Super Meat Boy: 10 Best Unlockable Characters

Super Meat Boy took the indie world by storm and even dominated the mainstream market. From the moment it was released, it became an instant classic. Critics and fans alike loved the slightly gory platform which is full of wall jumping action. The game is full of unique features and incredible art; the story and characters are unforgettable; there are even a ton of unlockable characters for you to discover and play as. Each one has its own unique properties and personality, which is why we've rounded up the 10 best and included some tips on how to claim each one for yourself.

10 10. Captain Viridian

Captain Viridian is an homage to indie platformer VVVVVV. He has some pretty interesting advantages. This character can flip gravity upending the map. This ability only works on flat, horizontal ground, however, and that power doesn't come without setbacks.

In addition to terrain requirements, he also can’t control the height of jumps while gravity is flipped. He also can’t run very fast. You can unlock Captain Viridian in the PC/Mac/Linux version by collecting 90 bandages. His high price is ironic as his ability would come in handy while collecting bandages.

9 9. Flywrench

Flywrench has an incredibly useful ability but it’s balanced out with some serious cons: He can travel vertically up walls. This fun character also has two smaller jumps in addition to his main jump. Each jump in the triple sequence is weaker than the last.

Flywrench is extremely heavy and falls faster than any other character. He may have more chances to jump, but he doesn’t get much air time. He’s a difficult character to use and could take a long time to master.

8 8. Potato Boy

April 1st, 2001 held a special treat for those with the Steam version of the game. The creators added a skin turning Meat Boy into a starch spud. He didn’t leave Meat Boy’s signature blood trials, though. As soon as April Fool’s Day was over, the skin disappeared from the game. Hardcore carb addicts can still get their fix, though. Potato Boy is still playable but only with a glitch called "bandage duplication." You can only activate the glitch with a clean save file.

7 7. Commander Video

This is one of the most colorful of the unlockable characters in the game. He’s the main character of the popular Bit Trip series. We’re talking, of course, about Commander Video. He has the ability to float or hover for a brief moment. That ability makes him useful for gathering bandages. He’s balanced out by his low speed, being the second slowest character in the game. To find the Commander, you'll have to travel to the warp zone in the Forest.

6 6. Gish

Gish is the titular character in another platformer. He (or it) is relatively low cost to unlock with only 90 bandages. He’s only available in the XBLA, PS4, PS Vita, and Wii U versions of Super Meat Boy. Gish has movement abilities but is also extremely slow. He can cling to walls and slide around the ceiling. Gish also appears as an unlockable boss in The Binding Of Isaac. He has a similar backstory to Meat Boy, making him a good fit for the game.

5 5. Tofu Boy

What do you do when PETA mocks your game? You embrace it and include their character in your game. Tofu Boy was introduced to Super Meat Boy after the animal rights group released their game Super Tofu Boy. The unlockable character is only available in the PC, Mac, Linux version of the game. He has a major iron deficiency which causes him to be the lowest jumping and slowest moving character in the game. Oddly enough, Tofu Boy can be unlocked by typing “petaphile” at character selection.

4 4. Goo Ball

Goo Ball has been called the Steam version of Gish. He has similar movement abilities sticking to walls and sliding across ceilings. He’s only available in the Steam version of the game, however. To unlock Goo Ball-type “ballgoo” at character selection.

This character is from the indie game World Of Goo, and like Gish, he has great vertical jump but limited horizontal jump. He appears to be a ball of tar filled with eyes.

3 3. Ninja

The Ninja is the main character of the “N” series. He’s only available in the XBLA, PS4, PS Vita, and Wii U versions of the game. This character is perfect for speedruns. He’s the fastest character in the game when both dash buttons are pressed. While he’s not as great at wall jumping as Meat Boy is, he is extremely light and has fantastic aerial control. The Ninja can be unlocked with 100 bandages. This character is really useful for anyone who is willing to give up a little bit of wall slide for incredible speed.

2 2. Dr. Fetus

This unlockable character is the main bad guy of the game. Dr. Fetus is only available through the bandage duplication glitch or in devmode. Dr. Fetus can only be unlocked in the PC version of the game, but once he’s unlocked, he’s extremely useful. His movement speed is pretty fast and he has the ability to shoot rockets. He’s also invincible. Nothing can kill him except falling out of the world map. Dr. Fetus was never intended to be a player character, so unlocking him is a unique experience.

1 1. Bandage Girl

Bandage Girl is available in all versions of the game. She’s Meat Boy’s girlfriend. Her role is kind of as a Princess Peach, to be honest. The catalyst of the whole game is Bandage GIrl being taken by Dr. Fetus. She’s also reminiscent of Mrs. Pac-Man in that she functions exactly like her boyfriend. The main difference between the two characters is her cute hair accessory. After each level’s boss is defeated, there’s a chance she’ll enter a glitch mode. This alters her personality and audio. If you touch Bandage Girl while she’s in this mode you’ll activate the glitch mode for that chapter.