Aftergrinder

Aftergrinder is a punishing arcade runner designed for speed freaks and masochists, offering 90 fast-paced levels across three unforgiving worlds. Players can choose from three characters with varying difficulty levels and navigate environments rightside up or upside down, all while enduring heart-thumping techno tracks. The game tests reflexes and endurance, promising a brutal yet addictive challenge for fans of hardcore platformers.

Aftergrinder: A Brutal, Flawed, and Forgotten Gem of the Precision Platformer Renaissance

Introduction: The Masochist’s Playground

Aftergrinder (2017) is a game that doesn’t just wear its difficulty on its sleeve—it brandishes it like a weapon. Developed by Montreal-based indie studio Grave Danger Games and published by Meridian4, this 2D precision platformer is a love letter to the sadists and speedrunners of the gaming world. It’s a game that wants you to fail, to rage, to question your life choices—before luring you back in with the siren song of “just one more try.”

At its core, Aftergrinder is a high-speed arcade runner where players navigate 90 punishing levels across three worlds, flipping between ceilings and floors, dodging lasers, and outrunning homing enemies—all while collecting stars and dying a lot. The game’s Steam description gleefully taunts: “die, retry … and die again in this brutal arcade runner.” And it means it.

But is Aftergrinder more than just a torture device disguised as a game? Does it stand alongside the greats of the precision platformer genre—Super Meat Boy, Celeste, VVVVVV—or is it a forgotten footnote in the indie explosion of the late 2010s? This review will dissect the game’s design, legacy, and whether its brutality is justified or merely frustrating.

---

Development History & Context: The Rise of the Indie Masocore Platformer

The Studio & Vision

Grave Danger Games, a small Montreal-based studio, emerged in the mid-2010s during the golden age of indie platformers. The team, led by Simon Graveline (Production & Creative Direction) and Johnny Danger (Level Design), sought to carve out a niche in the burgeoning “masocore” subgenre—a term coined for games that embrace extreme difficulty as a core design philosophy.

Aftergrinder was their debut title, and its development was fueled by a clear mission: to create a game that was fast, punishing, and addictive. The team drew inspiration from classics like VVVVVV (with its gravity-flipping mechanics) and Super Meat Boy (with its trial-and-error precision platforming), but they wanted to strip the experience down to its most brutal essence.

Technological Constraints & Tools

Built using GameMaker Studio, Aftergrinder is a technically modest game, but its simplicity is part of its charm. The engine allowed the small team to iterate quickly on level design, which was crucial given the game’s 90-level structure. However, this also meant that the game lacked the polish and depth of more ambitious indie titles.

The game’s minimalist aesthetic—blocky pixel art, repetitive backgrounds, and a reliance on color-coding for obstacles—was likely a product of both artistic choice and development constraints. While this worked in favor of clarity (players needed to react instantly to hazards), it also contributed to the game’s visual monotony.

The Gaming Landscape in 2017

Aftergrinder launched on July 18, 2017, into a market saturated with precision platformers. The indie scene was in full swing, with games like:
– Celeste (2018) – A masterclass in difficulty with narrative depth.
– N++ (2017) – A refined, minimalist take on the genre.
– The End is Nigh (2017) – Edmund McMillen’s spiritual successor to Super Meat Boy.
– Dead Cells (2018) – A roguelike-metroidvania hybrid that redefined indie action.

In this crowded space, Aftergrinder struggled to stand out. It lacked the narrative hooks of Celeste, the procedural generation of Dead Cells, or the sheer polish of N++. Instead, it relied on pure, unadulterated challenge—a selling point that appealed to a niche audience but left others cold.

Marketing & Reception at Launch

The game’s marketing leaned heavily into its masochistic appeal. Trailers and promotional materials emphasized:
– “A punishing arcade runner for speed freaks and masochists.”
– “90 rage-inducing levels.”
– “Die, retry … and die again.”

