Have you ever wanted to dangle from a mountain with just your bare hands and some chalk holding you in place? No? Me neither. But people love to do it. In fact, there are some great films and documentaries about free climbers who risk their lives to climb up mountains just because it’s there and they can.
It’s the fact that with one wrong move disaster will occur which pushes these climbers on; the risk and reward that they thrive on. In Tip Top: Don’t Fall! you get to experience the highs and lows of being a professional climber, albeit virtually from the comfort of your sofa. So put some chalk on your hands, write your will and join us for the climb of your life.
To start with the negatives and Tip Top: Don’t Fall! is a roguelite, one in which the developers embrace the mantra that one false move leads to disaster. It’s a mechanic that I don’t particularly enjoy, with hatred rising as I’m left to progress again and again. But I can completely understand why it’s that route which has been utilised here; it pretty much fits perfectly. Basically, if you’re a fan of the roguelite world and enjoy the training and focus it gives, then this is for you.
There is a nice visual story running in place here, one that focuses on a solo climber going on a little journey, climbing certain peaks across several maps, all of which get harder each time you complete one. It’s very simple in how it works too, yet the execution is a tricky thing to master. And yes, if you die it’s back to the start of the journey you go.
How it works in gameplay terms is that you are presented with a 2D mountain face with several rocks jutting out for you to use as hand holds. You start at the bottom, of course, and have to hold both bumper buttons to get yourself into the climbing position. You can then release either the left or right bumper – representing your left or right hand – as you see fit. From there, moving hands in any direction is possible until you find a rocky outcrop to grip, pressing down again to hold it. Continue your swapping between the hands and up you will go. Easy? No, and here’s why.
The first thing is that Tip Top utilises a random generator in order to create the mountains and these get tougher as you have to carefully work out your route through. But there’s also a stamina bar for both arms that requires constant management. To restore stamina you can reach down to your chalk bag and put some on your hands, restoring power as you go. However this takes stamina in itself, so you are constantly weighing up choices. Your balance is key as well; if you are off balance this costs stamina. There are places in the mountain where you can attach a safety rope, acting as checkpoints should you fall. Again though, these cause a huge amount of stamina so once again careful strategy is needed. Oh, and to make it even more complicated, you’ll need to jump to certain points, ramping up the difficulty; these jumps are tricky but a must to master.
What Tip Top: Don’t Fall! does have is a lovely visual style, especially in the little cutscenes that play before each biodome you visit. Beautifully animated and whimsical in their design, it never gives any hints to how difficult and deadly your experience is going to be. Audio wise, Tip Top also comes with a nice little soundtrack, one that seems capable of calming your nerves as you go from hold to hold.
In terms of the tension involved and the rogue-lite elements included, Tip Top: Don’t Fall! may well frustrate, especially when you consider the constant possibility of having to start again. You will fall to your death more times than you will care to remember so be prepared for that, along with the ability to raise the anxiety and worry of how you’re going to balance everything out.
But get into the groove of the game, working out what you can and can’t do, and you’ll discover that constant worry is replaced by a fairly relaxing experience, one full of challenge. You may still think that your deaths are occasionally unfair, but you’ll equally fluke progress in Tip Top: Don’t Fall!, and so these even themselves out nicely.
At the end of the day though, Tip Top: Don’t Fall! is cheap enough and should well be worth the risk, particularly if you are after something as thrilling and dangerous as rock climbing.
Tip Top: Don’t Fall! is available from the Xbox Store
