Another of those rage bait games that are so popular with streamers. A Difficult Game About Climbing knows exactly who it is trying to appeal to and does its thing pretty competently. It's right along the lines of Getting Over It, and you're either going to click with the controls or you're not. I thought that the gameplay itself could be a little uncomfortable especially through tense moments as you're fingers will be locked to the mouse. The handling is fun once you finally get the hang of sideways jumping which is definitely the most challenging part of the game and really takes frustrating experimentation and practice to get used to since it's not the most intuitive thing in the world. This game will definitely have its fans.

I have such a love/hate relationship with this game. There are just so many seedlings of goodness, so much genuine quality hidden behind the most bizarre writing/gameplay choices I've ever sat through. Allow me to channel our beloved Alex Eggleston for this last portion, if I may:
This game exists in several states of being, all at once, simultaneously, at the same time. But wherever you happen to be playing from, whatever mode you chose to experience it with -- be it the Nintendo Switch or your PC, it's still possible to sense the truth hidden beneath the surface. Yes, this game feels half-finished, overambitious, underwhelming, deliberately confusing and at times un-playable. But at the end of the day, speaking for myself personally, I can tell a lot of love went into this project. It has more soul than most games could ever hope to have. I kinda feel bad for the devs, I hope they continue to work on this game, at least until they're happy with it and are ready to move on. As of writing this they're planning a big update, I'm looking forward to it!

This game is buggy, occasionally appalling design and writing that is often contrived, but that doesn't stop it from also having an odd charm, solid aesthetic, an often great soundtrack and sequences that border on art house. It seems the studio is taking steps to correct almost every complaint about the game (shorter monologues, persona-esque combat, instant level ups, battle balancing, reworking of tone-deaf bosses), though too little too late for most, is always something I can respect. I can guarantee every .5 review is from someone who came to a conclusion through video essays. I 100%ed this shit, and let me tell you, it is far from irredeemable. I'm not here to recommend it, just to say there is clearly a lot of passion and good ideas here, even if their execution didn't pay off. Though most won't make it far enough, the ending is admittedly quite brilliant.