. The level as a whole takes various gimmicks from the other stages and throws them at you in different combinations; the first half has you dealing with flip-wires and screen-wrapping.
DIY V Repair: This screen houses the source of the anomaly that trapped Viridian and crew here in the first place: a dimensional stabilizer in the Polar Dimension that consequently threw everything else out of wack. Shutting it down brings us to...
Party Time!: The second half of the final level, which still features flip-wires and screen-wrapping, but also throws in moving conveyor belts and auto-scrolling sections on top of that. It's pretty tough, but I honestly think the first half of the level is more challenging.
V: You have to collect the Shiny Trinket at the end of the stage, which means you're always guaranteed to pick up at least one on any given full playthrough. If you missed all the other ones, this might be your first hint that they're even a thing!
Popular Potpourri: The credits are pretty great. Big fan of the art at the end of the crew rocking out.

New tunes:

Predestined Fate (remix)
Plenary
Popular Potpourri

That's the main game done, but we have a few extra modes to look at. See you Friday!
 
Last edited:
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)
Olli said:
Oh man, Doing Things the Hard Way must have taken me like half an hour to get right.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds about right. It's not easy!
 
Last edited:
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian (and crew) finds a secret laboratory, and spends a long time bouncing on flip-wires.

The post-game: Once you finish the game, you can reload your file and search the map/levels for any Shiny Trinkets you missed.
The Secret Lab: You unlock this by finding all the Shiny Trinkets, after which it's permanently available as an option in the main menu; there's no need to unlock it separately in every playthrough, which is nice. This area houses all the research that this dimension's previous inhabitants were working on (not that you can read any of it), and a trophy room that tracks all the achievements you've done. If you haven't fulfilled the requirements for a given trophy, you can stand on that trophy's empty pedestal to see what you need to do to unlock it. There's also...
The Super-Gravitron: The main focus of today's video. It's a souped-up version of the Gravitron found in the second intermission level, and it's way more dangerous, mainly due to the large increase in the number of obstacles sent your way. Some of the cube clusters require very precise maneuvering to avoid them, which is easier said than done. I don't blame you if you skip around on this video, it kind of takes me a while to survive for ten seconds.
Hey where's that video you were talking about: It's right here! You should watch it if you get the chance, it's very impressive.
​
New tunes:

Pipe Dream

Next video will be on Tuesday. See you then for more extra game modes!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian tries to complete a few of the levels as quickly as possible.

Time Trial Mode: You unlock this after beating the game; the goal is to complete one of the levels as fast as you can, obviously.
The ranking system: There are four ranks you can earn when you beat a Time Trial level: B, A, S, and V, with V-rank being the highest. You get a B-rank just for completing a level, and your rank increases by one if you finish the level under par time, collect all the Shiny Trinkets, or make it through the stage without dying. Naturally, this makes V-ranking a level extremely difficult; the par times leave little room for error, and some of the trinkets - particularly in levels like The Laboratory - are very challenging to collect without dying in the process. Conversely, it's actually slightly easier to go for a high rank in The Final Level, since you automatically collect its only trinket at the very end of the stage.
Intermissions: Will not be making an appearance in this Let's Play. We've already seen the intermission levels in the main game, and as far as I'm aware they aren't changed in any way in this mode, nor do you unlock anything by playing through them here. But they're there if you want to play them in your own time!

We'll be back on Friday with No Death Mode!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian tries to complete the whole game without dying, and does not quite succeed.

No Death Mode: Exactly what it sounds like! There are absolutely no checkpoints in this mode, so if you die you have to start over from the very beginning. A combination of nerves and not having played the game in a week before recording this video meant that I probably was not ever going to last long. At least I made it past the opening level!

Tune in on Tuesday for Flip Mode, and the finale of this Let's Play!
 
Cadenza

Cadenza

Mellotron enthusiast
(She/they)

​
In which Captain Viridian completes the entire game upside down.

Flip Mode: Pretty much exactly what it sounds like! The entire game gets flipped vertically. It's a simple change, but it can mess with you if you're used to the normal layout. Some screens are easier upside down, some are harder - it depends on the player which is which.
ecroF evitisoP: I was legit caught off-guard when this happened. It's still kind of catchy when played in reverse, because Positive Force rules.

New tunes:

Positive Force Reversed

And that's it! Thank you to everyone who watched these videos and commented in this thread; it means a lot. I'll see you in the next LP, whatever that ends up being. Bye for now!
 
Eishtmo

Eishtmo

That was certainly enjoyable. I'm sure I watched an LP of this sometime back, but it's nice to see it again and you did quite well. Love how you said you wouldn't talk much, but still did.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top