Wspr

Title#

I thought for a long time about the title, and in the end, "suffering games" might be the most fitting. Among the three ACG fields, I am most interested in and knowledgeable about games. I can't get into anime, and I'm not interested in manga; I've loved games since I was little. However, I'm not a player who enjoys everything indiscriminately. After playing games for so long, I've discovered some types of games that I just can't experience the charm of.

1. Games that require thinking. Although you need to think while playing any game, here it mainly refers to, but is not limited to: tower defense games (Arknights, Bloons TD), roguelike deckbuilders (Slay the Spire), puzzle games (Baba Is You), strategy games (RTS, 4X, tactical games), etc. When I play these games, my actions often frustrate others. The main reason: I completely fail to make any long-term plans and often act randomly.

2. Games that balance gameplay and story. For me, I can only focus on either the story or the gameplay; if a game tries to do both, I probably won't be able to continue playing. So, I can't get into most RPGs, except for a very few.

3. Open-world or broadly objective games. This includes games like Minecraft and TR; if I play them by myself, I feel completely lost. Then there are open-world games; looking at the vast map makes my scalp tingle.

4. Slow-paced games. This mainly refers to games with a slow pace, such as Souls-like games and Monster Hunter, where various actions are very slow. In games like Isaac, if a game can't quickly engage my interest (whether positively or negatively), I can't continue playing.

So you can probably tell that my brain is basically in a state of near exhaustion. Given these limitations, what games do I enjoy? One category is suffering games. Since I was little, before I even touched a computer, I played difficult games like Touhou and Electronic Super Joy on other people's computers. This laid the foundation for my taste. I like games that have simple mechanics, almost no story, fast-paced gameplay, and high difficulty. They are either extremely stimulating dopamine games or the complete opposite—slow-paced visual novels or AVG-type games.

I've said a lot of nonsense, so now let me talk about the mindless games I like.

1. Nuclear Throne
   Brain capacity requirement: Very low
   Suffering level: Infinite

   

   First, I have to mention my favorite gameplay-focused game—Nuclear Throne. Nuclear Throne perfectly meets the criteria I mentioned above:

   • Extremely simple gameplay. Pick up a weapon and kill enemies; once you finish, you automatically move to the next level, occasionally upgrading and choosing a mutation, which are special abilities, not RPG-style stat points. You just keep killing until you blow up the throne or do it in a special way and then start again until you die.

   • Almost no story. The only story is the loading tips.

   • Fast-paced. The game basically reduces waiting time to zero; you only get a moment to breathe when generating levels. The rest of the time is spent continuously killing monsters, and once you finish, a portal appears on the last corpse, so you don't even need to find a path.

   • High difficulty. Because you can loop infinitely, the difficulty can be infinitely increased. Even if you just want to clear it once, you still need to put in some effort.

   Nuclear Throne is a roguelite game. This means that when you die, you start over, and each time is random. However, the random elements in the game are pitifully few; aside from mutation weapons and layouts, there aren't many random factors. At this point, you might as well treat this game as an arcade game. However, in my mind, roguelites should embody the spirit of arcade games. I really, really dislike the rampant permanent upgrade elements in this genre. But I've already criticized that, so I won't dwell on it here.

   In short, in Nuclear Throne, you can unlock some elements that can make your start a bit easier, but let me tell you, it doesn't matter much. Because the game itself doesn't follow an RPG approach. The enemy's stat design is very reasonable, so reasonable that you can complete the game using only the starting weapon without upgrading. For the game's L0, or the first loop, you can pass no matter how you play. This also means that when you're being punished at this stage, you can't blame anyone. It's 99.9% your fault, and players who are more skilled than you can handle it better. The strength you accumulate in the game is not reflected through in-game stats but is determined by the neural pathways you develop while playing the game. By practicing and training your brain, you can make better choices.

   However, I can only say good things up to L1. Starting from L2, the game will gradually only allow a few types of gameplay, and mutations, as permanent deciding factors, become a hassle of repeated luck. If you want to have a good run, like L6 and above, you'll need to grind repeatedly until you get good mutations. And it doesn't end there. You also have to ensure that you don't die from the start to L6, which takes about 90 minutes on average. During these 90 minutes, you must stay alert and not die to avoid wasting your efforts. This is very exhausting. The community has divided various loops into three stages: Normal—below L6, Deep Loop—L6 to L12, and Abyss Loop—above L12. Reaching L12 takes three to four hours. Continuously pushing your limits in this game is very difficult.

