Here we go. This review has been a LONG time coming. For entry number 25, I wanted to do something big. Something special. and this game fit the bill to a tee.
At Least There Is Ceda Cedovic is a free platformer by LeatherIceCream, released in 2020, modelled after games like Super Mario Bros. 3, but quickly spiralling into its own particular brand of weirdness, references, and shitpostery. There is... SO MUCH to get into with this one, but suffice it to say...
This game is the kind of thing I LIVE for on this blog. It seems like a meme-infested shitpost of a game when you look at it... but when you dig into it, it's a rock-solid experience full to bursting with creative ideas.
And memes. Can't forget the memes!
WHAT IS A CEDA CEDOVIC?
This might take a bit of explaining. It all starts with The Poor 4, a cartoon series made by LeatherIceCream, started in 2009, rebooted in 2017. The best way I can describe it is "Eddsworld, but Slavic, and on cocaine." It's very funny if you like absurdist humor.
This wouldn't be all that notable by itself... but, well, there's a video game starring the leader of the Poor 4, Ceda Cedovic, a perpetually angry man prone to going on wild plans, crude rants, and anything else he can think of.
As we all know, the best shitposts are the ones with high effort put into them. And At Least There Is Ceda Cedovic is the reigning king of shitpost games now as far as I'm concerned. Why? Well, let's get into...
GAMEPLAY:This game has some strange controls that will take a bit to get used to. Like Mario, you have a P-meter that tracks your momentum. Unlike Mario, it is not a suggestion, it is a requirement. If try jumping from a standstill, you move like a brick.
You have a dive move you can perform while jumping, which sends you tumbling forward, but that's ALSO momentum dependent. More importantly, if you throw it out at the wrong time, you might just send yourself careening into a hazard or a pit.
Now, this can be frustrating until you get the hang of it... but when you do, you'll be flying through the levels like nobody's business.
Like Mario, there's a roster of power-ups, the typical small and big states, but I'll get more into the powerups as I get into the levels. What is important to note is that there's a shop where you can buy them, along with extra lives.
(There is a lives system, but you can turn it off- which you probably should, as this game is tough as nails.)
GRAPHICS:
The character sprites are full of whimsy and adorableness- just look at Ceda's goofy-ass pompadour. And every single enemy in the game is drawn with this level of care and consistency.
As for the environmental graphics, even when it's referencing other stuff- which it does CONSTANTLY- all of it is redrawn in the game's higher resolution, so there's very little artstyle clash going on here.
STORY AND HUMOR
The plot is that Ceda Cedovic wants to become King of CounterStrike, and decides to go all the way to hell to take it over so he can do just that, while his weird friends tag along... and he gets into increasingly strange confrontations with all sorts of strange baddies.
Such a simple plot is given unexpected levels of hilarity by the fully-animated and voice-acted cutscenes throughout- they are a joy to watch, and bring the insanity to new heights. I was laughing my head off the ENTIRE TIME I was playing this.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack's infected with terminal meme dosage. Practically every song has a motif or sample from some crusty old fad in it somewhere, and I'm sure I didn't recognize half of them. And every single stage has its own song, too. I challenge you to NOT have some of these get stuck in your head.
Even without that, though, these songs are absolute BANGERS. I'll be shouting out specific ones when I get to the levels that contain them.
Hell, the title screen starts with a FIVE MINUTE remix of all sorts
of old meme songs, so that should tell you the level of humor we're
going for here.
WORLD 1: BORING WORLD
As the name implies, this is indeed the most boring world- but in a game like this, that's kind of a compliment by itself. Simple and effective starting stages to ease you into the madness.
1-1: WELCOME TO DEATH
Immediately right off the bat, it's obvious what this game is. Super Mario Bros. 3, but on several mind-altering substances and terminal meme dosage. But not quite right away- this ain't called "Boring World" for nothing. For the time being, let loose and get used to the controls.
The enemies are of no threat to you, but note the fact that you can eat the CD-disk shells of their owners for extra powerups.
You get the first powerup here, the Pizza- which functions exactly like the Fire Flower. Toss 'em around and watch the enemies fall to pieces. (Except for the cheese-resistant enemies.)
As required in a 1-1 homage, there's a spot where you can duck underground for a Golden Sausage and a message box. Hell, the message boxes even play a snippet from "Oh Yeah"- not even the most ridiculous meme you'll see here.
The goals are literal soccer goals that you can kick the ball into with a run, and if you get a goal, Ceda does a victory thumbs-up, perfectly timed with the Michael Rosen "noice" in the victory jingle. Peak.
1-2: TOAST MINES
This stage is far less of an obvious analogue to 1-2, with a complicated layout full of new hazards- like these cheese blocks that deal damage. Expect to see those a LOT.
Oh, and molten cheese that acts like lava. Why does it do that? Who knows.
