Super Markup Man

I would rate it thumbs up as a simple game, but as a teaching tool, which it flirts with claiming to be, it isn't up to snuff. I wanted it to teach my kids the basics in a visual form, but I ended up having to explain the things I wanted taught to them, before they could get started. It failed to explain to my kids how to get started. It didn't even show an example of correct tags or nesting. It then doesn't provide enough feedback to understand what they are doing wrong. It's a novel enough concept, but the tutorial side is too obtuse for the skill level it targets. The UX is just a little obtuse overall. Also, we ended up with a bug in our code, which is funny, but then we couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. I had to go in the menu and turn off bugs.

Super Markup Man is one of those unusual indie projects that immediately stands out because of how strange its core idea sounds on paper. A platformer designed to teach HTML and CSS could have easily ended up feeling like a glorified classroom exercise, yet the game manages to avoid that trap through clever design and a surprisingly engaging gameplay loop. Instead of presenting coding concepts through dry tutorials or walls of text, the experience turns web development mechanics into interactive puzzles and environmental challenges. The result is a game that feels educational without constantly reminding the player that they are learning something practical along the way. The game revolves around the use of HTML tags and CSS concepts as actual gameplay mechanics. Players move through stages while carrying and positioning markup elements that directly alter the environment. Rather than typing code manually, the game visualizes web design principles in ways that are easy to understand. Tags become tools that open paths, solve environmental puzzles, and manipulate stage layouts. This approach works remarkably well because it introduces coding concepts through experimentation instead …

<article> <h1>Super Markup Man</h1> <p><strong>Markup as a platformer.</strong> You haul <code>&lt;li&gt;</code> on your back, leap over <code>&lt;/ul&gt;</code>, and assemble a working page out of real tags.</p> <ul> <li><em>Plus:</em> nesting and closing order sink into your hands, not just your memory.</li> <li><em>Plus:</em> HTML and CSS with no actual code written — the barrier to entry is zero.</li> <li><em>Minus:</em> it never goes past basic markup; syntax isn't the same as layout.</li> </ul> <p>Verdict: <strong>8/10</strong> — a great first step, but once the credits roll it's time to open a real IDE.</p> </article>

Simple, but good game. It's nice to learn / practice HTML and CSS in a relaxing fun way, in my opinion. I've spent 3 hours straight playing the game without noticing. Some levels are truly challenging and made me have a lot of fun. I've enjoyed it.

I want to give this a positive review, because I like where it's going, but I just finished level 50 of the HTML section and was extremely surprised that that's all there was. I was hoping to finally learn real HTML in-depth, but when it stopped after the absolute basics, just when I was thinking it was getting good, I was thoroughly disappointed. I don't think I actually learned anything from this game that I didn't already know. I'll go through the CSS levels too, but, as an educational tool, I can already say that it's not really gonna get you anywhere in the end. The best it might do is stop you from wasting your time on the absolute basics elsewhere, letting you jump into watching a youtube video or learning from an LLM with confidence.

Fun little game, might be a nice little refresher for people who are still learning.