A Platformer Worth Every Byte
HIGH All-time ’90s internet vibes.
LOW Some of the platforming sections weren’t super responsive.
WTF Is it possible to feel nostalgia for something I wasn’t even alive for?
As someone who was born just before 2000, I never got to experience the earlier, jankier versions of the Internet. It often made me wonder how people came to love something so antiquated compared to what we have now.
It’s that janky charm that MainFrames, a new 2D platformer from developer Assoupi, tries to capture in its adventure. The title is an entertaining dive into the past, and it executes on those ’90s themes in every possible way.
Playing as the astutely-named Floppy (yes, he’s a disk) I spent the journey finding this mascot’s function in a complex computer. See, Floppy, despite how cute they are, is a daemon, which back in ’90s computer-speak means an errant program or function not connected to anything particular. In a normal world, this would mean nothing, but in this world, it means that the computer’s security will try to “erase” Floppy without a trace.
As Floppy, my task was to explore the rest of the internal network, rescuing daemons like me. Floppy does this by collecting fellow daemons from the far reaches of the computer and brings them back to the “break room” hub world. These characters are animated into lively and real computer buddies, all trying to save themselves from eventual “deletion.” Among these misfits, Floppy fits right in.
If MainFrames has nothing else, it possesses an immaculate and refined sense of style. Every aspect of this game is pulled straight out of an old PC running Windows XP. Jumping through each stage in the seven major levels was a challenging-yet-enjoyable way to explore an artistic wonderland visualizing an old computer ecosystem.
These vibes are most obviously expressed in the art style of MainFrames. Many times I’d be trying to assess where I was supposed to go with Floppy and pick which platforms to jump on, and instead I’d just be staring at the brilliantly-constructed backgrounds that backlit each stage. Level after level is decorated with beautiful pixel art that pops. Each level also screened personal anecdotes that the developers left behind in the style of instant messaging apps like AOL. The graphics are stellar, yet look intentionally dated enough that it could be running on an old machine.
While the visuals are on point, the ’90s style came through most clearly in the actual mechanics of each level.
2D platformers have been around for decades, so it takes smart developers to take these tried-and-true mechanics and rework them in engaging ways., and MainFrames does both exceptionally well.
They play the classics, of course — jumping pads, variable gravity, and switchable platforms, and each of these 2D platforming mainstays fits like a glove in each level, and there are visual representations. Sometimes an element might look like a browser window. Sometimes elements disappear, phasing out of reality like a computer glitch. There’s a mouse clicker that allows the player to activate certain windows over others, and certain windows can expand depending on the direction that Floppy is running.
All of these things and how they present on screen allowed for some pretty wild experimentation that often made me feel like I was beating MainFrames at its own game, and the best levels in MainFrames come when these elements are combined. Since each mechanic is integrated well in the overall ecosystem of each level, remixing them together feels organic.
Though MainFrames is marketed as a “cozy” platformer, these levels are not cakewalks. A few throw together a ton of different mechanics at the player in quick succession, and it can feel overwhelming at times. There were certain levels that took me multiple tries to beat.
Despite the challenge of certain sections, I only spent around 3.5 hours playing MainFrames, and the relatively quick respawn time didn’t feel like the levels were punishing me for trying them over and over again. The few issues that I did have were that sometimes it felt like the placement of a platform or jump pad was slightly off from a normal player’s jump trajectory, but these errors were few and far between.
MainFrames is a delightful romp set in an era of technology that took place before my time, but thanks to its charm and solid gameplay, I felt nostalgic for that world despite having never lived in it.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Assoupi and published by The Arcade Crew. It is currently available on PC and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and was reviewed on PC. Approximately 3.5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: This game is not yet rated on the ESRB, but this game contains fantasy “violence.” It consists of certain “digital friends” being “deleted” from the game, but there is no explicit death or violence depicted.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Dear & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is no dialogue in this game, and the only “story” bits are told through pop-up text on the screen. there are no necessary audio cues. The game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: The game’s controls are fully remappable.
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