Shoot, roll and dig your way across one big pixel level, picking up coins and knocking out bouncing creatures.
Little Platformer drops you on the left edge of a wide alien level made of purple rock, wooden crates and ladders. You have a gun, a dodge roll and grenades on a one-second cooldown, and you use all three to grab coins and clear out the colorful creatures hopping around the map.
The twist is that the level itself can be torn apart. Bullets chew through rock piece by piece, and grenades punch round holes through it, so you can carve your own paths instead of following the obvious one.
Getting started
Move with the arrow keys or W A S D and climb any ladder you find. Jump with Up or W, and hold the button longer to go higher. If you press into a wall while falling, you slide down it and can jump off again, which helps you reach high ledges.
Fire with Z or the left mouse button. X or the right mouse button triggers a dodge roll, and C or the middle button throws a grenade. On touch devices these all live on on-screen buttons. The mouse wheel zooms the camera in and out.
How the level reacts
Most of the purple rock breaks under fire, but gray metal blocks never budge. Crates and enemies both take five hits before they pop. Each grenade beeps on a three-second fuse, and its blast hurts you as much as anything else nearby.
Points come from two places. Each coin you touch is worth 1, and each enemy you destroy is worth 1 more. Touching an enemy, or standing too close to an explosion, costs you a life and sends you back to the start. A death tally sits at the right of the screen.
Strategy notes
Start firing early. Since enemies soak up five shots, opening up from a few steps away keeps them from landing on you. If one bounces into your path anyway, roll through it. The roll keeps you safe while it lasts, though it needs two seconds before you can use it again.
Grenades are your digging tool. Lob one at a wall that hides a coin, then back off during the three-second fuse. A well-placed blast can save a long climb. When you think you have searched everywhere, zoom out with the scroll wheel and look for coins you skipped.
Good to know
The author left a few sandbox keys in the game. T drops a crate where your mouse pointer is, E spawns an enemy there, B sets off an explosion, and M teleports you to the pointer. They are great for messing around, though they make a clean run less meaningful.
Since your changes to the map persist after a death, a rough first attempt can make later passes easier. Players who like tidy runs can aim for all the points with zero deaths.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run and climb ladders | Arrow keys or W A S D | — | Left on-screen stick |
| Jump (hold for a higher jump) | Up arrow or W | — | On-screen button |
| Shoot | Z | Hold the left button | On-screen button |
| Dodge roll | X | Right button | On-screen button |
| Throw a grenade | C | Middle button | On-screen button |
| Zoom the camera | — | Scroll wheel | — |
| Restart the level | R | — | — |
Little Platformer FAQ
Does Little Platformer work on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. On a touchscreen you get a stick on the left side and four action buttons on the right. Turn the phone sideways for the widest view. A Chromebook works with its keyboard, and a mouse or a gamepad is also supported.
Is there an ending or a win screen?
No. The level has no finish line. Your own goal is to gather all 66 coins and knock out all 12 enemies, which adds up to a top score of 78, while keeping your death count as low as you can.
Do I lose my progress when I die?
You do not. After a short pause you respawn at the start of the map, but your score stays, the coins you took stay gone, and every hole you blew in the rock is still there. Press R if you want to restart the level.
Is it single player?
Yes. You steer a single character through the level by yourself. If you want something to compare with friends, each of you can play a full run and then check who ended with the higher score and the fewer deaths.