   

   So, isn't it exhausting to stay tense for such a long time? Fortunately, Nuclear Throne is not as stingy as other roguelites, hoarding resources tightly. The game mainly has three resources: health, ammunition, and radiation (experience points). The main source of these three resources is killing monsters. Moreover, the lower your health and ammunition, the higher the drop rate. This means that in critical situations, a more aggressive playstyle is actually safer. Radiation is a type of special weapon ammunition later on, so when using these weapons, if you can't manage your ammo well, your radiation won't convert. This is an extremely aggressive, high-risk, high-reward system that complements the fast-paced experience. Additionally, this adds a layer of "monster control" strategy. In most later stages, most monsters are not dangerous at all; they are just your resource reserves. So controlling the battlefield is also a necessary skill for going deep. Mutations and weapons are your qualifications for entering deeper runs, and these details can't be explained in words; they can only be understood through practical experience.

   I previously mentioned the cleverness of the stat design, but the character design in the game is also very distinctive. For example, Eyes can use telekinesis to push enemy bullets away and pull drops and enemies closer, Plant can release traps that, combined with mutations, can quickly kill enemies, Melting can explode enemy corpses, and Rebel can sacrifice health to summon minions, etc. The pixel art for these characters is also very well done, and the designs are quite recognizable. Besides the visuals, the sound design in the game is also excellent; the satisfaction of killing enemies comes from this. You can hear the juicy sound when blowing up scorpions, the tragic wails of robots in the snow, etc. The various sound effects of firearms are also very satisfying, and the details of melee weapon swings are fully realized.

   Overall, even now, Nuclear Throne has many designs that are not outdated and even quite innovative, and it surpasses most roguelite shooting games. Indeed, most choices in the game become useless under the infinite loop setting, but can you really blame the game for that? What game can be without some meta? If you want to join the meta army, I suggest you download mods that allow you to choose mutations. I don't think this is cheating at all.

   The fast-paced gameplay combined with the kill-to-recover feedback loop, along with a completely non-dragging experience, fast loading times, and extremely satisfying visuals and sound design, make Nuclear Throne's enjoyment level off the charts. What? You say Survivors? My evaluation is that survivor-type games are all trash. Come join me in the wasteland to blow up Nuclear Throne.

   Around 2020 to 2021, a group of Nuclear Throne fans created a game that continued the spirit of Nuclear Throne while increasing the game's difficulty, speeding up the pace, and reducing the luck factor. Next, I'll talk about Stardust Arena.

2. Stardust Arena
   Brain capacity requirement: Low
   Suffering level: Extremely high

   

   The developers of Stardust Arena are veterans of Nuclear Throne, so this game is significantly more difficult from the start than Nuclear Throne. Therefore, this game is generally only recommended for players who enjoy the former, unless you are a master of twin-stick shooters.

   The randomness in SA is not much better than NT; the mutation system has mainly been replaced by an equipment system. These pieces of equipment can be upgraded by combining two identical components, and after a while, the game will provide an Assembler where you can spend money to buy the same type of component; similarly, you can dismantle unnecessary components for cash. This setup makes equipment no longer fixed like mutations, giving players more operational space. It also reduces the luck factor significantly. Most of the time, you can operate quite well.

   But this is just a trap left by the developers. SA is an Arena Shooter; this doesn't refer to multiplayer shooting games like Unreal Tournament, but rather that your battlefield is a circle, and you need to kill waves of enemies. Currently, the game has 50 waves. The first ten waves are basically to familiarize you with the game and slightly build your build; if placed in NT, that would be L0. After that, the game's intensity begins to rise rapidly. Before long, you'll need to understand a key principle of this type of game—circle running. While circling, you also need to: counter snipers, avoid randomly appearing mines on the ground, dodge enemy bombs, evade a centipede enemy's timed charge, use small enemies to recover health, be wary of possible explosive barrels, dodge tracking lasers + avoid the plasma bullets that explode after they die, dodge meteors or dig up meteors to recover ammo, and occasionally seize opportunities to build your equipment. Yes, these details are all things you need to pay attention to on top of an already very fast-paced game. Even in NT, you rarely need to pay attention to so many things at once.

