Ragdoll Platformers

How it works

A ragdoll platformer is an obstacle course for a body with loose joints. You do not move a stiff character that always lands on its feet. You push a floppy one that wobbles when it walks, stumbles on a bump and tumbles when it falls. The physics decides what happens after every move, so the same jump can land, slip or end in a heap.

The controls are usually few: walk, plus one trick such as a jump, a grab or a way to go stiff. The challenge is learning how the body reacts, and timing that one trick so the body does what you meant.

What makes a good one

• Very few controls, learnt in seconds, with a trick that has depth.
• A body that behaves the same way every time, so a fall can be read and fixed.
• Falls that are funny instead of punishing, with an instant, free retry.
• Short courses with checkpoints, so one bad moment never costs much.
• New props every few levels, so the right answer keeps changing.
• No gore. A tumble should end in a bonk, not a mess.

Strategies that help

Go slowly at first. Momentum carries a floppy body further than you expect. Walk to the edge, stop and then try the trick.

Watch the replay. If a game shows you the fall again, look at the moment it went wrong. It is usually the timing, not the idea.

Use the body as a tool. A stiff body can bridge, slide or float where a loose one cannot, and a loose one can squeeze where a stiff one gets stuck.

Treat checkpoints as goals. Reach the next flag, then think about the one after.

Our take

Our ragdoll platformer is Floppington. You steer a tin wind-up toy whose spring has snapped, so every limb is loose. Hold Brace to turn it into a stiff plank, then let go to spring. It has 48 short courses, an instant replay of every flop and a Daily Tumble that is the same for everyone. For more games where gravity has a say, see our physics games.