Pogostuck: Rage With Your Friends

Is there anything quite as daunting as starting at the foot of a mountain and looking up to its peak? You know climbing to the top will be a huge undertaking, the physical and mental strain will be enormous, the danger you will face will only grow as time goes on and by the end, you’ll be exhausted. Yet we take on this challenge because the feeling of pride and success when you reach the top is so addictive and so rewarding. This essentially explains the whole core gameplay loop for Pogostuck: Rage With Your friends.

This game plays rather similarly to popular title Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy. However, this game has two key differences. The first being the art direction that is much more whimsical. Then the second being the ability to share these rage-inducing moments and moments of triumph with your friends.

Starting From Base Camp

We begin with the art style for this game. While Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy did have a rather animated and whimsical art style, it seems that this game aims to double down in this respect and be as wacky as possible. The art style is rather reminiscent of the original Rayman title with wildly colourful backgrounds of fantasy worlds. Then amongst that, you have your smiling, happy go lucky pogo characters that seem just as happy climbing the obstacles in their way as they do tumbling down them. It’s never fun losing progress but their chipper little faces to ease the pain a little bit.

This is further complemented by the jaunty musical score and the variety of cute, soft sound effects that make the whole adventure to the top a little more bearable. Though that isn’t to say that this game won’t have you raging as the title suggests.

It’s A Long Way Down

The game does borrow the core concept of Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy but this one doesn’t let that define the entire experience. In terms of the core gameplay, you will notice that the movement mechanics are much less obnoxious with more of a focus on fun rather than frustration. Instead of the game working against you, it begins rather simple, allowing you to come to terms with the tricky controls and then after the game knows you are comfortable, that’s when the difficulty spike comes.

After this, you’ll be treated to some very challenging areas that will test your mental strength and mastery of the mechanics, but if you fall, there is no re-dos. This much is in tandem with Bennett Foddy. However, a nice feature that this game incorporates is the ability to drop out of the game after long sessions or moments of high intensity, with the ability to pick up where you left off. It’s the equivalent of the Dark Souls save state and it works to great effect.

We’ve Reached The Summit

The real USP of this game is multiplayer and thankfully, this works wonderfully in action. The player will find themselves competing in races with their pals, frantically jumping in the air as a form of strange greeting and overall, it makes the experience a much less daunting and lonely one.

On top of this, there is a progression system that rewards the player for climbing the mountain as they go. You’ll get new cosmetic items such as costumes and new pogo sticks that will act as a way to flex on your friends as you zoom past them toward the summit.

The View From Here Is Beautiful

It would be easy to belittle this game as a carbon copy of Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy. However, when you look at this game as a whole, you begin to realise that this is a much improved and more accessible version of its counterpart. The artwork is much more interesting, the gameplay is fun, rewarding, less stressful for the most part and you get to partake in the chaos with your friends.

Pros

• Great art style
• The multiplayer functionality is a great addition to the genre
• The progression system adds a layer of intrigue

Cons

• The game is very tricky. Its not for everyone.