I Wish The World Was Like This -- The Floor is Jelly Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Rating: 9/10

Verdict: The Floor is Jelly uses its novel concept of, you know, the floor being jelly to offer a different kind of puzzle-platformer. It’s smart, but might not be as complex as some people would want. It also has incredible music and is a mostly relaxing, beautiful experience.

The Floor is Jelly is the first game I’ve played this year – out of about 7 or 8 – that I would consider legitimately great. It is built around the idea that the floor is jelly, so one can imagine before they even play it what that will entail. I don’t know what you’re supposed to be in it, but you go from stage to stage while solving puzzles and jumping your way to victory.

The developer had a pretty simple idea: what would everything be like if it’s jelly? Well, it’d be a hell of a lot of fun. The things you jump on bend and twist like jelly would, and you can use this to your advantage by using it to jump higher. Or it can make things more difficult because you’re not on solid ground so there’s always that uneasy feeling of not being completely balanced. I have to say though that I’m in love with the idea and I was sold on it as soon as I heard about it.

The puzzles are not incredibly difficult, but there are definitely some that gave me a hard time. I got stuck on one for a while, and a couple others made me actually think. The Floor is Jelly switches things up constantly though, with each area offering a new twist, not unlike a game like Braid. Whether it’s going into the water or having to jump on things in order, to a low-gravity section, there is enough variety here to keep you entertained in the relatively short time you’re immersed in this world. It helps that the game is polished and I ran into very few hiccups, and they were minor at worst. However, in regards to the complexity of the puzzles, it didn’t seem like the developer was really trying to stress you out, as most of the game is actually pretty relaxing and beautiful. It is very easy to get lost in this world, and that's definitely a good thing.

In the beginning there was... jelly?

It’s not really the visuals that make it beautiful, though there is something to be said for the minimalist approach that it took. Sure, a lot of it is just shapes with no details, but there are subtle touches that lend a feeling of importance. For example, as you walk over certain sections, flowers will spout out. It’s a simple detail but it’s effective. The game also makes excellent use of colours. I don’t think it’ll win anything in “visuals of the year” this year, but the style works for it.

The music should win awards though, and I’ll definitely include it. Disasterpeace returns to do the soundtrack and it adds a great deal to the experience. It’s often very subtle as good ambient music is, and it lends a sense of atmosphere to the entire thing. Sometimes the audio is very minimal to the point that there may only be some sounds, but a song will creep in eventually and it’ll be wonderful. Or a song will be playing the entire area and it’s some of the most beautiful stuff you’ll hear. There are some interesting shifts in tone but I won’t get into them because I don’t want to spoil anything.

I don’t really know if there’s a story, and maybe the developer had something in mind. I only say this because as the game progresses, slightly odd things start happening. I won’t go into a lot of detail concerning this, but it was rather unexpected and it was awesome to see the game go a little off its hinges in the way that it did. I would really like to know what it all is supposed to mean or if it’s just a cool gameplay mechanic that he wanted to include.

When you combine all the elements of The Floor is Jelly, it’s an odd thing to say but it feels like a “big” indie game. It’s the type of game that truly impresses me and leaves me in a state of awe. Games before it like Braid and Limbo may offer different experiences, but despite how different they look… they sort-of accomplish the same thing, ultimately. Sure, The Floor is Jelly is less serious and has a silly concept of jumping around on jelly but these types of games are what gaming is all about.