- This week our app army has chosen Going Up
- The group found it fun to do puzzles in miniature bursts
- There were a few issues with it becoming a bit repetitive
Going Up is a minimalistic game whose goal is straightforward – get passengers to the floor before they become impatient. It has an uncomplicated to understand set of rules, which is always crucial to a good puzzle. Does it work though? Well, Will Quick praised Going Up in his review, but will our app army agree?
Here’s what they said:
Jason Rosner
Dylan Kwok’s Going Up can best be described as an elevator-style strategic puzzler. The goal is to get passengers to the right floors as quickly and efficiently as possible to ultimately score as many points as possible. The challenge, the difficulty begins to escalate as you progress, starting from basic, just a few floors, up to multiple elevators with multiple types of passengers who may be very impatient or simply confused – this adds a time element that forces you to make quick decisions not to take penalties that deduct your score.
The backdrop to it all is a rather minimalistic, cyber-drenched mystical skyscraper that almost begs you to keep going and see what happens next. The music also has an “elevator” vibe to it, which is rather fitting. With quick play sessions and straightforward controls, Going Up fits the mobile platform quite well!
As the title suggests, this is a game where you control elevators in a very towering skyscraper. The basic idea is to make sure everyone catches the elevator, but if you make someone wait too long, they will turn red and leave. As you climb the levels you meet different characters such as security guards and each level has its own theme.
The graphics match the game and the gameplay is uncomplicated to understand, but the audio is very basic and I turned it off. Despite the straightforward gameplay, I found the game quite enjoyable for times when I needed something I could just pick up and play. The levels aren’t very long, so it was uncomplicated to stop without losing any points. Overall, I found the game enjoyable.
Jim Linford
This is a really fun game that can be played in miniature bursts. Beautiful graphics, reminds me of Monument Valley and I like the premise. However, I don’t think this will be the type of game I’ll play for hours on end. It’s more of a game that consumes time while waiting for the bus. I like the music and the models. The premise is quite straightforward: get people to the floor you want, don’t make them wait.
You can get a few people into the elevator to get them to the floor before they lose their patience. The janitors are the only ones who need the elevator for themselves and to complete the level you need to get three janitors to the floors. After each level you go to the next floor of the skyscraper. I will continue to play, but at miniature intervals. If you like these games, you’ve come to the right place.
Tomek Chan
Going Up is a great puzzle game that challenges players to effectively manage multiple elevators in a building. The premise of the game is straightforward but addictive – you have to guide passengers, e.g. soldiers, janitors, businessmen and tourists, to selected floors as quickly as possible. The hardest part is getting 3 stars by scoring 40 points.
Torbjörna Kembalad
I have never associated an elevator ride with scorching love. Sure, Aerosmith tried it over 20 years ago. Going up is effortless, and taking the elevator isn’t sexy. In Going Up, you have a line up and some sexier janitors walking around your building.
Easy to control, but as the number of demanding travelers increases, timing becomes more and more crucial. Failure becomes a matter of speed and priority. I found Going Up to be quite a satisfying game, combining a zen feel with a sense of urgency. Recommended for people looking for a nice, casual puzzle.
Mark Abukoff
It’s a stylish, minimalist puzzle/game where decision-making and reflexes are key. It starts off very straightforward, but soon the difficulty level increases. It is very arduous to get three stars after a while, as others have said, and there is a certain level of frustration when someone pushes in front of the janitor and takes the car.
And this happens more and more often as time goes on. And yes, it does get repetitive after a while, but that makes it great in miniature bursts, which is always a plus for me. Nice music though; as per personal preference I turned it off. Like I said, a stylish looking game that was different enough from most games I’ve played that I liked it.
Massimo Saraconi
Overall it’s a good game, some strategy is required at advanced levels, but as always everything is very repetitive. The serene music and minimalistic graphics, which at least from my point of view somewhat resemble a cyberpunk setting, give it an extra touch that makes it likeable.
Edward Pandela
A minimalist time management/finger twisting puzzle where you are an elevator operator. Your only action? Click on the door to send the elevator there. Each successfully delivered parcel and the passenger rewards you with a point. Do it quickly and you will receive 2 points. Of course, passengers lose patience if they wait too long, and a point is lost for each passenger who gets furious.
The elevator can take four passengers, but there is a specific type of passenger, Joe the janitor, who fills the elevator himself; Delivering Joe to his destination three times will end the level. (There are more fascinating passengers in the higher levels, but I won’t spoil them for you.) Unlock modern levels by beating certain objectives. And… that’s it. Judging by the star counter in the upper right corner of the screen, there are 10 levels to play. I only managed to unlock 6 and that’s definitely the game’s fault, not mine.
It has straightforward, clear and effective rules, challenging gameplay and a “one more try” hook. It’s a single-finger game, so you can definitely play it while riding the subway.
The randomness means you often get into unwinnable situations, making it impossible to unlock all the levels. For example, I understand that I am to delay the janitor as much as possible. But I’ve never managed to get three stars on any level because if I leave the janitor to choke a bit to bump up his score by transporting other people instead, the game always starts spawning normal passengers on the janitor’s floor, and the normal passengers always steal janitor’s ride.
This means I’m starting to lose points because the janitor is getting angrier and angrier. To unlock level 5, Sanctuary, you must obtain three stars on at least one level. To unlock level 6, Arcadia, you must obtain three stars on at least two levels. And so on. So if you don’t deal with a lot of frustration, you won’t be able to unlock all the levels. All in all, it’s worth the price if you like this type of one-touch arcade/time management gameplay.
The game’s minimalist look and the simplicity of its puzzle-based gameplay make it a fun app that can be played in miniature bursts. The art style, while subdued, is quite chilly and reminds me of many games like Alto’s Odyssey and Journey. It’s a fun game played in miniature bursts, but it can be a bit repetitive. Some will enjoy the basic gameplay, while those expecting something more may be disappointed. It’s a basic puzzle that you can get used to in a few minutes, but it can become a challenge quite quickly. Overall, a fun little puzzle game that can be played while traveling or commuting. But it soon gets a bit repetitive
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