A new powerup gets introduced here, the Axe. It lets you slice and dice your way through most enemies, and it's VERY fun to use.
Especially with all these pelvises popping out of pipes. Yes, really.
You'll have to deal with a fair bit more use of the dash to get under narrow ceilings- get used to that, that'll become a VERY big requirement later. This level doesn't reinvent any wheels, but it certainly keeps the momentum rolling.
I gotta shoutout the music, "Singsong", what with its backing vocal sample- "you ever heard of good music" indeed. I have heard good music- and it's in this game.
1-3: NOT THE AIR LEVEL!
Ha ha. Funnily enough, there aren't even any underwater levels in this game.
Right off the bat, there's some decisive acrobatics required to get the first sausage, with jumping off a ledge and diving with good timing to slip into a gap. Get used to that, you'll have to do that kind of thing a lot.
Also introduced here are these gray top-solid platforms- I love their goofy li'l faces. Adorable.
The big new face in this level are these spiky Trashbugs- smack 'em around with other attacks, but don't jump on them.
Their boss and the game's Lakitu equivalent, the Mad Sorcerer, isn't much more threatening- though he does have a frustrating habit of staying high out of your reach. Still, this is a very chill stage- I just don't have much to say about it. Don't expect that to last.
1-4: KING TRASHBUG
I had to include this incredible out of context screenshot. Not that context makes it any better.
For a first boss, this guy is no pushover. Sure he just stands in place, and spews the occasional missile at you (that you can still jump on, mind you). Don't land on his crown, it's spiky and will send you hurtling back. Only direct hits to his huge back will damage him.
But every time you bash him, he'll go plunging through the ground, transporting you to a new arena and forcing you to go in an entirely different path to get to him again. One usually filled with cheese blocks, molten cheese, and a LOT more trashbugs to weave around and jump off.
You do get another checkpoint before the final hit, though- but that arena takes you all around, up and down, in a spiral motion around a bunch of obstacles, before you finally land that last, meaty hit. Can I just say, i love the sound effects for this. That big THUD when he crashes down, it makes a pretty simple boss feel oh-so-satisfying. Plus look at that cute face. It's adorable, like a Problem Sleuth character.
Using segments of level mixed in with fighting a boss is a tactic this game will use frequently, and King Trashbug is a great introduction to the concept.
Plus, his boss music is fantastic- gotta love that ragtime.
WORLD 2: JAVA JUNGLE WORLD
Finally, the references begin in earnest. Though, I did not get ANY of these on my first playthrough... if it wasn't for the fact that it tells you them in the credits, I would've assumed most of these were normal levels.
2-1: HONEY CAVE
Welcome to the first of MANY pop culture references very few people will understand- this stage is a riff on the ancient J2ME game Honey Cave 3D, complete with the bear from it sitting at the start of the level.
As befitting a hive level, this stage is full of BEES, which make for both good dodging obstacles and impromptu platforms- get used to that, because you're gonna be bouncing off a lot of them in a row. The momentum mechanics are gonna have to be learned NOW to save yourself some trouble later.
Also introduced are these water bottle cannons, which are the Bullet Bill analogues. They can only fire one way, but that doesn't stop them from being a bit of a nuisance sometimes- or helpful, if you need to reach things high up. If you don't have a handle on the momentum mechanics of this game yet, this is a great time to learn.
And after all those careful jumps, getting to plow through a whole swarm of bees with the sugar cube is an excellent wind-down. This stage isn't that much more of a departure from what came before- but things are about to take a swerve into insanity, real quick.
2-2: SPIN FUN
At first, this level doesn't seem like much either, aside from the striking purple color palette. But pretty soon, the uniqueness will become VERY evident.
This stage is home to the first reference in this game I actually understood, this level's gimmick revolves around Lumpy from Happy Tree Friends flinging cute animals at you from the background...
Where they explode into a bloody mess on impact. Only hiding under roofs can save from the carnage, that goes EVERYWHERE, all over the place. You're not likely to get hit by them very much given how slow the fire rate is, but it's enough to keep you pleasantly on your toes.
This stage also introduces these moving ball platforms that travel along lines- not too threatening now, but they get used in some interesting ways...
You know, like this part where they descend below the bone-munchers. Enjoy the breather while it lasts- the deviousness is coming.
This is the first level that really wowed me with this game, with its combo of hilarious reference and solid gameplay, and the first real showcase of its whacky creativity and humor complementing the level design. There will be MANY more levels like this, that blow it out of the water. Don't you worry.
2-3: SPACE IMPACT
This level immediately makes a splash with its aesthetics, a loving tribute to Nokia phones and the obscure game Space Impact. Everything's monochrome, including you. It's impressive how not-cluttered everything is- somebody was taking the right lessons from the Game Boy and its ilk.
