7 Games Where Movement is the Primary Obstacle

Video games throw a myriad of challenges at the player across a wide variety of genres. One thing players can usually bank on, however, is that they’ll have no issue moving their character between said obstacles through simple, intuitive commands for actions like walking, jumping, and driving.

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In these particular instances, the developers decided to forgo that tried-and-tested approach and instead made the core navigation of the levels the primary challenge of the game. With delightfully inventive and occasionally frustrating control schemes, these are some great games where movement is the primary obstacle.

7 Jusant

Independent Climbing

Jusant

Released

October 30, 2023

Starting out easy with the protagonist of Jusant, who has no problem using their feet, so far so normal. The only issue is that the central premise of Jusant is to climb an increasingly challenging mountain, meaning players spend a lot more time going up than they do walking forward.

The hyper-focus on climbing means the protagonist’s limbs move independently of each other, both mapped to one of the trigger buttons. As the challenge of the surfaces ramps up and stamina gets low, particularly in areas impacted by the harsh sunlight, quick chopping and changing between arms to find another hold to grab becomes crucial to progress.

6 Human Fall Flat

Ragdoll Antics

Human Fall Flat is primarily billed with the promise of chaos, but underneath that, there’s a robust and satisfyingly challenging puzzle platformer. Most casual players will likely have picked it up at some point for a laugh with friends at its obtuse controls and ragdoll physics. Those flailing limbs can be used with precision to get through a number of creative solutions to wacky problems.

Again, the two arms move independently to overcome obstacles, with the added wrinkle of things like pushing the arms down to lift the player up. Control of when to apply or release the grip is also fundamental to manipulating the physics engine to fling the character over large obstacles that are otherwise beyond their limited movement capabilities.

5 World Of Goo 2

A Big Mess

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence

Developer(s)

2D Boy, Tomorrow Corporation

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, PC

There is no movement in the traditional sense in World of Goo 2; instead, the player is tasked with guiding the goo species through the world, sort of like the classic Lemmings games. Each level revolves around getting a select number of goo to an area where they can be sucked into a pipe.

The goo can be manipulated to form together to create different structures, which allow them to transport other goo across gaps and around obstacles. It presents a unique and charming puzzle that is well worth experiencing.

4 Surgeon Simulator

Gross Malpractice

Most simulation games aim to provide a realistic representation of the challenges faced in a given profession. Surgeon Simulator takes the opposite approach, presenting a deliberately comical and gratuitously violent take on performing surgery. Players only control the two arms of the surgeon and must pick up the tools and perform incision operations.

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The problem is that the controls are borderline broken to the point where performing even the simplest tasks is a significant challenge. Players are sure to lose many more patients than they save. The game has received numerous updates and ports since launch, including a VR version, probably the best way to play.

3 Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy

Try, Try Again

ESRB

e

Platform(s)

Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS

Another satirical and low-spec game that has enjoyed an infamous legacy as one of the hardest and most frustrating gameplay experiences. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy is the second game on this list with the simple premise of scaling a mountain.

The problem for the protagonist this time is that he is stuck in a cauldron and only has a hammer to help him navigate his terrain. The player has the ability to swing the hammer around 360 degrees to catch corners and pull themselves up, or thrust it down to push off surfaces. The precision required, combined with the rounded base, makes it very easy to fall and, with no checkpoints, that can lead to the erosion of a lot of progress.

2 Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Nobody Suspects A Thing

Octodad: Dadliest Catch presents the awesome premise of what would happen if an octopus decided to disguise itself as a human in order to live a normal suburban life. Players take control of the titular cephalopod and are tasked with completing ordinary tasks without arousing too much suspicion.

But with eight unwieldy tentacles in place of human limbs, players will have great difficulty keeping the protagonist in line. Everything from making coffee to going shopping proves a significant challenge when the limbs are flailing off in four separate directions.

1 Manual Samuel

Constant Upkeep

Manual Samuel

Released

October 11, 2016

Fumbling into the top spot for having difficulty moving through life is the eponymous protagonist from Manual Samuel. After an unfortunate encounter with a septic truck, a recently deceased Samuel makes a deal with death that he may return to the land of the living if he can manually control all his functions for 24 hours.

As well as the now expected difficulty of having limbs independently mapped to specific buttons, Samuel has to regularly blink and breathe manually to avoid passing out. The player is then tasked with completing a series of tasks, all of which require additional manual inputs just to complicate things further.

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