Webbed

Webbed is a simple and cute platformer that provides players with a few hours of enjoyment web-swinging through bushland and befriending other bugs all in the name of love.

At essentially every opportunity throughout my roughly four-hour playthrough of the game, Webbed chose joy, whilst never sacrificing sharp puzzle design nor the fundamentals of platforming and web-swinging that make it a pleasure to play. Fold into that a pleasantly achievable list of collectables and a playful score from Stijn van Wakeren and Lucas Suarez, and Webbed manages to completely stick the landing.

Sometimes you need to imagine yourself as what you fear most to know true bliss. Webbed manages to create a fulfilling experience through one basic prospect: swinging around as a spider and going really fast. Barreling through forested areas is its forté, with an enamoring excitability that few games can replicate without outright copying the formula. Though it cannot remain stable throughout—the physics-based puzzles and activities outside of this freeing feeling aren't nearly as enjoyable, and some may travel aimlessly until they stumble upon progression accidentally. Nevertheless, it's an overall memorable homage to a prospect both weird and terrifying, which is generally what makes it worth it.