Uh, it runs widescreen, it's just that the rooms are all 4:3, so they're letterboxed on the side. Each room is a single screen and they connect. You can't make them fit exactly into 16:9 (or oldschool iOS 3:2) without stretching it. It's kind of a silly reason to avoid playing this game. No letterboxing on iPads though.
It's sometimes pretty much impossible to support different screen resolutions / ratios with true pixel games; it's a bit easier on scrolling games, but with flip screen, what can you do without ugly stretching? By the way, the VVVVVV graphical style is most heavily inspired by the Commodore 64, right down to the font. (Edit: I was writing this at the same time as Doomlaser)
Just bought this game, and I'm liking it so far! However, one thing is bothering me: everything is quite blurry on my iPad 3. On the Mac version of the game, I'm able to switch the between linear filtering (blurry edges), and nearest filtering (crisp edges). It looks like the iPad option uses linear filtering, and doesn't have an option to change it. Has anybody figured out how to get nearest filtering on the iOS version? Also, I just tried running the game on my 7.1.1 iPhone 5, and after showing the 'now loading' screen, it hangs on a black screen. Anybody else having this issue?
For those who have purchased: are there just leaderboards (for the endless levels, time attack, etc) or are there also achievements?
If you flip to the platform above you, then flip back down to the console, you can get yourself back out without attempting to get that trinket on your right.
This game is soo much better than I ever thought it would be... ... And I thought it would be amazing!!!
Man-oh-man, any of you folks avoiding this game because of lacking "widescreen" are slap-worthily depriving yourselves -- even on PC, "widescreen" is a matter of stretching, so preserving the aspect ratio screen-to-screen is much more preferable. Got this in Kongregate, Steam, and 3DS, and will eventually get it here. The trinkets do become hella difficult to nab, but the game itself is very generous with checkpoints, so you will, even if only steadily, make progress. And since there's no power-ups for you or unlocks for the environment, it's purely according to where you do or want to go. And to be sure you don't get stuck in frustration (the tower, I would wager above all other locations), the game separately saves at the teleporters, which are all located in relatively safe parts of the map. THE MUSIC. Gods. Yes. YES. Just...yes. For those of you with some VVVVVVxperience under your belt, the Steam version has recently been updated with some new options (first you may notice is a manually resizable window, which means it starts off really small, though most striking is the visual filter) and achievements, those latter being the same as used in-game. Also, the composer (Souleye's MUSIC, MMPH!) has released the efforts of a collaboration with FamilyJules7X for MMMMMM, a (very varied) metal remix of the album, also available on Bandcamp and iTunes, where you can also find PPPPPPowerup!, a compilation of guest remixes. For one, I'm kinda surprised at Super Gravitron getting a standalone release. As part of VVVVVV's main gameplay, it "checkpoints" every five seconds you survive, but as a minigame, I would suppose it's just the same between in-game and the standalone. Don't remember how long I ever lasted, but it's definitely not entirely random. There's gotta be only so many patterns, but which show up is less determinate. tl;dr - Everythign about this game is amazing, and you'll definitely be able to play through it, so GET TO IT ALREADY, NNGH!
I'm really really enjoying this game. Love love love the soundtrack. I had a problem though in the early part where I already had a trinket and it wouldn't register me collecting a second, wish I'd took screenshot now, I just figured it was part of the game as this is my first time playing.
There is a map (played the game on 3DS) but don't worry it's not labyrinthine and nothing is too confusing. Plus you'll remember the locations easily.