You Have to Win this Game is a quality 2D platformer at an unbeatable price. Free.

Here's a Quick Look video I did of the game after “winning” it. Have a look if you want to see the game in action, or just read the in-depth review below for something more concise. (Please note I did this video before it was released on Steam, which simply means it only shows the original game and not the much-harder, remixed version you can select at the beginning)

http://youtu.be/LIjulBMI85U

To begin, I'll say this game is a classic platformer in every sense. You jump from platform to platform all the while dodging spikes, energy balls, angry crabs, and anything else the game throws at you. Yet while you may not be able to kill anything, you are able to acquire power-ups like activating ghost blocks, double jumping, and jumping off walls to navigate the map easier. There are even checkpoints littered everywhere so when you do die, you can instantly respawn and try again as many times as you wish.

But don't be fooled. Although you may not have any lives (except if you're doing YOLO or the cat, you crazy person), the game is challenging, especially when you're gunning for optional moneybags to collect. You'll probably die multiple times before nailing the pattern down to pass to the next screen. But thankfully it never feels frustrating due to the instant respawn that's always nearby. It's the game's forgiving nature that allows you to constantly want to beat what's stopping you. And I can safely say that every time I did fail, I just dismissed it as my own fault and kept at it until I beat the obstacle. Which is truly the mark of a good platformer.

The game also has a nice, retro visual style. I enjoy how the game acts as if you're playing a classic game on an old TV. It really put me back in the mood when I was just a kid playing my NES. Now while I realize that some people may not have experienced or liked something like this, I really do think it adds to the game because it successfully mimics the era where games used to be like this. It simply gave me nostalgia all over. But hey, for those that don't want it, you can easily turn it off in the options menu.

Now let's talk about a few of the game's flaws:
*There's no music. Some awesome chiptunes really would've made this game shine. Instead all you get is silence
*It's really short. It'll only take about an hour to “beat,” more if you collect everything and explore
*No story. You just thrown into it not knowing what the heck you are or what you're doing. Personally, I don't really mind it not having one since games like Mario never really had much of story either, but some people like to have some purpose other than beating the game. And no, the clever title doesn't count as a reason =p

That's really all of the negatives I could think of. The game simply does its job well, especially so because of how it leads you where you need to be without holding your hand. There's no maps, quest markers, or waypoints telling you where to go, just like most classic games. But somehow I always wound up where I needed to be even when exploring just for the fun of it. Sure, the game liked leading you to places you couldn't do anything in until you got a power-up, or even trolling you by making you do platforming again for trying to take an easy route, but I always regarded it as a discovery that brought me one step closer to the end.

So to sum this game up, it's simply a joy to play. You don't get many free games as good as this one. So if you have some time to burn or are bored, pick this up and have a blast. There's even a NG+ for those like me who missed stuff on their first playthrough.

You Have to Win this Game is a quality 2D platformer at an unbeatable price. Free. Here's a Quick Look video I did of the game after “winning” it. Have a look if you want to see the game in action, or just read the in-depth review below for something more concise. (Please note I did this video before it was released on Steam, which simply means it only shows the original game and not the much-harder, remixed version you can select at the beginning) http://youtu.be/LIjulBMI85U To begin, I'll say this game is a classic platformer in every sense. You jump from platform to platform all the while dodging spikes, energy balls, angry crabs, and anything else the game throws at you. Yet while you may not be able to kill anything, you are able to acquire power-ups like activating ghost blocks, double jumping, and jumping off walls to navigate the map easier. There are even checkpoints littered everywhere so when you do die, you can instantly respawn and try again as many times as you wish. But don't be fooled. Although you may not have any lives (except if you're doing YOLO or the cat, you crazy person), the game is challenging, especially when you're gunning for optional moneybags to collect. You'll probably die multiple times before nailing the pattern down to pass to the next screen. But thankfully it never feels frustrating due to the instant respawn that's always nearby. It's the game's forgiving nature that allows you to constantly want to beat what's stopping you. And I can safely say that every time I did fail, I just dismissed it as my own fault and kept at it until I beat the obstacle. Which is truly the mark of a good platformer. The game also has a nice, retro visual style. I enjoy how the game acts as if you're playing a classic game on an old TV. It really put me back in the mood when I was just a kid playing my NES. Now while I realize that some people may not have experienced or liked something like this, I really do think it adds to the game because it successfully mimics the era where games used to be like this. It simply gave me nostalgia all over. But hey, for those that don't want it, you can easily turn it off in the options menu. Now let's talk about a few of the game's flaws: *There's no music. Some awesome chiptunes really would've made this game shine. Instead all you get is silence *It's really short. It'll only take about an hour to “beat,” more if you collect everything and explore *No story. You just thrown into it not knowing what the heck you are or what you're doing. Personally, I don't really mind it not having one since games like Mario never really had much of story either, but some people like to have some purpose other than beating the game. And no, the clever title doesn't count as a reason =p That's really all of the negatives I could think of. The game simply does its job well, especially so because of how it leads you where you need to be without holding your hand. There's no maps, quest markers, or waypoints telling you where to go, just like most classic games. But somehow I always wound up where I needed to be even when exploring just for the fun of it. Sure, the game liked leading you to places you couldn't do anything in until you got a power-up, or even trolling you by making you do platforming again for trying to take an easy route, but I always regarded it as a discovery that brought me one step closer to the end. So to sum this game up, it's simply a joy to play. You don't get many free games as good as this one. So if you have some time to burn or are bored, pick this up and have a blast. There's even a NG+ for those like me who missed stuff on their first playthrough.