Screenshots
5About You Have to Win the Game
Originally released in May 2012, You Have to Win the Game has now arrived on Steam with a more difficult remixed campaign and Playable Cat DLC*!! You Have to Win the Game is a free exploration platformer with a retro 1980s PC aesthetic. Run, jump, and avoid deadly pitfalls as you explore the ruins of a lost world in search of hidden treasures and rare artifacts! Experience the thrill of four-color CGA graphics and monotonic PC speaker sounds! Or take a peek at the future of home entertainment with the SIXTEEN-COLOR EGA GRAPHICS option! Want a tougher challenge? Try YOLO mode! You only live once -- one wrong move and it's back to the start of the game!
- Genres
- Action
- Followers
- 0
Player reviews
You have to win the game, is a game that grinds at your obsessive compulsive behavior
You have to win the game, is a game that grinds at your obsessive compulsive behavior. You always feel a need to explore more, get that next thing. Reminded me of playing the original Metroid, sparking that sense of wonder I had as a child to keep wondering "What's on the next panel?" Also the game is hard, really hard at times, but it's like Ninja Gaiden-unlimited continues. So you gotta press on, your brain tells you this constanly. Either way its free to play, it's hard but fair. It all depends on your skill/OCD/Masochistic nature. If you like 8 bit, you'll like this.
- Graphics4.0
- Gameplay4.5
- Story4.0
- Value4.5
Hard to put down
You Have to Win the Game is a short but sweet exploration-based retro platformer seemingly designed with the sole purpose of plunging a bullseye arrow into my nostalgia heart. The game has the look of the early PC games I grew up on, complete with CGA graphics (you play it through an in-game CRT monitor emulated on the screen), but designed with the modern pixel-perfect platforming sensibilities of games like VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy. Thankfully, it's not nearly as hard as those games, and can be easily completed in around an hour or so with a little bit of determination. Checkpoints are liberal, and there is no penalty for dying. And for those who enjoy a tougher challenge, there are harder modes available, along with a collection sidequest for 100% completion. And the best part? It's absolutely free. Seriously, as in no-strings attached, no microtransaction bull$h%t, 100% free. One might think that may mean the quality probably isn't that great, but I assure you it's rock-solid, and clearly made with love and care by someone who was inspired by those early days of PC gaming as much as I was. If you're a fan of 2D platformers, or games having a retro-style with a bit of challenge to them, check this one out.
- Graphics4.0
- Gameplay4.5
- Story3.5
- Value4.5
Still thinking about it
I didn't expect the game to be that good, being free, but it's a good short platformer that provided me with a few hours of fun. It is very nicely done: the controls are responsive (I used a 360 controller), the graphics are pretty nice (simulating an old 80s monitor) and the game is challenging (hard at times) but nothing that will prevent you from progressing. It's pretty straightforward what to expect from it, try it if it catches your attention, you might like it.
- Graphics4.0
- Gameplay4.0
- Story4.5
- Value4.5
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