IGM Forum Finds: Bad Joystick

Today’s Forum Find comes to us from MizGames, and features a game button on a mission. Bad Joystick is a musing on the purpose of gamepads, and what happens when they’re mistreated. Follow “square” (□) one small part of a larger world, in its search for “circle” (O) who’s been kidnapped by “x” (X) after an incident with gamer rage.

A boy is playing his favorite platformer when he reaches “level 56,” described in Bad Joystick as the level “we all know [is] coming and we all lose it completely when it does.” As part of the ragequit related by the dev, this boy smashes his game controller to the ground, which dislodges the buttons and corrupts the X key. X, now being evil, kidnaps O, and □ must conquer the fear of a series of “level 56”-esque platforming challenges to save the day. Players are encouraged to either take their time through the levels, or race through like a madman, but precision is key to completion. The objective is to gather keys in each level, avoid pitfalls and enemies, and use power-ups to get through the worst of it to reunite the lost loves.

Those interested can vote for Bad Joystick on Steam Greenlight. More screenshots and additional information are available in the original forum post. To try the Alpha, visit the game’s website.

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