This approach attracted the attention of hardcore gamers but also set expectations that the game was only for the most dedicated (or self-loathing) players. Reviews at launch were mixed but generally positive among critics, with scores ranging from 67% to 83%, praising its tight controls and addictive gameplay while criticizing its repetitive design and lack of innovation.

---

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: The Illusion of Story

The “Plot” (Or Lack Thereof)

Aftergrinder is a game that pretends to have a story—then immediately abandons it.

The opening cutscene presents a Romeo and Juliet-inspired setup: The Lady (the default protagonist) is a skateboarder from one gang, in love with a boy from a rival faction. She’s racing through the city to save him from a beatdown. And … that’s it. The narrative is never referenced again.

This isn’t necessarily a flaw—many arcade-style games thrive without deep storytelling—but it’s worth noting because the game acts like it has a premise, only to discard it entirely. The few lines of dialogue are purely for tone-setting, establishing that the game is about pain, failure, and perseverance.

Themes: The Psychology of Failure

While Aftergrinder lacks a traditional narrative, it does explore themes of:
1. Trial and Error as a Learning Mechanism – The game’s difficulty isn’t about raw skill but about memorization and pattern recognition. Players die repeatedly, not because the game is unfair, but because they haven’t yet internalized the level’s rhythm.
2. The Addiction of Near-Misses – Like Super Meat Boy, Aftergrinder thrives on the “I almost had it!” mentality. Each death feels like progress, not failure.
3. Masochism as Entertainment – The game wants players to suffer, then rewards them with a dopamine hit when they finally succeed. This is the core appeal of the masocore genre.

Characters: The Dude, The Lady, and The Shark

The game offers three playable characters, each with different speeds:
– The Dude (Easy) – Slower, more forgiving.
– The Lady (Normal) – The default, balanced option.
– The Shark (Hard) – Faster, requiring even more precise inputs.

However, the differences are purely mechanical—there’s no personality, backstory, or even visual distinction beyond their sprites. The Shark, in particular, feels like a missed opportunity; a shark on a hoverboard is a delightfully absurd concept, but the game does nothing with it.

Dialogue & Tone: Dark Humor and Self-Awareness

The game’s few text snippets are darkly humorous, mocking the player’s suffering:
– “You might as well give up now.”
– “Pain is about to be unleashed upon you.”

This self-aware tone helps soften the game’s brutality, making it feel like a shared joke between developer and player rather than outright sadism.

---

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Brutal Dance of Precision and Punishment

Core Gameplay Loop: Die, Learn, Repeat

Aftergrinder is, at its heart, a twitch-based precision platformer. The gameplay revolves around:
1. High-Speed Movement – Players skate on a hoverboard, moving automatically from left to right.
2. Gravity Flipping – Pressing up or down switches between the floor and ceiling, a mechanic lifted directly from VVVVVV.
3. Boosting – A limited-use dash that can be used to break through barriers or gain speed.
4. Obstacle Avoidance – Dodging lasers, homing enemies, and reversing control gates.

Each level is short (10-15 seconds) but requires dozens of attempts to master. The game’s difficulty comes from:
– Tight hitboxes (sometimes too tight, leading to unfair deaths).
– Layered obstacles (e.g., lasers + reversing controls + homing enemies).
– No room for error – One mistake means instant death.

Level Design: The Good, The Bad, and The Repetitive

The game’s 90 levels are divided into three worlds, each with 30 stages. The progression is as follows:

World	Theme	Key Mechanics	Difficulty Curve
World 1	Urban	Basic obstacles, gravity flipping, boost gates	Hardest (steep learning curve)
World 2	Industrial	Lasers, homing enemies, switches	Easiest (more forgiving)
World 3	Cyberpunk	Reversing controls, complex sequences	Inconsistent (spikes in difficulty)

Strengths:
– Early levels introduce mechanics gradually, teaching players how to combine gravity flips and boosting.
– Later levels demand multitasking (e.g., flipping gravity while dodging a laser and reversing controls).
– Stars (optional collectibles) add replay value by encouraging riskier paths.

