You Have to Win the Game (2014)

Developer: Minor Key Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Action, Indie
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 5,730 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 3.0 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A punishing, retro-styled platformer where you meticulously jump and explore a pixelated lost world with limited lives and a sense of arcade-like tension.

retrodifficultexplorationplatformerprecisionchallengingold schoolarcade

What players say

Players describe it as a free, bite-sized precision platformer with a retro look that is challenging but not overly punishing, and they enjoy the added replayability from achievement runs. Some note the lack of guidance and tough timing demands can be off-putting.

Screenshots

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More by Minor Key Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.