There are hundreds, if not thousands, of indie games out there and one of the best ways to stand out is with visuals. The Floor is Jelly caught my attention with it's super colorful environments and the spongy nature of it's surfaces. Beyond that I knew that it was a platformer but I didn't really have any expectations going into it. I was pleasantly surprised not only to find a good platformer but an atmospheric puzzler as well. This game never bothers to explain what you're doing or why you're there but instead leans into the mysterious nature of the world you're in. Definitely short and sweet, this was a delight bite-size adventure that will leave you pleasantly bewilder.
So lets lay out the foundation of this game... or the lack there of. As I'm sure you're already well aware the ground and all you're surroundings is bouncy like Jell-O. You, as a tiny flea-like spec, must navigate various locals by taking advantage of the wabbly nature of your environment to reach open windows. In each stage you are usually just trying to get from one end to the next to reach another window. Eventually you'll come across large sealed windows that require you to find pieces of thread to unlock. These areas are a little more open ended compared to the rest of the game which is fairly linear. Even on the levels in which you travel back and forth the game really isn't large enough that you should ever feel lost. It especially helps that windows you have have not yet traveled through have a halo around them so you'll always know you're making progress.
At first all you have to do is jump around without falling into the abyss or touching spiky dark matter. However as you progress farther into the game more stuff will be thrown your way which adds another layer of challenge. For example, you may have to help some flowers bloom, rotate various platforms, or swim through water. Each new obstacle is slowly introduced and adds a little more complexity in each subsequent stage until you learn to master it. While the platforming never gets unreasonably challenging you're still likely to parish several times. Thankfully restarts are extremely fast and only resets you on your current stage. Some of the puzzle aspects can get a little tricky towards the end but the levels are so small that there are only so many ways to tackle each stage.
All that is as well and good but where The Floor is Jelly shines is in both in it's atmosphere. I mean this both from the stand point of it's aesthetics and it's story telling. While generally very vibrant and colorful each area has it's own unique theme. The music really helps set the mood and it is fun to listen to it evolve and transform from one stage to the next. While there isn't a story in the traditional sense, such as written dialog, there is something more mysterious tried to your sense of progression. Especially towards the end things start to spiral out of control and the game really keeps you guessing as you wonder what is going to happen next.
These short, little, clever games aren't for everyone but this was a very rewarding, and honestly mind bending, experience that is worth looking into. If you can pick it up on sale or in a gaming bundle like I did I highly recommend playing it. If you didn't grow up playing platformers or don't play them much any more that might make this game a little more challenging to complete. However, as I mentioned previously forgiving respawns make every level feel absolutely doable. Only once or twice did I come across a head scratcher that took me more than a minute or two to figure out. The clever, if not wild, ending is definitely worth reaching and completing if you get the chance to play this delightful indie game.