Caution! Platforming Ahead begins a tale of sci-fi proportions. Enter Platformo, the hero of our tale. One of many light beings created specifically for the art and sport of platforming.
Story
In the year 30XX, an unknown planet was populated by the gods of light to celebrate their love of platformers. This planet became known as Planet Platform. They built a fantastical playground, which became host to many famous platforming events, but none grander than the annual Platforming Games.
The Platforming Games brewed strong competition throughout the years, and the citizens of Planet Platform trained year-round for the chance to become number one. But no matter how hard they tried, nobody could top Platformo's natural platforming abilities.
For seven years, Platformo stood atop the podium with the gold medal around his neck. Most viewed standing next to Platformo as an honor, everybody except Fringe that is. A jealousy began to boil over inside of Fringe that day, as second place wasn't good enough. This will never happen again, he thought.
On the eve of the eighth Platforming Games, Fringe walked toward the edge of a forest locals called the Birchy Narrows. Cursing his horrid luck and with silver medal in hand, Fringe tossed his accomplishment away as he contemplated a way to beat Platformo. As he brainstormed, a faint, mesmerizing, yellow glow deeper in the woods caught his attention.
Curiosity got the better of Fringe, and he decided to take a closer look. As he drew closer, the shape of a staff with an hourglass on top could be seen propped up against a rock. During his approach, an ancient melody began to infiltrate Fringe's thoughts, and a message began to bleed through. "If you want to be number 1, use this magic hourglass staff to send Platformo to an obstacle course I built in my dimension. An obstacle course that he will never complete."
Later that evening, Platformo whizzed through the Birchy Narrows as part of his annual warm-up routine. But, unbeknownst to him, Fringe was lurking in the shadows with incredible power and a mission to banish Platformo to a mysterious dimension.
As Platformo continued his warm-up routine, Fringe cast the magic hourglass staff in his direction, ripping into the fabric of their known world and trapping Platformo in another dimension.
With only one way to advance, Platformo begins his escape.
Gameplay
Caution! Platforming Ahead is a tribute to the art of platforming and explores the basic gameplay loops that make up a retro-inspired platformer. In Caution! Platforming Ahead, you are tasked with escaping an obstacle course built in another dimension. To do this, players must become Platformo to run, jump, and blaze throughout each of the game's 20 scenes. Doing so won't be easy, as Platformo must collect 8 keys to unlock a door at the end of each scene while avoiding classic platforming obstacles.
Arcade Mode
A classic experience where players start the game with 3 lives and try to tackle all 20 scenes without suffering the ill-fated Game Over screen. Players' progress will be saved to the main menu screen in this mode, and completing it is the only way to unlock the game's secret characters, achievements, and see the true ending.
Practice
A more traditional precision platformer experience which gives the player an infinite amount of lives to see most of what Caution! Platforming Ahead has to offer. The player only gets to see a shortened version of the game's ending upon completion, and a participation ribbon achievement is also awarded.
Platformo's Moveset
Walk
Platformo possesses many familiar abilities, and walking is one of them. You'll be spending most of your time running; however, there may be opportune times to walk instead of run.
Run
Running is the ability of Platformo's that you'll be using the most, as it allows you to smoothly navigate around obstacles with the precise amount of speed necessary.
Jump
Platformo's jump is one of the best around and can utilize a little something called jump sustain to move a little more accurately around obstacles.
P-Jump
Inspired by a fellow platformer, Platformo developed a technique he likes to call the P-Jump. Instead of relying on coyote timing, Platformo can run off ledges to enable a double jump that lets him navigate like no platformer ever has before.
Wall Jump and Wall Slide
Wall jumping is a technique that comes in handy when navigating hard-to-reach areas or simply to recover from certain death. In combination with wall-sliding, Platformo can slip through areas faster by pressing down, opening up many choices to the player.
Special
Platformo's special ability is one that releases a burst of condensed energy and allows him to blaze through scenes like nobody before him. When activated, Platformo transforms into an exclamation point vehicle, which lets him travel much faster than running. It's also useful for safer passage during tougher sections of the game.
Special Jump
While in this exclamation point state, Platformo can also jump to reach items or to reach areas he couldn't without this new jump.
