Square Meal
- Action
- Top-down
Keyboard
Flash(earliest known availability)
Square Meal is an action-multiplayer game released during the time period of July 18th - 30th, 2007[1]. The player controls a Square Bull trapped in a maze-styled dungeon whose goal is to eat (swallow) all present enemies after knocking them out with blocks. The game was planned a sequel, though it was cancelled.
Controls[edit | edit source]
Green Troll:
Arrow Keys - Move
Space - Throw blocks/eat enemies
Blue Troll:
, 
, 
, 
WASD - Move- Ctrl - Throw blocks/eat enemies
Gameplay[edit | edit source]
The objective of Square Meal is to clear all the enemies in each level. The player controls a bull that has to pick up blocks in its enormous mouth and spit them out, sending them sliding across the screen at enemies. If a block hits an enemy, it will knock them unconscious for a brief period of time in which the troll can go and eat them, killing them in the process as well as gaining points for the player. Different types of enemies and blocks are encountered throughout the game.
Levels[edit | edit source]
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In each level of Square Meal, the player's character, a bull, has to clear the level of all enemies. To kill an enemy, the troll has to eat a block, then spit it out at an enemy. The block - if it reaches the enemy - will knock the enemy unconscious for a short period of time. While the enemy is unconscious, the troll can go up and eat it, eliminating the enemy.
Level 1[edit | edit source]
Enemies: In this level there are five mud monsters.
Level 1
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Level 2[edit | edit source]
Enemies: There are two shells and four troll skeletons. This level introduces wooden blocks.
Level 2
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Level 3[edit | edit source]
Enemies: There are two shells and five mud monsters.
Level 3
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Level 4[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level has three bull skeletons, three shells, and two mud monsters.
Level 4
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Level 5[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level has ten mud monsters who walk around a rectangle made of blocks.
Level 5
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Level 6[edit | edit source]
Enemies: There are four shells and only one mud monster. This level introduces the game's first hazard - spikes.
Level 6
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Level 7[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level has six mud monsters.
Level 7
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Level 8[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level has three mud monsters, two bull skeletons, and one shell.
Level 8
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Level 9[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level has four mud monsters and two fish men.
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Level 10[edit | edit source]
Enemies: This level contains five mud monsters, with the level being made up of only wooden blocks.
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Level 11[edit | edit source]
This level has seven mud monsters.
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Level 12[edit | edit source]
This level has five mud monsters and three troll skeletons. Lots of stone blocks are scattered around this level.
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Level 13[edit | edit source]
This level contains five shells; slippery floor is also introduced in this level.
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Level 14[edit | edit source]
Four skeletons roam the level, along with most of the level taken up by slippery floor.
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Level 15[edit | edit source]
Three skeletons appear in this level. Jelly blocks are also introduced in the level.
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Level 16[edit | edit source]
Four troll skeletons and three mud monsters are present in this level.
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Level 17[edit | edit source]
Six mud monsters are the enemies for this level, only they are walking on spikes.
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Level 18[edit | edit source]
One fish man, three mud monsters, and one troll skeleton.
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Level 19[edit | edit source]
This level has six troll skeletons, with only metal blocks scattered around.
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Level 20[edit | edit source]
This level has two fish men and four mud monsters.
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Level 21[edit | edit source]
Two troll skeletons and four mud monsters patrol the level. Bomb blocks are introduced for the level.
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Level 22[edit | edit source]
There are four mud monsters in this level.
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Level 23[edit | edit source]
There are two shells mud monsters. On top of that, moving spikes are introduced.
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Level 24[edit | edit source]
Three skeletons, along with a single mud monster and a shell are the enemies for this level.
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Level 25[edit | edit source]
A single fish man, a mud fountain, and a troll skeleton are the enemies for this level. There are also three rows of spikes, with an enemy in each row.
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Level 26[edit | edit source]
There are two shells, two troll skeletons, and three mud monsters.
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Level 27[edit | edit source]
There are four mud monsters and two troll skeletons.
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Level 28[edit | edit source]
In this level, four troll skeletons and two mud monsters are the enemies. There are also very few blocks in the level, lot of space, and some spikes.
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Level 29[edit | edit source]
Four mud monsters and two bull skeletons walk around a level scattered with much food.
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Level 30[edit | edit source]
This level holds nine mud monsters, a large number of wooden blocks, and introduces stepping spikes.
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Level 31[edit | edit source]
This level has six shells and some wooden blocks.
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Level 32[edit | edit source]
This level has four mud monsters and three shells.
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Level 33[edit | edit source]
This contains two mud monsters and two fish men.
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Level 34[edit | edit source]
Seven mud monsters roam the area, three of which are near the player at the start of the level. Slippery floor is near the player when they start.
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Level 35[edit | edit source]
This level contains six mud monsters. Many stone blocks are placed around the level, along with jelly blocks placed on the walls of the level.
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Level 36[edit | edit source]
Three mud monsters and three fish men are all the enemies the level contains.
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Level 37[edit | edit source]
Eight mud monsters are placed around the level.
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Level 38[edit | edit source]
This level contains only wooden blocks. Three fish men are placed in separate squares of turquoise, where they will fly out and move around the level.
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Level 39[edit | edit source]
This level is made up of narrow paths, three troll skeletons and two mud monsters.
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Level 40[edit | edit source]
Four mud monsters and two troll skeletons roam the level.
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Level 41[edit | edit source]
This level contains six mud monsters and many jelly blocks. To complete the level, the jelly blocks should be bounced of each other to stun the enemies.
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Level 42[edit | edit source]
Six mud monsters are present in this level.
