MainFrames is a perfect example of a game with a clever idea that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
In the new indie platformer, you play as an adorable floppy disk that traverses computer desktops. The aesthetic is ridiculously charming: the many characters sprinkled throughout the game are so dang cute, and the levels are filled with application windows and desktop icons that serve as bouncing pads or gears to change things in the levels. Everything is overlaid on pixelated landscape computer backgrounds that differ between worlds. And it’s all backed by a catchy chiptune soundtrack that really sells the vibe.
It’s a great premise, and MainFrames takes the idea one step further by regularly letting you manipulate computer windows by clicking or dragging them like you would with an actual mouse. So, for example, if you can’t reach a far-off ledge, you might be able to hop onto a computer window with a platform and drag that window over to the ledge so you can reach it. You’ll also “select” certain windows to activate functions like flipping gravity.
Over the course of the game, you’ll take on progressively more difficult platforming puzzles that require precisely timed jumps and manipulating windows in various ways. There are lots of different approaches for exploring each level, and it’s worth combing through them to see as much as you can. One of my favorite sections had me retrieving tissues for a clock with a cold. A few times, I ran into a coffee cup making coffee at a coffee machine. Once, I even stumbled on a photo memorializing somebody’s dog.
Some of the platforming puzzles are quite difficult. But when you fail a jump or run into an obstacle, you respawn right away, so it’s easy to throw yourself at a challenge as many times as you need to beat it. I was able to skip through some rooms by being smart about where I was jumping, and while I felt pretty proud of myself, I have a hunch the game’s developers intentionally designed some of those shortcuts. You can also turn on accessibility features like invincibility or infinite jumps to breeze through anything you just can’t get past, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I did so for a handful of areas near the end of the game.
While playing MainFrames, I kept drawing comparisons to Celeste. Both are smart platformers with great vibes that can get pretty tough, but because reloads are so quick, repeated failures don’t sting too badly. And both games feel like they play out their ideas exactly as far as they need to. I rolled credits on MainFrames in a little under four hours, and the experience felt just right.
MainFrames is now available on Nintendo Switch and PC.
