Mutant Mudds, one of, and arguably Renegade Kid's best game, is the hit that put this Indie on the map. Protagonist Max has had his work cut out for him. After debuting on the 3DS eShop, Max's first adventure quickly spread to almost every available platform. What was it that made Max's first adventure such a hit? Could it have been the challenging yet fun platforming? Or was it navigating Max back and forth between three different "layers", and near perfect level design? In Mutant Mudds, you could never blame the game for your mistakes, your success was entirely dependent on your skills. The retro "12-Bit" Visuals and soundtrack helped Max win the hearts of gamers too.

Renegade Kid obviously had more level designs rolling around in their head, because since the release of Mutant Mudds, 40 more levels have been added. For more on Mutant Mudds, please check out our review. Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is designed for veterans of the original game. There is has no gradual learning curve, and this game shows no mercy to newcomers. Blind leaps will be punished, and you usually won't be able to complete these levels on your first try.


New to Super Challenge is the inclusion of hidden pathways. These will be marked by a small hole in the wall, but can easily be mistaken just a design if not aware they exist. Hidden inside are usually hidden water sprites, but yesterday at Nintendo Treehouse Live, Jools Watsham from Renegade Kid announced that Rusty from Steamworld Dig would be a playable character. Jools directed Max into one of these pathways, and instead of exiting as Max, he emerged as Image and Form's own mascot. It is unconfirmed as of this writing if special characters will be hidden within walls, or if you automatically become them upon discover. Regardless, Rusty, along with 19 other secret characters will be available.

Fans of the Ghost Levels will be pleased to know that every 3rd level is a ghost level, for example 1-3, 2-3, 3-3, etc, and every world ends with a boss battle. Unlike the original Mutant Mudds, boss battles exist in Super Challenge, and are just as tough as the rest of the game. Mr. Watsham demoed this level on live stream, and fought against the appropriately titled Ghost Boss. Jools had to weave Max back and forth between the two planes in order to grab the special ammunition needed for Ghosts, all while dodging ghosts who do not stay down after shooting them. The fight looked fantastic and a welcome addition to the Mudds formula.


Also adding to the Mudds formula are CD's scattered throughout the 40 levels, one in each. These can be played in the new area located in the hub, The Jukebox Lounge. Remaining on the hub is Granny's Attic, with all of Max' upgrades from his previous adventure already unlocked. Adventurers' like Ms. Aran and Mega Man could learn a thing or two from Max's example of preserving weapons.

Like Max's first outing, there are five new worlds. The two we saw at E3 both looked amazing, and feature outstanding chiptunes yet again. Returning are the V-Land and G-Land stages, often hidden in plain sight. These retro themed stages are inspired by the colors of the Virtual Boy and the Gameboy, respectively. There is no word yet if the CGA Levels will also be in the game, but we wouldn't be surprised if they showed up. These levels required the use of all of Max's equipment, and pushed players to their limits. Considering Renegade Kid is trying to make this as challenging as possible, its more than likely we will see them in the final game. And just to make sure you know exactly how many times you have died, there is a death counter at the top of the game over menu.


Mutant Mudds Super Challenge will be available for both Wii U and 3DS. As a loyalty reward to those who bought the original, they will be able to buy the game at a discounted price. And instead of having to buy two separate copies, Super Challenge will feature Cross-Buy. To those unfamiliar, Cross-Buy allows you to get one copy of the game for both Wii U and 3DS, for the price of one. In addition to the discount for owners of the original, and Cross-Buy, Mutant Mudds: Super Challenge also is a part of the Nindies@Home promotion. If you download the demo for Super Challenge on Wii U, you will be eligible to get Mutant Mudds Super Challenge for an additional 15% off the original price. Sadly, there is no way to download this demo on 3DS, sorry handheld owners. The Nindies@Home promotion expires on June 22, at 8:59 AM PST.

Renegade Kid's latest outing should be available by the end of June. For those interested in Renegade Kid's other releases, you can read our reviews on three of their other games, here, here and here.

Are you ready to tackle the Mudds once again? Let us know in the comments below.