   

   The controls in SA compared to NT only replace the skill key with digging and add a dash. Other than that, there is no difference. However, mindless dashing will only harm you. Although you are invincible during the dash, the distance is also uncontrollable. Additionally, the damage in the game is very high. With a default of 50 health, just two large bullets can kill you. So, you are very likely to die from a small mistake. This game has both high and low tolerance. SA still has the kill-to-recover tradition, but this time, all your ammo needs to be recovered by killing enemies or digging up meteors, which makes ammo management very important from the start. Moreover, your weapons consume more as they upgrade, making it easier to run out of ammo. The unchangeable terrain also makes it more difficult to maneuver around enemies, and the entire open circular area has no cover for you; you either kill or die. So the game basically forces you to play aggressively throughout.

   The tolerance for builds in SA is also much higher. Most builds can reach quite far—this is a conclusion I drew from the leaderboard. Because compared to NT's long-term design items, the items in this game are designed from the start for the endgame, so there are no transitional items. In NT, transitional weapons also appear repeatedly. I, personally, can only reach close to wave 30; I haven't seen the world beyond that. Moreover, the types of weapons and components are not many, so building them is relatively less torturous, taking at most a dozen minutes. However, the energy consumption of this game is indeed very high; after playing for a while, you will be exhausted.

   The pixel art in the game cannot be said to be amazing, but it is definitely visually appealing. The music is limited, but they are all electronic music like Jungle, which sounds quite good. The sound effects also inherit the tradition of NT, providing a satisfying experience, although the explosion sounds from enemies can become tiring. Overall, if you want a faster, harder, but less luck-dependent shooting roguelite, SA is definitely your choice.

3. Devil Daggers
   Brain capacity requirement: Medium
   Suffering level: Extremely high+

   

   Boards of Canada is one of my favorite bands. They have an album—Geogaddi. This album is filled with tension, eeriness, and beautiful atmosphere. The exact length of sixty-six minutes and six seconds, along with many details in the album, has led many to associate it with demons. In this album, there is a track called "The Devil Is In the Details," which is very fitting to describe Devil Daggers.

   I generally don't play first-person games much, mainly for one reason: they make me dizzy! However, DD can be said to have gradually helped me accept this type of game because DD is incredibly simple. The game features only black and a circular platform; the rest consists of enemies, with no elements that can induce dizziness. In recent years, there has been a trend in FPS, especially among indie or small studio games: Boomer Shooter. These games return to the designs of the ancestors, creating Doom-like/Quake-like games. While DD may seem like this at first glance, it has modern ideas in both aspects.

   Before discussing gameplay, I must mention one thing I really like about DD: its extreme minimalism. There is basically no UI during the game; you can choose to turn on the timer; the menu has just a few options, and the gameplay is very pure: you are a hand (?), shooting daggers, and you need to kill various skeletons. The development team, Sorath, may not be familiar to you, but they are actually the people behind Dustforce's Hitbox Team, which will be mentioned later. They have virtually no social activity, and the game has only one achievement, which is usually a testament to your complete mastery of the game. In DD, this achievement is to survive for 500 seconds. Currently, the completion rate is 0.3%; before the game became popular again, this achievement had long been at 0.1%.

   Surviving for 500 seconds, is that really so hard? It truly is. As an arcade-style game, DD has very strict control over rhythm. You must complete certain tasks before a specific time point; otherwise, the situation will immediately spiral out of control, and you will die. Although it is a first-person game, DD and its spiritual successor HYPER DEMON share a characteristic: extra perception. In HYPER DEMON, you have a 360-degree field of view, and enemies behind you appear as red phantoms on your screen, while DD relies on sound. There is no music while you play; only the roars of enemies. Every sound effect in the game is meticulously designed to be both comfortable and informative. Various enemies emit different sounds, occupying different frequency ranges, allowing you to hear clearly. Until there are too many enemies later on, this system is very helpful.

   As mentioned earlier, your actions are basically predetermined, so the background is somewhat of a factor. However, just having a background won't save you. Because even if you know what will appear later, you can't guarantee that you can handle it. This is because the positions of enemies appear randomly. This is the only variable in the game. Therefore, judgment of the battlefield is also very important. The game has several iconic difficulty spikes, such as 39, 120, 170, and 200, 260, 350, etc. These points require a lot of practice.

   Now let's talk about the creative design of the game. In STG games, you rarely need to stop firing unless it's a special scoring mechanism like in Hellcat; in most games, you really don't need to stop firing. In this game, killing enemies drops gems, which can only be collected when you stop firing; continuously firing will cause these gems to disappear. After reaching a certain level, your gems will turn into a type of tracking bullet, so this is another game that combines killing enemies with organic mechanics. Do you see the pattern? Every enemy in the game has its own particularly annoying aspects, and the solutions vary. Your goal is singular; this is an extremely pure yet extremely brutal game. However, the first few seconds of downtime in the game are quite lengthy; even if you choose to farm gems, there is still some waiting involved. This might be a downside. DD is so compact that it's hard to find any flaws. The more you say, the more mistakes you make; the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make.

