Super Meat Boy – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Super Meat Boy

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

game2010

64%

WISE Score

A brutally hard platformer where a cube of meat dies a thousand deaths to save his girlfriend—equal parts skill-building and rage-inducing.

Super Meat Boy

game

2010

64%

WISE Score

A brutally hard platformer where a cube of meat dies a thousand deaths to save his girlfriend—equal parts skill-building and rage-inducing.

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Where to Play

App Store

Screenwise Verdict

Super Meat Boy is a cult-classic indie platformer that's genuinely good at what it does: teaching perseverance through brutal, precise challenges. The controls are tight, the levels are clever, and the dopamine hit of finally nailing a level after 50 deaths is real.

But let's be honest—this is a rage game. Your kid will die hundreds of times, watch their little meat cube explode into red goo over and over, and probably yell at the screen. If they're the type who can laugh at failure and keep grinding, this is a great fit. If they're sensitive to frustration or grossed out by cartoon gore, skip it.

The Teen rating is fair: the blood is cartoonish but constant, and there's some crude humor. For the right 11–13 year old, this is a solid skill-builder. For everyone else, it's a stress test disguised as a game.

Age Fit

Best for kids 11–15 who love a punishing challenge and can handle cartoon blood and constant failure without losing their cool. Younger kids will likely find it too hard and too gory; older teens may have moved on to more complex games.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The game's core loop is built on constant, brutal failure—you die hundreds of times per session, which can foster perseverance but also genuine frustration. The tone is cartoonish and self-aware (crude humor, occasional middle-finger gesture), not mean-spirited, but the relentless difficulty and 'rage game' reputation mean it's not emotionally gentle. It's not toxic, but it's not nurturing either.

Imaginative

Super Meat Boy is a clever, physics-based platformer with tight controls and creative level design that demands players think spatially and experiment with momentum. The retro aesthetic and indie charm show originality, and the game rewards creative problem-solving. However, it's more about execution mastery than open-ended creativity or exploration—you're solving pre-built puzzles, not building worlds.

Safe

ESRB rates it T for Teen due to animated blood (red 'goo' splatter on every death), crude humor, and a brief middle-finger gesture. Common Sense Media suggests 11+. The iOS version has no in-app purchases, no chat, and no predatory monetization. The main safety concern is the constant cartoon gore and the potential for rage-induced frustration in younger or more sensitive kids. It's not traumatizing, but it's visually messy and emotionally intense.

Enriching

The game builds genuine skills: hand-eye coordination, pattern recognition, persistence through failure, and spatial reasoning. Completing a level after 50 deaths teaches grit. But it's a pure skill challenge with minimal narrative depth, no ethical dilemmas, and no meaningful takeaways beyond 'keep trying.' It's enriching in the narrow sense of motor skills and frustration tolerance, but not broadly educational or emotionally insightful.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Teaches genuine grit and persistence—success after 50 failures feels earned and rewarding
Tight, responsive controls and clever level design make it a masterclass in precision platforming
Short levels (seconds long) mean quick retry loops—frustration is brief, progress is addictive
No monetization traps, no chat, no distractions—just pure skill challenge
Retro indie charm with self-aware humor that doesn't take itself too seriously

⚠

What to Watch For

Constant cartoon gore—every death splatters red goo across the screen, which may bother sensitive kids
Designed to be 'NES-hard' and frustrating; younger or less patient kids may rage-quit or get genuinely upset
Brief crude humor (bathroom jokes, one middle-finger gesture) that earns the Teen rating
Best suited for kids who already enjoy challenging games and can handle repeated failure without melting down

Conversation Starters

"How many tries did it take you to beat that level? What strategy finally worked?"
"When you kept dying, did you feel like giving up or did it make you want to keep trying? Why?"
"The game is super gory in a cartoony way—does it bother you, or does it just feel silly?"
"What's the hardest part of the game for you—the timing, the traps, or staying calm when you mess up?"

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