There's a lot to like about Shuggy and his adventurous debut – the bug-eyed purple protagonist plays host to an expansive 2D mecca containing over a hundred unique and inspired puzzle-platforming levels that offer up a formidable yet appreciatively doable set of challenges. Cape-wearing Shuggy himself is full of cartoon whimsy and his inherited Halloween spook house of a mansion is a suitably fun and light-hearted venue for this finely-tuned downloadable title.

Above all else, the stand-out appeal of Adventures of Shuggy is that it is admirably pure. Several influences can be easily identified throughout the game's entire body of puzzle-platforming trials, but the solid execution of each one only highlights the strong understanding that developer Smudge Cat Games has when it comes to 2D platformers; the end product feels in no way shameful or lazy.

Instead, Shuggy's adorable quest for gems comes across more as a loving homage to recent platforming starlets like Braid and Super Meat Boy by mimicking them in a fashion that is actually befitting of its own quirky nature. Adventures of Shuggy is not completely original by any means, but that's a moot point to make when it fulfils its platforming criteria with this much vigour.

And just like those that came before him, Shuggy is similarly concise in his movements – darting him around each ledge and platform is truly an exercise in performance as opposed to belaboured patience. Granted, there are certain sections that would ideally allow for more considerate breathing space between obstacles and the death that lurks above and below, but navigation is mostly air-tight by virtue of clever level design married to nimble controls. This is clearly key to the experience; and thankfully the difficulty is so expertly balanced that each rise and fall feels justified depending on both the successes and mistakes made along the way. 

A variety of individual scenarios help to ease in familiarity with Shuggy's developing repertoire of moves as fresh mechanics are constantly introduced, no matter how fleeting they are in the grand scheme of things. Shifting world perspectives and doubling-up on the amount of characters on-screen are particularly rewarding systems that appease the quick-thinking mind just as any game of this breed should.

Unlocking new rooms is achieved by simply finishing the ones already opened up and even though the boss fights aren't particularly illuminating as a whole, they're still enjoyable regardless. On top of the vast amount of challenges to undertake – of which there are many – there are also several online co-op levels that are just as accomplished as the main single-player content. Make no mistake, there's plenty of bang for your digital buck here.

Coming out of the left-field, Adventures of Shuggy is a slickly-produced 2D platformer that delivers on a good amount of the heightened expectations brought about by its recent forebears. It is as accessible as it is tough; crafting together a lot of what works in modern puzzle-platformers to great effect and all at a reasonable cost. Not only that, but it's also very cute – so what's not to like?