   If you enjoy suffering, pure design philosophy, old-school retro FPS, and a brutal arcade gaming experience, and are fascinated by the game's black, white, and red aesthetics, then you must try DD.

4. Celeste
   Brain capacity requirement: Medium (game content) Extremely high (community maps)
   Suffering level: Medium (game content excluding golden strawberries) Infinite (golden strawberries + community maps)

   

   Celeste's reputation truly doesn't need me to extol its virtues. This game is often referred to as "the hardest game/platformer on Steam." Although I think there are quite a few that are harder, I won't dwell on that.

   The design philosophy and gameplay experience of Celeste are very coherent and compact, with a smooth difficulty curve, only a bit steep between the second and third levels. The core of the game lies in the dash; the entire game is built around this single action. From the very beginning, familiarizing yourself with the controls, to using the dash jelly in the second level, to many mechanisms linked to the dash later on, it repeatedly teaches you how to use the dash. Besides the dash, Celeste also has an element of momentum. Of course, there are many momentum-based platformers, and the later-mentioned N++/Dustforce also play with momentum, but here it’s more about acceleration through the rapid movement of objects to fly. Besides using objects, the later-taught wave dash is also a form of acceleration. If you want to go even faster, there's also the Ultra. The advanced gameplay of Celeste revolves around stacking momentum with dashes.

   However, aside from community maps, the nine maps in the game each have their own characteristics, accompanied by a bit of story I don't care about and nice music. The A-side levels feel more like sightseeing, allowing you to accompany Madeline as she gradually resolves her inner conflicts, while the B-side shows you just how much potential you have. The C-side feels more like an extra challenge for players who haven't had enough. As for the later DLC Chapter 9, it adds more creative systems while combining the A, B, and C sides, making it very enjoyable to play.

   Although Celeste has many interesting designs, I personally don't like some elements in it. This isn't related to the design itself; I just don't like certain specific levels. Fortunately, the elements in the main game are generally not difficult enough to make you give up entirely, which makes Celeste the most suitable entry point among the platformers I want to mention. I died nearly 10,000 times after completing all elements except the golden strawberries; it sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel that way while playing.

   Besides the levels in the game, community maps are also an important component of Celeste. Here, players discover the true potential of the game's mechanics. If you want to try community maps, I recommend starting with the Strawberry Jam map collection, which has a very complete tutorial on game mechanics. Although it looks dazzling, in reality, each chapter only introduces about ten new techniques, and the first two major levels are of similar difficulty to the main game.

   Celeste is an excellent game for entering the world of Precision Platformers, allowing you to appreciate the astonishing depth hidden behind a few simple controls, as well as the importance of quality level design and excellent control feel. I do not recommend using assist modes while playing.

5, 6. N++/Dustforce

Brain capacity requirement: Medium (N++) Large (Dustforce)
Suffering level: Very high (N++ single-player mode without considering coins) Extremely high+++ (N++ full collection) Extremely high+ (Dustforce)

Next, these two games are heavyweight titles. Since I haven't invested much time in them, I can only briefly mention them. First, let's talk about their common elements:

• A huge pressure on the controls right from the start. Without long-term practice, even very basic obstacles can be difficult to pass. The float state feels very helpless; you can't move left and right like in other games. All movements have inertia and feel very sluggish.
• Terrifying depth. I haven't played these two games much, but both require hundreds of hours of practice to grasp their intricacies, and before that, the bizarre controls and high-difficulty levels will torment you to death. Completing N++ is manageable, but collecting coins is very annoying. Dustforce requires significant effort just to enter levels.
• Excellent visual design. N++ is the perfect embodiment of minimalist graphics; the game has only a few colors, and the shapes are very simple. Dustforce's visuals are very clean, and the animations of characters and other entities are very smooth. Mastering the controls in both games feels very fluid and graceful, truly giving a sense of being a martial arts master.
• Excellent music. I believe most people learned about Dustforce through one person: Chubbyemu. This person often uses the game's OST as background music for videos. As for N++, if you enjoy IDM, Ambient, Techno, or similar bleep music, you will be very happy.

If Celeste hasn't made the levels so extreme that most players can enjoy playing through them, then N++ and Dustforce will likely give players who just found confidence in Celeste a harsh reality check. In Celeste, you can complete all elements except for golden strawberries in just a few dozen hours, while here you might still be exploring. Therefore, I only recommend those who already enjoy Precision Platformers or are just stubbornly determined to play these games. However, these people probably already know about these two games.

