You Have to Win the Game 1.0

Indie platformers have gotten less and less accessible as time goes on for whatever reason. More and more, they've decided to focus on player skill and adaptation than accessibility. For better or worse, You Have to Win The Game follows that trend.

To install You Have to Win The Game, make sure you have Steam installed and head on over to this link to install it.

Despite its title, you're more than likely not going to win the game. The first thing you'll notice is the aesthetic. It's very intentionally framed like you're playing it on a 1980s TV, coupled with a curved TV frame complete with beeps and massive pixels. However, it's not out to clone those kinds of games. The gameplay very much expects you to understand modern platforming design and designs its levels around that.

Its general tone is very lighthearted, with its witty room names and pop culture references constantly getting at least a chuckle. One room full of snakes is called "obvious movie quote", expecting you to understand it's about Indiana Jones.

Its levels are not forgiving. Each level is carefully crafted in a way where you have to take risks. There are occasionally leaps of faith that forces you to just go for it, and some items that are totally offscreen.

Overall, You Have to Win the Game is incredibly fun, tapping into the very core of what platformers are. It rewards map knowledge and repeat playthroughs while also not being so punishing that the first playthrough is awful.