Developer TIp
Platformo's moveset allows players to freely express their platforming desires by stringing together glorious platforming feats in a way never seen before. There is a bit of a learning curve, but patient players are rewarded with their creative use of Platformo's abilities to create new paths that don't bound the player to the ground.
Obstacles
Most obstacles in Caution! Platforming Ahead are spawned using the same archaic yellow substance found in the magic hourglass staff. Beware of these yellow obstacles because one touch means death for Platformo.
Mimic
Mimics are spawned in Platformo's image as a means of mockery. This is the basic Mimic and its job is to patrol the ground to impede Platformo's progress.
Mimic Air
Mimics designed for air patrol can be found scattered throughout scenes to ensure Platformo doesn't fly too fast.
Mimicpillar
A real caterpillar that has been transformed due to the presence of this substance. They can be found crawling on the ground and ceilings; however, Mimicpillars on the ceiling will drop to attack Platformo if he gets too close.
Mimic Archer
Sneaky Mimic Archers hide in later scenes and can even be found dangling from the ceiling. Their attack is uniform, making it easy to predict, but one wrong move can spell disaster for Platformo.
Spikes
A staple danger in many platformers is the gruesome spike. These nasty, thoughtfully placed spikes wait patiently for the player to make a misstep.
Pits
A classic obstacle from platformers returns in the form of pits. Open holes of all sizes can be found throughout this mysterious dimension. But a lack of ground won't stop Platformo, as his moveset can help him recover quickly if danger is abound.
Springs
Strategically placed throughout this mysterious dimension are familiar springs, which can help Platformo reach new heights. Dependent on whether or not the player is holding the jump button will affect the height of the player's bounce.
Developer TIp
Running from a platform and then holding down the jump button when trying to bounce higher from a spring can sometimes yield a surprising result. It can be better to jump to a spring from a platform instead of running off it first, which activates the P-Jump. This P-Jump can feel a bit unexpected because you're activating the P-Jump before hitting the spring. This happens because players temporarily store the P-Jump until jumping or hitting solid ground, so it can be useful to store the P-Jump and use it to your advantage.
Moving Platforms
Moving platforms come in four varieties in Caution! Platforming Ahead. Platforms that are perpetually moving left and right, and platforms that go up and down. The other two platforms, the up and down platforms, only activate when Platformo lands on them.
Imploding Blocks
Imploding blocks will begin a countdown when stepped on, causing them to implode, leaving Platformo in certain danger in some areas.
Slippery Platforms
Caution! Platforms will be slippery when wet, taking some control away from Platformo while he is walking and running on them.
Developer Tip
Continuously moving will help Platformo navigate slippery platforms a little better than wrestling to and forth with the controls. Also, if you do feel control slipping away, just perform a simple jump to leave the ground and don't move in either direction to come to a complete stop.
Disappearing Blocks
An evil from platformers past, these dastardly disappearing blocks resurface to haunt players in later scenes. One wrong move and Platformo will be without a platform.
Collectibles
Platformo will have to keep an eye out for various collectibles in this mysterious dimension in order to make progress.
Keys
There are 8 of these keys to collect in every scene. Doing so will unlock the door that is at the far right of every scene.
Popcorn Kernels
Popcorn is the favorite treat of citizens from the Planet Platform. These popcorn kernels are usually found in dangerous scenarios, but the promise of delicious buttery popcorn after escaping these unknown parts is too good to resist. There are three popcorn kernels to be found in every scene.
1up
Platformo begins the game with three lives, but a 1up can be found in each scene that gives him another chance should he meet his demise.
Continue
Only one continue can be found in a playthrough of Caution! Platforming Ahead. Using it will allow the player to continue from Scene 11.
Replay Value
Caution! Platforming Ahead is a short experience, but there is some replay value here to be found. Players can continue to practice to improve their personal best times, collect popcorn kernels to unlock new characters, and tackle achievements to see everything the game has to offer.
Thank you from the developer
Caution! Platforming Ahead is a tribute to platformers built (mostly) by one person. I went with a minimalist, abstract approach to emulate retro platformers in length, gameplay, and aesthetic. It was never meant to be a story-driven experience, but Caution! Platforming Ahead becomes the first in a planned story that explores unforeseen struggles with time travel, mysterious dimensions, and how their entities interact with the perceived real world to influence the outcome of particular events.