First, let's talk about N++. N++ is an enhanced version of N+, which is an enhanced version of N. N originally started as a Flash game, and after two iterations, we have N++. The promotional material states "Best Platformer," which is not an empty claim; it might just be missing a "One of." N++ has over 4,000 levels; yes, you read that right, over 4,000. These levels start by hand-holding you through the basics of the game and then reveal their evil nature. N++ is like a cram school that can't wait to teach you how to play from the very beginning, and the vast number of levels is like a must-do exercise; if you want to get stronger, you have to bite the bullet and tackle these levels. Once you've completed the vast number of levels, the game is probably only halfway through. Because these levels also have coins.

N++ starts with a 90-second countdown, and collecting a coin adds one second. The placement of these coins is very malicious; if you want to collect them right from the start, you will definitely be punished. Besides collecting coins, the game has many challenges, so currently, there are fewer than 50 people globally who have achieved 100% completion.

Well, even if our goals aren't that ambitious, playing well in N++ isn't easy. The game has only three buttons: left, right, and jump. However, the chemical reaction between these three buttons and the terrain is terrifyingly unparalleled. As I mentioned earlier, even very basic terrain can be difficult to navigate, and N++ is like that. Even with simple square terrain and stationary obstacles, you have to be very careful while controlling. And unfortunately, this ninja either moves very fast or very slow, so to master movement, you first need to be calm. Because of such immense momentum, if your controls are off, there is very little room for correction. Unlike many agile platformers, N++'s unique movement mechanics lead to its potential difficulties. Although it's not the same as the clunky controls of games like Ghosts 'n Goblins.

N++ has been continuously explored by its developers like a high school exam subject, ultimately resulting in a very compact, rich, and brutally challenging Precision Platformer.

Next is Dustforce. Dustforce has significantly fewer levels, but that doesn't mean your playtime will be much shorter. As mentioned earlier, the development team behind Dustforce also strongly believes in minimalism, so the game has only one achievement: SS for all levels.

What is SS for all levels? First, we need to explain how Dustforce works. You are a janitor who needs to clean the floor; however, dust blocks are also in the air, and there are dust-infested monsters attacking you. You need to pick up a broom to clean the floor.

The controls in Dustforce also feel very sluggish; the character jumps quickly, but can still hover in the air for a while; after jumping, you still can't move significantly left or right, and dashing can quickly cancel inertia, while swinging the broom has a forward and backward swing. This is also a game where you can't just mash buttons; if you don't know what you're doing, you'll likely fail.

The game's rating is based on speed and completion. However, the conditions for achieving SS are simple: just clean all the dust throughout the level, and maintain a combo of dust cleaning, and you'll achieve SS. Sounds simple, right? But once you start playing, you'll instantly realize how sluggish you feel, while the pros in the videos can eliminate the game's sense of stagnation, making it feel like a normal game. The difference between Dustforce and N++ is that Dustforce's fluidity is genuinely graceful, and the levels won't just have one side. The advanced play in Dustforce looks more pleasing to me personally, and the game's style isn't as... cold? Cleaning is truly an art.

Since Dustforce has fewer levels, there are more variations in level selection. You need to explore the map in Nexus; by completing levels, you can obtain keys that unlock more levels, but the prerequisite is—you really need to reach the door. Without understanding how to control, even if you have keys, you might not be able to unlock many levels. The final series of difficult levels are locked behind heavy golden doors, which is also the ultimate challenge of the game.

Overall, both of these games are time black holes. I haven't explored their terrifying depth and difficulty much yet, so I can only speak in general terms. If you feel that Celeste isn't challenging enough and many platformers are too boring, then these two games will definitely open your eyes.

7. I Wanna

   

   Brain capacity requirement: Infinite (fluctuating)
   Suffering level: Infinite (fluctuating)

   【【Determined despite physical limitations】I can jump through this insane IWANNA with one (ten thousand) life - Bilibili】 https://b23.tv/vUFPVga

   Earlier, we mentioned that platformers are the most suitable genre for hitting a wall, and if we were to find something even more extreme, it would be the I Wanna series. The I Wanna series has developed over many years, producing various works and interesting stories, and the culture surrounding it cannot be summarized in just a few lines. So I can only try to elaborate. If you are very interested in I Wanna, you can check out 【I Wanna Series Game Overview & Common FAQs for Newcomers - Bilibili】 https://b23.tv/CGb6rvA and a series of columns written by Lucien.

