Proving once again that you cheeky monkeys are gluttons for punishment, Orton and the Princess arises like a magnificent phoenix from the ashes of a recent Link Dump Friday when reception to this deceptively sweet looking little platformer swelled. Control with the [arrow] keys and jump with the [X] key. Your mission; to get stubby little Orton to his pink princess at the end of each level. Standing in your way? To name a few things, spikes, platforms, and... the help text? Hmmmm.
Orton and the Princess is one of those sneaky little games that lures you in with a few easy levels and lets you think "Oh, I can do that." The game really demands some fairly precise jumps, and timing everything right can lead to a fair amount of hair pulling... which, of course, is when the help text begins berating you. Because that helps. "You're not supposed to drink while playing this game, you know," it chides, after your fifth nosedive onto some spikes. You can retry over and over, but the game doesn't offer any checkpoints within the levels, so putting a foot wrong means you have to inch your way back to where you were. Combine this with how merely being close enough to exhale on spikes will get you killed, and you have a formula to come up with some really intriguing new profanity. Especially once you start encountering traps and false princesses, to name a few fun new things...
So why keep playing? Because in spite of how frequently you die, the game somehow manages to keep being fun. Maybe it's the bouncy, irrepressibly cheerful soundtrack. Maybe it's the tight level design that constantly pushes your skill to the limit. Or maybe it's the hope that the end level will let you hold down the mocking narrator and cheerfully pound the snot out of them. Orton and the Princess has its audience among gamers who like simple presentations and challenging gameplay. It's fun and frustrating in all the right ways, and really is one of those things that hurts so good.
[Please note that this game behaves differently in various browsers. If you're using Firefox, you may have trouble jumping high enough in some levels. Please try another browser if you have problems.]
When, on the last level, I got to the end after so many dyings and just barely missed the jump to the princess, I think that I not only scared the pets and neighbors but actually invented new profanities. Also, when frustrated by this type of game I apparently make some really, REALLY strange noises. I sound like an extra on Star Trek or Doctor Who or something.
I did actually manage to beat it, though, so it's not as difficult as some of the other games of this sort (like the purely masochistic Meat Boy).
Funny, little game. Last (kind of secret) level really tested my frustration tolerance, and I failed. That as someone who completed within a deep forest. Maybe it changes over time, or I need more cuteness for more frustration tolerance ;-)
Worth noting: Unless I'm being an idiot (which has been known to happen), there's no level select or continue feature. If you close the game window, all your progress up to that point is gone gone.
Wow! Moving Platforms! That's new!
I'm sorry. This is just another platformer to me, avoid the spikes and time your jumps for the moving platforms, get to the goal. Ooh, this level looks tricky. I got bored with it very quickly. -_-
I wouldnt have enjoyed this game as much as I did if not for the text giving me insults every time I die.
"you shouldn't drink while playing this game you know"
"you're beggining to like this aren't you?"
I also love the talking level where the princess rejects Orton.
As someone who is usually terrible at these types of games, I somehow managed to get through it without too much frustration (I was able to play through start to finish in about 15 minutes). I think that the fact that it is pretty short made the difficulty a bit more tolerable for me.
Huh? On the second "real" level, the last platform's too high to reach! I'm standing on the platform next to it, hopping up and down, and it's pretty clear it's about a square too high for me to reach it. Trying anyway leads to a spiky death. What's up with this game?
By the way, skipping frames instead of slowing down when the game is running slowly is an unforgivable sin in this genre. If the game slows down, you can still play it, just at a slower pace. If the game skips frames, you can't be precise enough to play at all.
Aegeus: this was noted in the comments in the Link Dump Friday where it originally appeared, as well as in the comments on Kongregate. This seems to be a problem that only occurs in Firefox (in Mac and Linux; I don't know about Windows). IE, Safari, Chrome, and Opera all apparently work fine (that is, you're able to jump high enough). Try another browser?
I beat Orton with a moderate amount of (whispered) cursing. The music kept me going. It's not impossible, after all. And once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. Its relative shortness is probably what keeps it from getting repetitive.
@matt w: You are correct. There is no level select or save feature. If you want to beat it, you have to do so in one sitting.
Wow, dying and starting over from the beginning of a really annoying level. Over and over. So fun. Have better things to do with my time.
There's a fine line between challenging and just plain cheap. This one tends to fall just a bit too much on the wrong side of that line (especially the levels in which the only way to determine the way to go is by trial and error, with all sorts of tricky repetition in between.)
Just as a data point, I use Firefox, and I was able to finish the game. So it's not just a browser issue.
Hm, I had no difficulty with this one. Luck, or skill?
The main character looks so much like Ogmo from Jumper/2/3. Definitely some inspiration there.
4/5? What is WRONG with you people?! Another deliberately difficult pixel platformer. Whoo.
ProTip: This genre stops being quirky when EVERYONE is doing it.
What a beautifully simple plat-former!!
Some platforms are way too complicated,and it takes away from the plot.
I enjoyed Orton and the Princess thoroughly, although it took me many a try to finally finish the secret level. But once I had, I re-played the game.
~ thanks jay
@ Matt w
If you had trouble getting to the place you left off at in this game, then I feel sad for you. Its an incredibly simple game, with simple controls, and simple obstacles. I thought it was marvelous, and think that you, Matt need to re-think your comments, before you post.
I'll be original and echo PorkRoll above - "Wow, dying and starting over from the beginning of a really annoying level. Over and over. So fun. Have better things to do with my time."
I loved this game! I was able to beat most of the difficult levels in a few tries, and i beat the 'secret' level on my second try. This game reminded me a bit of Give Up Robot due to it's difficulty but addictiveness. Also the narrator was very funny :)
The only thing that could make this game worse is an annoying, repetitive soundtrack that I can't turn off.
Oh wait.....
OMG NO.
This game is TOO MUCH. I like hard games. NOT IMPOSSIBLE ONES. DON'T BOTHER POSTING ADVICE. I JUST RAGEQUIT FOREVER. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. IT FAILED.
GOOD LORD! THIS IS SO HARD! ME, A HARDCORE GAMER, FOUND THIS HARD! This... This is HARDER than Nintendo Hard. This.. This is the 9th Level of Platformer Hell! The only thing that got past the 9th Level is I Wanna Be The Guy, it got to the 12TH Level!
Last level is a bastard, but do-able.
Needs. Checkpoints!
But, I quite enjoyed the little insults that were thrown at me whenever I failed. I thought they were funny :)
I didn't find the game THAT hard (the level with the moving spikes was an exception...my brothers wanted to know what I was cursing at the keyboard).
I replayed it for two reason:
1) I wanted to see all the insults.
2) I wondered if selecting a different princess changed anything. My results were inconclusive (ie, I got tired of repeating the game and kept forgetting which princesses I had chosen).
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