The first world tilted "Chipper Grove" has a similar appearance to the opening picnic scene mentioned before. In this world, basic game mechanics are introduced gradually. The boss fight of Chipper Grove is Big Slugger, a larger version of the Lil’ Slugger boss which was introduced in the original Super Meat Boy.
After the boss is defeated and Nugget triggered the ejection button of the mech’s cockpit, a cutscene displays the destruction caused by Dr. Fetus and Big Slugger, as well as a rouge group of animals led by a battle-scarred squirrel (which becomes an unlockable character later on in the game.) The animals follow in pursuit of Meat Boy and Bandage Girl.
In the next area, "The Clinic," which is an abandoned mental health clinic, the duo faces off against Manic, a biologically engineered brain with telekinetic powers that created an entity composed of broken glass and syringes called the Manipulator and defeat him by triggering the fan switches to expose his point of vulnerability (thanks to Nugget, though unintentionally as she was playing with the light switch that also activated the fans).
Meanwhile after the fight, the animal squad march forth to wage war against Dr. Fetus, using the Big Slugger against it’s inventor which was at first pulled by a herd of deer, but then recruited Manic to power the machine and take revenge against his creator for abandoning him in the second boss fight.
Once Meat Boy and Bandage Girl arrive in the city of Tetanusville, Dr. Fetus uses a very special security system called the Lab Guardian to eliminate them, but they manage to destroy it. Dr. Fetus, in extreme anger, gives them both the middle finger (in which Nugget does the same to three butterflies).
Dr. Fetus then takes Nugget to The Lab, which is Dr. Fetus’ hideout. After they defeat a bunch of his clones and the real him, the animal squad along with Manic approach Dr. Fetus, only for Dr. Fetus to show the middle finger on a screen which causes the tank to explode, making the whole squad including the squirrel on the verge of death making Nugget cry.
But just as Dr. Fetus could celebrate his victory, the squirrel pushes a button that begins to fast-forward time, causes Meat Boy and Bandage Girl to age, and transports the entire planet to the Other Side. When the duo adventures through the Other Side, they fight against Alpha Omega (possibly a god).
After they defeat Alpha Omega, Nugget returns and they are reunited, only for Alpha Omega to kill them by crushing them. But just as they were about to die, Nugget shows her pacifier to Alpha Omega, turning it back to Dr. Fetus. Meat Boy and Bandage Girl both punch Dr. Fetus in the face, thus rewinding time.
Back at the lab after the Dr. Fetus fight, the animal squad and Manic sees Dr. Fetus defeated for good and declare their war against them a victory. Meat Boy and Bandage Girl then leave with Nugget in happiness, and Dr. Fetus sees the pacifier Nugget gave to him and says goodbye to the family. During the credits, a montage shows Meat Boy, Bandage Girl, & Nugget spending time together, and the animal squad, and Manic rebuild the forest.
In two after-credits scenes, it shows Meat Boy, Bandage Girl, & Nugget enjoying life again and walking away happily into the sunset. Meanwhile, Dr. Fetus makes many Meat Boy clones and arms himself with a shotgun. The screen then turns black saying "Dr. Fetus Will Return."
Development
Development for Super Meat Boy Forever was announced in 2014 as a mobile-only sequel to the original Super Meat Boy. Team Meat founders Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes originally teased the project as a "live-action stealth game" called A Voyeur for September, but this was later revealed to be an anagram for Super Meat Boy Forever.
After a few years of little to no public updates, Edmund McMillen left Team Meat and began focusing on other intellectual property such as The Binding of Isaac and The End Is Nigh. Refenes said to not "hold your breath" expecting McMillen to come back after Super Meat Boy Forever is released.
Reception
The Nintendo Switch version holds a 71 based on 8 critic reviews with an average user score of 4.8, indicating mixed or average reviews. The PC version holds a 73 based on 4 critic reviews with an average user score of 4.0.
