Game dev has become so accessible over the past decade. With the advent of so many intuitive tools, code learning resources, and a community of passionate creators just like Zephyrix, who developed Ronny’s Climb and offered to let us give it a try, we as gamers are able to play so many games now as a result. Not every game promises to be as big as World of Warcraft or as high tech as Crysis 2 (throwback for the millennials!) but there’s nothing more pleasant and satisfying than a tightly crafted experience that oozes love and dedication to a vision, no matter how small. Ronny’s Climb is a perfect little example of this, as its platforming, writing, pixel graphics, and good, old fashioned 16-bit musical backing is a great experience all around.
A Deer with a Mission
In Ronny’s Climb, you play as Ronny the deer, who has entered this year’s friendly competition amongst the forest folk of the town to race to the top of the highest summit. In each level, of which there are 6, your main objective is to climb to the goal line at the top of the stage. As you platform around, there are a few monsters to out maneuver, animal buddies to talk with, and 100 gems to collect. Each stage also has two bonus objectives, along with a time trial “par time” to beat, giving some nice extra things to accomplish in future playthroughs of the levels. The controls are tight and simple, including a dash move and slam move and a single jump. I enjoyed completing the forgiving platforming sections, along with the simple problem solving obstacles. I don’t always want to have to be a bunny hopping savant when I’m gaming, and Ronny’s Climb allowed me to just enjoy the simpler experience without a lot of stress and expectations (unless of course I was going for that par time!) It gradually introduced new enemies and pitfalls, including bats that would swoop towards you, bees that tracked you intermittently, or mini fire-spitting dragons that made platforming increasingly fun.
A Touch of Style Goes a Long Way
Another highlight of Ronny’s Climb for me was the adorable (and sometimes quite humorous) writing of the dialogue between Ronny and the fellow animal climbers he’d meet along the way. It’s a small thing, but it really helped keep the game light and breezy, making sure you stayed grounded in the simple objective that was the basis for the game: just climb! Even if it’s hard! But if it’s too hard, that’s okay! Take it at your own pace and go as far as you can go. Your friends will still be there for you at the end. Each level featured its own background music track as well, and each was designed to pair with the environment of the stage. KarpoSoundtracks did a great job with this retro-inspired set of boops and bits, fitting the game’s style perfectly, and really complimenting it to tie it all together.
Speaking of style, I’d be remiss if I didn’t focus on the cute pixelated characters, environments, and effects that fill the world of Ronny’s Climb, There’s a “just enough” detail feel to them, and the ability to convey adorable animal features through only a few pixels is always impressive. It’s not going to rewrite the book on complex pixel animations and art, but that’s not what the game is going for. It’s doing what it’s aiming to do well and that’s all we can ask for sometimes!
In Conclusion
Just being a little deer taking a climb to fill a nice, cozy hour is worth the price of admission. I found Ronny’s Climb a surprising reminder that enjoying big budget blockbuster “AAA” games is great and all, but there’s something special about the indie game industry and the creative voices and minds that fill it. The final level, along with the closing scene, really made me experience two things back to back: a real sense of what it was like feeling like I was “good” at games as a kid, and the goosebumps you get when you see the final lovingly crafted scene at the end of a game.
Ronny's Climb just had an update adding a few new features, and is available on Steam. Thanks to the developer for a review key.
