Antonblast, (stylized in all caps as ANTONBLAST), is a 2024 platform game developed and published by indie video game studio Summitsphere. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the full game was released on December 3, 2024, for Microsoft Windows, with a Nintendo Switch version later released on December 13. It is the second installment in the Anton series after Antonball Deluxe. The story follows the demolitions expert: Dynamite Anton and his coworker, Dynamite Annie as they set out to recover Anton's collection of spirits stolen by Satan's mole army of "Ballbusters". Satan commanded his army to steal Anton's spirits out of jealousy that Anton is redder than him. The player controls either Anton or Annie throughout 12 side-scrolling levels. At the end of every level, an escape sequence is activated and the player must travel back to the beginning within a time limit, in order to complete the level.
Summary
Satan is admiring his own "redness" in his magic mirror, until it informs him that a demolition worker named Dynamite Anton has skin redder than his own. Satan demands that his army of moles discover what Anton likes the most and steal it to bait him into his lair. After the moles break into his apartment and steal his collection of spirits, Anton and his co-worker Annie go out to seek out those responsible. The pair are supported in their quest by casino owner Brulo, who promises to revoke Anton's ban from his establishment in exchange for ridding it of a Satanic curse.
After finding all of the spirits, the pair reach Satan, who proceeds to drain the player's color, making him redder, and he tosses them aside. The spirits rejuvenate and transform the player into a demon, enabling them to defeat Satan. A petulant Satan bombs the entire world in retaliation as Anton and Annie retreat to their apartment, the only structure left standing, to celebrate their victory.
Gameplay
Antonblast is a platformer. The player takes control of either Dynamite Anton or Dynamite Annie as they rampage through several areas populated by Satan's minions to reclaim Anton's stolen spirits. From Brulo's Casino, which acts as the game's hub world, they can access several different levels, each of which houses a spirit. All of the spirits must be retrieved to challenge Satan and complete the game.
The player's primary means of attack is the "Clutch", a dash that destroys enemies and obstacles. Clutching in a rhythm set by a meter enhances the speed of the dash. Pressing the button just before striking an enemy or obstacle sends the player into a high-speed "Slingshot", allowing them to barrel through a series of obstacles without stopping. Pressing the same button in mid-air performs a spinning "Hammer Vault" that allows them to bounce off the floor to greater heights. The player can also roll and slide along the ground, or perform the "Antomic Blast" to plummet through the air and enter dumpsters.
Populating levels are poker chips of different values, cassette tapes that can be played at Brulo's Casino, spray cans that unlock palette swaps for the player character, and a special collectible unique to the level. The player can spend poker chips at Brulo's Casino on permanent upgrades to their maximum health, temporary power-ups for the next level, or additional cassette tapes and spray cans.
Each level is divided into two layers: the background and foreground. The player can move between layers by jumping on special springs, and use color-coded detonators to remove blocks with a corresponding color and potentially transform the opposite layer. At the climax of each level, the player activates a clock-like detonator that triggers an event known as "Happy Hour", giving the player a time limit to return to the level's beginning before it explodes. During "Happy Hour", certain blocks that previously obstructed the player's path become intangible, and vice versa, thus creating a new route the player has to traverse in order to finish the level. Several levels instead pit the player against a boss; either one of Satan's "Bossbuster" moles, or a larger-scale boss with multiple phases.