Micro Platformer by Daveyyy

First, a word from the developer: “A minimalistic platformer with a 1×1 tileset. No enemies, no bullets, no lasers. Just sheer platforming.“

What Worked For Me:

The game is exactly as advertised. If the developer pitch sounds good to you and you can afford the low, low price of free, this one is worth a look.
As I just said, the game is free on Steam; you can’t beat that price!
The game includes four different “worlds” ranging in difficulty from “tutorial,” to “insane,” in its main campaign. As such, said worlds take anywhere from 1 to 30 minutes (or more) to beat each depending on your skill level. The game also includes a “nightmare” world in its extras which is devilishly hard.
The game hints at having a level builder. Though it was not available at time of writing, it would add even more depth and interest to the game (not unlike a 1×1 “Mario Maker,” actually).
The game allows players to remap their controllers to their heart’s desire. It also includes other helpful features such as “quick restart” (ie remapping restart to a button) and V-Sync.

What Didn’t:

The game doesn’t have music. It doesn’t even have sound effects. If you’re going to play this one, I recommend having some background music handy.
The game’s difficulty curve is wonky, especially in the “hard” and “insane” worlds. I found that some levels took me many, many tries while others I could beat on my first attempt.
The game’s “1×1” tile-set means that it can sometimes be difficult to tell what part of the map is “safe” and what part will force a restart. This became less of an issue as I acclimated to the game, but it still required a learning curve.
I could complain that the graphics aren’t much to look at, but that’s not what the developer was going for. With that being said, I recommend setting expectations accordingly. The game most definitely has a “what you see is what you get” ethos.

Conclusion / Who It’s For:

I appreciate games that can skip the fluff. Micro Platformer definitely fits that description; the developer obviously had a clear vision of what they wanted the game to be. It isn’t a flashy game by any means, and it isn’t going to push your graphics card to its limits. If you want a “bread and butter” platformer to spend a few hours with, though, this one is definitely worth a look. Also, some of the speedruns for this game are absolutely bonkers; they’re worth checking out if you want to see a game get ripped to shreds (in a good way).

Check it out here.

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