Goin Up: Just one more level

Okay, we all know about launchers. You launch, you go, ta-da! Now, what about a game that’s sort of like a launcher, but instead you’re not launched at all and have to manually make your way up? Goin Up is just that. It’s not a launcher, but is more of a platforming action game with upgrades and multiple characters. Sound like a good flash game? I think so too.

I didn’t know what to expect when I went into Goin Up. I expected a launcher from the description, but instead found myself wall jumping and looking for things to make go “boom” for the in-game currency (skulls). You spend the vast majority of your time doing just that, with a lot of double jumps in between.

Your goal is to get as high up as you can. You do this through wall jumping (when walls are available), jumping and double jumping up platforms, and hitting enemies for some dosh and a boost. It’s not complex in the least, but it’s hard to stop yourself pressing “Retry” after a run. 30 minutes becomes an hour, an hour becomes two hours… You see where this is going. The jumping and bashing into enemies is a very arcade-like experience, and it’s surprisingly fun.

Upgrades are a big part of Goin Up. You can upgrade your wall jumps, double jumps, health, and some other things that are pretty ambiguous as to what they do. Further into the shop are “Specials” which are actually choosing a skin for your character. You unlock two upgraded version of the main character as you level up and can purchase additional skins with skulls. The skins not only spice things up a bit, but change your stats. For example, Plunger (makes you look like Mario) has a super double jump. The skin you end up using most comes down to preference more than anything else.

The enemies you come across on your journey upwards vary from flying Goombas to UFOs, watermelons, dinosaurs, and sharks. There is a huge variety of enemies to punch or jump on, and it can be nice to come across something you’ve never seen before or just haven’t seen a while. Such is the way of the randomly generated level.

My one problem with Goin Up lies in the cost of the optional upgrades. You don’t get many skulls on a single run unless you get lucky with what you kill, and you might find yourself just doing a few (or dozens) of runs just to get a single upgrade. Luckily everything past the health and jump upgrades are optional. This means you don’t really need to rush or feel too much pressure to get the expensive stuff for once. Huzzah!

There’s something to be said about the appeal of this type of platforming-action game. It’s easy to get into but provides a lot of entertainment for what it is, while rewarding players who stick with it for a long time with some extra content like that 20,000 skull skin. I went into Goin Up expecting something mediocre, but came out with some fun times had and an urge to play just one more round.