A hardcore platformer title

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, SCKR Games’ Only Up! is a paid platforming title where you help Jackie — the game’s teenage protagonist — climb out of poverty by traversing a labyrinth of pipes, railroads, and trains suspended in the air. While it is pretty short, bear in mind that it doesn’t have a checkpoint or save system. 

If you fall, you’ll have to start from the beginning and make your way back to the top again. Hence, Only Up! doesn’t appeal to players who have limited free time or are not into hardcore platforming games.

Make your way slowly but surely

Only Up! starts off with Jackie in the slums, where you’ll need to locate an elevator to bring you to higher ground. As you explore the slums, you’ll notice that the people there are not moving—save for the birds. As you make your way up, be prepared to run on narrow pipes and climb or jump on objects. Jackie can even jump on a bed to reach higher places faster. 

A gradual increase in difficulty in terms of area traversal is to be expected. Thus, even a simple slip-up can lead you back to the slums—which is frustrating if you’ve already made significant progress. While this adventure game doesn’t feature auto or manual saving, it teaches you patience and perseverance. It instills the value of making slow and steady progress to reach the top.

However — as this is a niche title — it only appeals to a certain player base, particularly those who have a lot of free time since closing the game will reset your progress. It’s short, but do expect to spend hours on your first playthrough. That aside, there’s an issue with Jackie getting stuck on objects. If that happens, you’ll have to restart. Another drawback is the lags and other performance issues.

A niche game

With no way to save your progress, Only Up! is a hardcore platformer title that requires players to exercise patience even amidst frustration. As Jackie, your goal is to escape from poverty and reach the top without falling. When Jackie falls, you’ll end up in the slums. Area traversal can get tricky, given the game’s gradual difficulty increase. However, lags and performance issues are detrimental to the overall player experience.