Hoplegs

This really isn't my type of game. These games that are hard to control on purpose are just dumb to me. But 13.99 full price? for this.. thats just way too much

Hoplegs is yet another of literally thousands of console ported 2D retro platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere. This Nintendo Switch platformer has one quirky premise, that you jump by extending a leg from the square that your character consists of... that's all there is to it, for the most part, although you do need to consider the angle of your square and which facing will be firing off a leg to make you bounce. This is not the gimmick that was needed to save the old, dead platformer genre. From a technical perspective, the game doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard. The game features simple, cartoony 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low effort mobile apps. 3D graphics programming does require a degree of skill and competence and unfortunately not all developers have the budget or talent to deliver this, despite 3D graphics cards hitting the mainstream in the 1990's. Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing. Beca…

Hoplegs, developed and published by WhyKev, is a platformer that deliberately breaks one of the genre’s most fundamental expectations: movement should feel natural. Instead, it builds its entire design around an awkward, unconventional control scheme where each button corresponds to a different leg of your character. What emerges from that idea is not just a quirky gimmick, but a full rethinking of how players interact with space, balance, and momentum in a platforming environment. The premise is minimal, almost nonexistent, and that’s by design. You control a simple cube-like character outfitted with four independently controlled legs, navigating a wide range of obstacle-filled levels. There’s no narrative framework pushing you forward—progression is driven entirely by your ability to understand and master the movement system. Early on, even basic actions like walking or climbing feel unintuitive. The game resists instinct, forcing you to slow down and consciously think about how each input affects your position. This initial friction can be jarring, but it’s also where the game begins to establish its identity. Over time, the awkwardness gives way to a surprising level of contr…

my avatar is me after playing this game

anger

Infuriating. Nice job. This is a Jump King/Getting Over It style game, where a lot of the challenge comes from just getting used to the intentionally weird controls. But compared to most games in this... genre? I'd say this game both has more content than you usually get, and is more accessible. In terms of content, you've got a traditional campaign split into levels, a Jump King/Getting Over It style giant level with no checkpoints, competitive and co-op multiplayer (though I haven't touched either of these), and even a level editor. And in terms of accessibility, I think the traditional campaign makes it a lot easier to digest than being thrown into the one giant level and beaten into submission. It's not nearly as demotivating to just go back to the last checkpoint when you mess up, compared to JK/GOI where you can fall all the way back to the beginning if you make a single mistake. Also, there are actual accessibility settings, like being able to slow the game down or make the jump stronger. If you're into games like Jump King and Getting Over It, and/or if you're a streamer with viewers who enjoy watching you suffer, I think this game's worth checking out.