Anyway, the meat of this level is a fairly sedate autoscroller, that'll still test your reaction time a lot if you're going for the collectables. What i really like about it is that if you run to the edge of the screen, you can scroll it yourself- a lovely way to avert the feeling of tedium that this sort of stage can run into.
These enemies that always try to go to your level are also a neat touch- the first enemy that doesn't have an obvious analogue to anything Mario-related. Plus, you can stomp on a bunch of them in a row if you time it right.
The music here is very good- a swingy groove that fits the vibes of "retro" and "space" both at once.
Overall, another early standout for a great level- it keeps you on your toes constantly without being overwhelming, and the aesthetics are wonderful.
2-4: ICY TOWER
ANOTHER game I'd never heard of before this, Icy Tower is a whole-hog reference to the jumping game of the same name from 2001. The first half of the level is fairly sedate, with the only notable feature being these red ice-cheese blocks. Given how slippery this game's controls already are... yeah, watch out for those.
Though, you may notice the timer up top. Apparently being cold outside freezes the timer in place at 15 seconds. Don't worry about it. Yet.
This level also introduces one of my favorite enemies- Fugo from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, who tosses pizzas at you. (Okay, technically he was in the last level but he didn't really distinguish himself there.)
When you enter the tower, the real stage is revealed. It's a vertical autoscroller with ice everywhere, and all sorts of hazards. Oh, and that timer's restarted, requiring you to collect clocks to keep from dying instantly. Tick-tock, tick-tock!
Oftentimes, missing one jump can spell certain doom in the pit that's following you up, especially with these moving platforms- and you can't stay on them for too long, because cheese blocks are waiting for you up there.
Or this ill-timed Evil Sorcerer appearance- don't get smacked around by the icy trashbugs on your way up.
It's a tense stage, with you constantly on the move, seconds away from death, and it's even worse if you're going for the collectables- they require going out of your way to get. But once you get the groove down, it's one of the best levels so far- mostly owing to its sense of flow that few other stages match.
2-5: DEEP ABYSS
This was the first stage to make me burst out into giggles immediately upon entering it. I mean, the background music is a trap remix of the Stanley Parable Demo's 8 button dialogue, with the number 8 plastered all over the background... it's hilarious.
But this stage isn't just content to make you giggle, no, it's gonna put you to the test. This is the first level to introduce ETERNAL POWERUPS, which give you three hits, but kill you upon losing your newly-gained health bar. And since you get the cape, that means you're gonna have a lot of tight jumps to do.
This stage has some of the best flow in the game, with the diagonal cape jumps letting you zoom around like Superman, while grazing your way past all sorts of hazards, like these gauntlets of cheese blocks.
Also used to lesser effect are these springs that disappear after one bounce. Wasting them will usually result in your death, so don't take them for granted.
This bit, where you have to outrun the moving platform to grab a DiscBug to break your way to the Sausage, before the rising elevator crushes it, is particularly inspired.
This level is a test of your mobility in the best ways, and it's a great capper for world 2.
2-6: BARBARIAN
Holy art style clash, batman!
Hoo boy. This is quite a boss bottle, and way more of a challenge than the Big Trash Bug. He'll constantly run backwards, scrolling the screen along with him, while occasionally throwing out trios of swords to slash you up.
The objective is to jump-dive directly into his cranium, but that is HARD when you actually have to platform and dodge enemies and hazards while this is happening, or if he throws sword s high up. In addition, that method isn't exactly obvious- he's the only boss to have an entire section in the game's manual letting you know how to beat him.
If you're worried about catching up to him, eventually the scrolling will stop and he'll just stand in place (though there are some spots when it's probably easier to get him beforehand.) Don't dive into any other part of his body, though- it'll just send you flying away, probably into something damaging. (And no, you can't hit him when he's kneeling down.)
Your saving grace is that you get an Eternal Axe powerup, letting you cleave your way through the legions of foes in between you and victory- and batting away his swords, too. Even then, this is a tense fight, with a ton of stuff to worry about- but very satisfying.
Every hit sends you to an entirely separate map, with its own obstacle course of death, and they get increasingly ridiculous as the brawl goes on. The third one is especially tight, with the lava cheese below and barely any opportunities to end the phase early.
But the sheer goofiness of the fight, the Barbarian's art-style clash taken to ludicrous extremes, and the fight music (BA-BA, BAR-BARBARIAN!) take off some of the sting not knowing how to kill him at first glance. If he seems like a brick wall, keep going- Barbarian is a skill check, and learning how to navigate hazards while a lot of stuff is happening around you is training for the later stages.
Also, getting to chop off his head and send it flying in a shower of blood is pure win.
This is part 1 of this review, part 2 will be covering worlds 3-5, and part 3 covers Worlds 6-7 with an extra surprise at the end. I'll update the page when it's ready!