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Level 43[edit | edit source]
Many moving spikes are placed throughout this level which contains four mud monsters and a single troll skeleton.
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Level 44[edit | edit source]
Many bomb blocks are placed throughout the level, along with bomb blocks being the only block in the level. Five bull skeletons complicate the level.
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Level 45[edit | edit source]
A single shell and four mud monsters are the enemies for this level.
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Level 46[edit | edit source]
A vast amount of stepping spikes are scattered throughout the level, sometimes in places unexpected. A single mud monster and a troll skeleton roam the level.
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Level 47[edit | edit source]
Five bomb blocks must be used to defeat four one shells.
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Level 48[edit | edit source]
Four mud monsters have to be stunned whilst avoiding stepping spikes present in every other tile.
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Level 49[edit | edit source]
Four fish men move about the level.
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Level 50[edit | edit source]
Four bull skeletons, two mud monsters, and shells are placed in pairs, each pair in a section with the entrance blocked by two bomb blocks. These bomb blocks have to be precisely shot so they either explode and take out the enemy or stun them. This is the last level in the game, and it is hard—— there are only bomb blocks so the player has to remember not to keep the block in the mouth for long.
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Ending[edit | edit source]
This collapsible box contains a spoiler! Use [show] to reveal.
Interactive objects[edit | edit source]
- Food - Gives the player 100 points when eaten. It also acts as an obstacle, preventing the troll from passing through it. If two players eat it at the same time, each player gets 50 points.
Blocks[edit | edit source]
The troll can swallow most blocks and spit them out to knock out enemies, although each have different effects.
- Turquoise stone - This stone forms the dungeon wall and is present in every level. It can't be eaten.
- Stone block - This stone can be shot at enemies and will knock them unconscious upon impact; the block however will keep travelling until it hits the wall or another block.
- Wooden blocks - This block shatters upon impact with an enemy, another block, or the wall.
- Metal block - The block will decrease in speed once shot.
- Jelly block - This block will rebound off other block, and knock unconscious enemies, but will kill the troll on contact.
- Bomb block - This block will detonate in the troll's mouth in 10 seconds. It will kill an enemy if it is caught in the explosion.
Enemies[edit | edit source]
Enemies in Square Meal must be eaten by the troll once unconscious in order to pass the level.
- Mud monsters - These walking enemies are almost completely covered in mud. They grant 100 points upon being eaten. They do not actively chase the player, instead moving randomly.
- Troll skeletons - These enemies walk around the level, trying to chase the player and will charge at the troll on sight. The player obtains 100 points upon devouring them.
- Shell monsters - These enemies will walk short distances before bringing their shell down. They are protected from all attacks when their shell is down.
- Fish men - These enemies have the ability to fly over blocks as well as follow the player in the direction they are going in. They cannot be hurt while flying.
Hazards[edit | edit source]
- Slippery floor - Slippery floor will slide the player at a low speed in the direction of the slippery floor.
- Spikes - Spikes will kill the troll on contact, but not harm enemies.
- Moving Spikes - These spikes will move up and down out of the floor.
- Stepping Spikes - The Spikes will go up when the player stands on them.
Credits[edit | edit source]
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Gallery[edit | edit source]
The title screen for Square Meal
Miniclip Awards[edit | edit source]
Square Meal Gold
6500 points
Glitches[edit | edit source]
- It is possible to walk through a wall by standing next to it, pressing the direction away from it, and quickly(before the step is complete)pressing the direction toward the it. The wall may then be walked out of onto any empty adjacent space. This can be done twice in a row, which can trap the player.
- Sometimes when the bomb block explodes and the troll is caught in the blast , the troll may sometimes become invisible instead of being killed. When the troll is invisible, it can do all the usual things it would be able to do while visible, but if it touches a monster, it will die.
- On level 40, if the player puts a jelly block between the two jelly blocks at the bottom of the level, the block will go off to the right side of the screen, creating a path that player can walk through. The player can even walk outside the game area.
- It seems that wooden blocks will not be removed from the game until the end of their breaking animation. As a result, it is possible to get the wooden block back from its breaking animation if the player press Space/Ctrl quickly enough.
- When the player dies or clears the level, there is about one second before the message block appears. Because of this, if the player eats the last enemy then walks into the spikes, the troll will die but immediately stand up, jumping and cheering.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- On level 42, the stone blocks spell the word "Nitrome". This also occurs in one level of Bad Ice-Cream.
- Bad Ice-Cream, released 3 years later, has a similar gameplay and enemies from Square Meal.
- In the animation when completing a level, the troll has nothing in its mouth, no matter whether the player has eaten a block or not.
- The Trolls appereance are likely to reflect on the designs of the Uglydoll brand of plush toys.
- In January 2014, Nitrome posted a blog post on the Nitrome blog about a fan-made level editor for the game a fan had created and that they would be interested in putting out a fan-made player pack if fans could create 50 quality levels, which never came to fruition.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Nitrome - Play Free Online Games on the Wayback Machine (archived 9 Aug 7 ) (games sorted in the order they were released)
Square Meal was released after Hot Air 2, which was released on July 16th.
Miniclip Games - Play Free Games on the Wayback Machine (archived 18 Jul 7 ) (no Square Meal)
Jay is Games: Square Meal - Walkthrough, Tips, Review, 30 Jul 7, retrieved 23 Apr 16. (contains a link to Square Meal on Nitrome's website)
| v • d • eSquare Meal | |
|---|---|
| General | Square Meal • Square Meal 2 • Square Bulls • Food • Blocks |
| Enemies | Mud monsters • Square Bull skeletons • Shell • Fish men • Weresquare |
| Hazards | Spikes • Slippery floor |