Weaknesses:
– Repetitive obstacles – After the first 30 levels, the game struggles to introduce truly new challenges. Lasers and reversing controls are reused ad nauseam.
– Unpredictable difficulty spikes – Some levels feel unfairly hard, while others are trivial.
– Hitbox issues – Multiple reviews (including Operation Rainfall) note deaths that shouldn’t have happened, due to imprecise collision detection.

Character Progression & Customization

The game’s three characters (The Dude, The Lady, The Shark) are unlocked via deaths:
– The Dude unlocks after a certain number of failures (easier).
– The Shark unlocks later (harder).

However, the differences are minimal—just speed adjustments. There’s no deeper customization, no unlockable abilities, no skill trees. This lack of progression makes the game feel static compared to contemporaries like Celeste, which layered mechanical depth onto its difficulty.

UI & Feedback Systems

The UI is minimalist but effective:
– Death counter – A constant reminder of your suffering.
– Star collection tracker – Shows how many you’ve grabbed.
– Time display – Encourages speedrunning.

However, the lack of a pause button (a bizarre omission) and no mid-level checkpoints reinforce the game’s punishing ethos.

Innovations & Flaws

Innovations:
– Gravity-flipping as a core mechanic (borrowed from VVVVVV but executed well).
– Boosting as both a tool and a risk (using it at the wrong time can be fatal).
– Reverse-control gates (a love-it-or-hate-it mechanic that forces players to adapt mid-level).

Flaws:
– Overuse of reversing controls – What starts as a clever twist becomes tedious by World 3.
– Lack of mechanical depth – No new abilities, no power-ups, no real evolution in gameplay.
– Repetitive level design – After 30 levels, the game starts to feel like a reskin of the same challenges.

---

World-Building, Art & Sound: A Study in Minimalism (For Better or Worse)

Visual Design: Functional but Forgettable

Aftergrinder’s art style is minimalist pixel art, with:
– Blocky, colorful characters (The Lady, The Dude, The Shark).
– Monochrome backgrounds (dull cityscapes, industrial zones).
– Color-coded obstacles (red = danger, blue = interactive, etc.).

Strengths:
– Clarity – Players can instantly recognize hazards.
– Character distinction – The protagonists pop against the backdrop.

Weaknesses:
– Repetitive backgrounds – All 30 levels in a world use the same background, just with different color filters. This makes the game feel visually stale.
– Lack of personality – Compared to games like Celeste (with its emotional pixel art) or Super Meat Boy (with its grotesque charm), Aftergrinder feels sterile.

Sound Design: The Auditory Assault

The game’s audio is polarizing:
– Sound Effects – Basic, sometimes jarring (e.g., the death noise, menu selections).
– Music – High-tempo techno that fits the fast-paced gameplay but lacks memorability.

Criticisms:
– Repetitive tracks – The same loops play ad infinitum, becoming grating over time.
– Lack of dynamic audio – No shifts in music based on performance (unlike Celeste’s adaptive soundtrack).

Atmosphere: The Grindhouse Aesthetic

The game’s tone is grindhouse-meets-arcade—a mix of retro futurism and punk attitude. The neon-lit cityscapes, the hoverboard premise, and the “you’re gonna die” attitude all contribute to a cyberpunk-lite vibe.

However, the lack of narrative or world-building means this atmosphere is superficial. The game feels like it should have a deeper lore (Who are these gangs? Why is a shark on a hoverboard?), but it never delivers.

---

Reception & Legacy: The Forgotten Child of the Masocore Boom

Critical Reception at Launch

Aftergrinder received mixed but generally positive reviews from critics, with scores averaging ~75%.

