Test Subject Blue Review – Cute, Cute, and OH GOD

Nitrome does what it does best again with Test Subject Blue, another platformer from the well-known flash game dev. TSB doesn’t bring a whole lot new to the platformer formula, but still stands out due to its quality graphics and solid gameplay.

So what’s Test Subject Blue’s gimmick? Doesn’t every Nitrome platformer have some sort gimmick? Well, yeah. This time around it’s portals.

Every level has portals set up for you to get from one area of the level to the next. This is pretty straight-forward during the first half of the game, but as you progress it gets to be more and more difficult to tell which portal goes where without testing them — which can lead to death in some cases. The portal concept isn’t anything new, but it works in favor of TSB. The stages are well thought-out without being too difficult, and the controls are tight and simple. It’s hard to say it’s unoriginal when it’s also paired with enemies to kill and the game’s downright adorable visuals.

Let’s rewind a bit: You’re an enzyme in a power suit, and your scientist creator is using you for experiments. A cute little enzyme in a cute little power suit wielding a cute little gun taking part in life-threatening experiments. Sounds about normal.

As you play through the game, you will notice that you (inside your suit) splash around as you move and jump. You even have recoil animation when you shoot. The scientist is keeping a keen eye on you as well, and you see him taking notes or tapping at the glass to get you moving. Enemies are also easy to recognize and are well-animated. These little things don’t really mean much as a whole, but they are fun to see and are a nice touch for those who like a bit of “fluff” in their games.

Perhaps what works best for Test Subject Blue is that it’s not too long. The game packs some solid gameplay into its short 25 stages, and you will be getting stuck every once in a while, but it really falls under the “short but sweet” category for flash game. It fits right in with Nitrome’s other platformers, even if the whole portal thing is a little played out these days.