Summary
With the ease of publishing games onSteam, the PC platform has become a great place for indie projects to blow up. Some of them have been truly ridiculous, like theGoat Simulatorgames, or invented their own sub-genre.Getting Over Itis an example of this, taking the frustrating fun of platforming titles and cranking it up to eleven by not giving players a single checkpoint across one giant level while making players control a man trying to hoist himself up with a sledgehammer while he sits in a cauldron.
These types of meme hit games have been growing in popularity on Steam.This popularity could be attributed to many Let’s Play streamersplaying them in front of their audiences. Some examples ofGetting Over Itsuccessors includeJump King,a pixel art, 2D platformer,Only Up, which has been tremendously successful and spawned dozens of online clips, andA Difficult Game About Climbing, a 3D platformer that is what it says on the tin. The latest to join this somewhat illustrious company isChained Together, which adds a co-op twist to the sub-genre.
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Chained Together Makes The Meme Platforming Sub-Genre Co-Op
It’s Just As Chaotic As It Sounds.
Chained Togetheris a frustratingly funny, chaotic co-op platformer in which players are chained together, just as the name suggests. Up to four players can work together, although the game can be played solo.The chains aren’t just a visual element eithersince they are governed by a physics simulation that allows them to warp around objects and lets them pull players together whenever they go taut. It is both an amazing element to a platformer and something that will likely end some friendships.
Chained Togetheris by the indie studio Anegar Games, and is its first title.
The chains aren’t the only new concept, either. Rather than an arbitrary setting of randomly floating objects,Chained Togethertasks players with climbing out of the depths of hell. This gives the game a strong, thematic aesthetic while being able to tie all the different locations under one theme (the Rings of Hell). If players fall, they could fall all the way to the deepest part of hell (the beginning) and will likely find their patience, along with their relationships, tested.
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What Chained Together Offers Players
How Chained Together Is Different From Other Titles
There are three different game modesinChained Together. There is an Easy Mode, which allows players to return to the highest point that they achieved if unbridled frustration isn’t what someone is looking for. A Normal Mode, where a fall can only be amended by climbing back up, and a Lava Mode for those that truly believe the bonds of friendship are unbreakable. If the frustration of falling isn’t enough, the fear of lava is bound to make things more fiery.
In Lava Mode, lava will rise and attempt to engulf the players, ending a run.
Like other games in the sub-genre,there is a leaderboard in which players can compete with each other. This is valid for both solo and co-op play, although players will likely find more luck in breaking records with solo play. Thankfully, players can pull on their chains when with friends, which could be vital in preventing a great fall. Players who have fallen can be hoisted by friends still on platforms, allowing the chains to act like both a safety net and an anchor. Coordination will be required if a team seeks to climb the leaderboard with their escape times.
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Why Games Like Chained Together Take Off
Frustration Leads To Elation
These meme-hit platformers are frustrating in their difficulty and their level of punishment.Chained Togetheris no different for the most part, adding an element of communication by making the game co-op.Difficult games are popular again for a reasonsince the satisfaction of beating a difficult level or enemy is something that players keep coming back to. Just look atthe popularity of Soulsliketitles, which are famous for their immense difficulty. Some players want to fall, knowing that when they finally get to the top, it will feel amazing.
Getting Over Itis known so much for its difficulty that it has the “psychological horror"tag on Steam.
Outside the player experience, thesememe-hit games on Steam are incredibly entertaining to watch. Although they aren’t for everyone, more people have likely watched others play these games than played them themselves. For instance, clips of Markiplier throwing his chair across the room when playingGetting Over Ithave millions of views.Chained Togetherwill likely benefit from the same treatment, especially with streaming and its co-op chain mechanics providing the perfect platform to suffer (in a fun way) with friends.
Steam
Developed by Valve and released in 2003, Steam is a popular video game distribution service originally used by the company to provide updates for Valve games. In 2005, Steam expanded to distribute third-party titles. Steam users can not only browse games for purchase, but they can also post reviews and upload self-made content.