Outlets	Score	Key Praise	Key Criticisms
Link Cable Gaming	83%	“Addictive, hardcore, and punishing in the best way.”	“Will chew you up and spit you out.”
Defunct Games	67%	“Fast-paced and fun for twitch-platformer fans.”	“Gameplay is limited, locations blur together.”
COGconnected	80%	“Supremely responsive, great for speedrunners.”	“Lacks depth beyond its core mechanics.”
GameSpew	80%	“For masochists who love a challenge.”	“Repetitive and frustrating at times.”
Operation Rainfall	Mixed	“First world is great, later worlds feel tedious.”	“Hitbox issues, lack of variety.”

Common Praise:
– Tight, responsive controls.
– Addictive “one more try” gameplay.
– Short, digestible levels.

Common Criticisms:
– Repetitive level design.
– Overuse of reversing controls.
– Lack of visual/audio variety.
– Hitbox inconsistencies.

Player Reception: A Niche Within a Niche

On Steam, the game holds a “Mostly Positive” rating (71% positive from 21 reviews), but it’s clear that Aftergrinder appealed to a very specific audience:
– Fans of Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV.
– Speedrunners and completionists.
– Masochists who enjoy punishing games.

However, the 1.0/5 player score on MobyGames (from a single review) suggests that casual players found it too frustrating.

Legacy & Influence

Aftergrinder did not leave a lasting mark on the genre. Unlike Celeste (which redefined difficulty with emotional storytelling) or Dead Cells (which blended roguelike elements), Aftergrinder remained a minor footnote in the precision platformer boom.

Why?
1. Lack of Innovation – It borrowed heavily from VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy without adding anything truly new.
2. Repetitive Design – The overuse of reversing controls and lasers made later levels feel like chores.
3. Weak Presentation – The bland visuals and forgettable soundtrack didn’t help it stand out.
4. No Post-Launch Support – Unlike games like Celeste (which received free DLC) or Dead Cells (which got years of updates), Aftergrinder was a one-and-done release.

Where It Succeeded:
– It perfected the “die and retry” loop for a small but dedicated audience.
– It proved that minimalist design could still be engaging (even if it wasn’t groundbreaking).

---

Conclusion: A Flawed but Fascinating Relic of the Masocore Era

Aftergrinder is a game that knows exactly what it is: a brutal, uncompromising test of reflexes and patience. It doesn’t pretend to be anything more than that—not a narrative masterpiece, not a visual showcase, not a revolutionary experience. It’s pure, distilled challenge, and for the right player, that’s enough.

The Good:
✅ Tight, responsive controls that make deaths feel like your fault, not the game’s.
✅ Addictive “one more try” gameplay that keeps players hooked.
✅ Short, digestible levels that respect the player’s time.
✅ Self-aware humor that softens the brutality.

The Bad:
❌ Repetitive level design that overuses the same mechanics.
❌ Lack of visual and audio variety that makes the game feel stale.
❌ Hitbox inconsistencies that lead to unfair deaths.
❌ No meaningful progression or innovation beyond its core loop.

The Verdict:
Aftergrinder is not a great game, but it’s a good one—for a very specific audience. If you love punishing platformers and don’t mind repetition, it’s a solid (if forgettable) entry in the genre. If you’re looking for depth, storytelling, or variety, you’ll be disappointed.

Final Score: 6.5/10 – “A Brutal, Flawed Gem”

Where It Stands in Gaming History:
Aftergrinder is a minor but interesting artifact of the late-2010s indie boom. It didn’t redefine the precision platformer, but it perfected a niche—the pure, unadulterated challenge—that games like Celeste and Super Meat Boy had already mastered. It’s a game that deserves to be remembered, if only as a cautionary tale of how raw difficulty alone isn’t enough to make a classic.

Should You Play It?
– Yes, if: You’re a masochist who loves Super Meat Boy and VVVVVV and wants another fix.
– No, if: You need narrative, variety, or polish in your platformers.

In the end, Aftergrinder is like a grindhouse movie—rough around the edges, unapologetically brutal, and only for those who know what they’re getting into. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.

---

Final Thought:
“Aftergrinder doesn’t just want you to suffer—it wants you to enjoy suffering. And for a select few, that’s the highest praise a game can get.”