Quirky App Of The Day: In Climbing Chaos, The Floor Really Is Lava

Climbing Chaos (Free) by Matthew Willard is a retro arcade game where the only way to go is up. Remember the last time you pretended that the floor was lava and jumped from the end table to the couch? For some of us, that time was yeas ago. For others, it was just last week. Whichever group you fall into, the floor is definitely lava in this game. Well, it’s more like a rising flood of lava.

You enter the room through some sort of strange cage. You’ll exit the room in an identical looking cage. The problem is how you’re going to get to that cage without being burned alive by the lava that’s flooding the room. No pressure, right?

There are ledges that you can jump on to help you reach your exit. The game would be far too easy if these ledges stayed put and were totally predictable. No, these stone platforms will do a variety of things to make the game more interesting. Some disappear, some shift to a new position, and some move up and down.

As if that wasn’t challenging enough, the game gives absolutely no way of knowing which action these platforms will perform. You’ll just have to jump on them and wait for the results. Good luck with that.

Each level that you complete will give you a star rating. There are also stars that you can collect during the level. You can use these stars to unlock new worlds to explore. Personally, after barely escaping with my life a few dozen times, I’d want to go home. I wouldn’t be one to look around and think, “Hey, what other death defying feats can I accomplish today?” I’m a boring homebody like that.

There are three worlds that you can explore. They are aptly named, “Vertigo,” “Delusion,” and “Paranoia.” Each of these worlds has nine levels in them. There’s also a tutorial that you can play through. The tutorial allows you to get the hang of jumping from platform to platform without the threat of any lava. It’s a great way to become introduced to the game. The tutorial has six levels to play through.

I love retro arcade games. There’s something about the 8-bit graphics and electronic music that make me think of warm summers spent indoors in front of a television screen. Anyone who loves these old arcade games would enjoy Castle Chaos.

Castle Chaos is a universal app, and it’s available in the App Store for FREE!