   I have a complicated relationship with I Wanna. Before I even touched a computer, I saw a commentary on I Wanna GB on Youku, and at that time, I wasn't very familiar with games, so I immediately became interested in this strange thing. After that, I watched many videos of I Wanna games. Later, when I got my hands on a computer, I quickly started playing I Wanna, even though my skills were quite average.

   Because I Wanna is linked to community creations, there are all kinds of games within it. We can mainly divide them into: jump-and-stab, which is the standard platformer; endurance, which involves dodging all projectiles within the duration of a song; and adventure, which is more comprehensive but features more conventional boss battles compared to endurance. Of course, there are many subcategories under these directions; jump-and-stab can be divided into: regular jump-and-stab (also known as jtool jump-and-stab, because the jtool software contains all the elements), gimmick jump-and-stab, which focuses on various novel elements, and L-game, known in China as "single-letter," which is a very special and precise jump-and-stab, among many others.

   Within this diverse range of categories, the quality of the games varies. Some games are well-made, creatively exceptional, and rival or even surpass many paid games, while others seem like they were made by authors under the influence of substances. In I Wanna, you can see many people's inner projections reflected in their game works. Some extremely iconic works or authors are even categorized separately, becoming xxx-like. For example, FTFA-like is a type of jump-and-stab composed solely of 32x32 grids (though FTFA itself isn't entirely 32), which is extremely difficult, and rukito-like focuses on mechanisms and back-and-forth movement, as well as gravity, among many others. Besides these, there are also sudoku games filled with torturous levels, sanity-draining visuals and sounds, and nonsensical designs. Everyone can find a type they like.

   I Wanna is most well-known for its difficulty. Of course, you often see some popular I Wanna videos, but the challenges in those are probably still too trivial. For platformer players, dying thousands of times is a very natural occurrence. The difficulty of I Wanna remains off the charts. In the community, games are divided into 100 levels. Level 100 is completely impossible. Level 99 is theoretically possible (tool-assisted), and levels 98 and below are within human reach. The most famous level 98 game is probably Melanzana. This is a three-minute endurance level where every second requires extremely precise movements with a tolerance of zero; even if you remember the entire route, you need very precise inputs. A young man in China who had never encountered such a game spent thousands of hours to conquer it. Most level 90 games require immense perseverance and high skills. Level 80 is very torturous, while level 70 is probably a difficulty that platformer veterans would enjoy. Moreover, unlike commercial games, I Wanna rarely teaches you gradually (since it's individually produced), and sometimes there are extremely confusing designs, making actual gameplay very stressful. However, modern works have fewer of these issues.

   Of course, I Wanna is filled with various wonderful techniques; bunny hop, jump cancel, and align are common knowledge, and if you want to go hardcore, the jumps in I Wanna can be very mystical. These deeply intricate jumping techniques are referred to as needle tech. There are already thousands of words written about these techniques in thesis-level articles, so I won't embarrass myself here. However, I Wanna is truly the most terrifying platformer I've seen in terms of jumping techniques; I haven't encountered anything deeper yet.

   Alright, alright, if you don't want to be so hardcore, that's actually fine. Most good games don't require so much torture and skill. Even if your level is average and you don't want to suffer so much, you can still enjoy many games. On Delicious Fruit, you can find quite a few high-quality games with lower difficulty, such as the classic Marathon, which is very suitable for beginners.

   What supports I Wanna is this community. Every summer is probably the most anticipated time for I Wanna players because two speedrunning events are held during this time: the foreign Fangame Marathon and the domestic FASF. These two events have many programs every year, and if you want to see what the community looks like and the excellent works of recent years, these events are not to be missed. In addition, there is also the annual Fangame Awards, which is equivalent to the TGA. You could say that the I Wanna community is very vibrant and full of talent. There was a puzzle game that became very popular called Patrick’s Parabox; the creator is an old hand in the I Wanna circle. Many games are also collaborative creations, and they are all very complete and excellent works. One of my personal favorite works is I Wanna Walk Out in the Morning Dew, which has a very strong personal style, and the game's art design, music selection (since it's a free game), and various styles have deeply influenced jump-and-stab games.

   There is so much to say about I Wanna that even writing something as long as this article would be hard to finish. In short, I Wanna is definitely not the kind of game that the public sees as a scam; it is one of the most vibrant, creative, and fulfilling game series you can play for free, as long as you can embrace suffering.