Get ready to be grossed out by squishy platformer Struggling

(Image credit: Frontier)

Get ready for the ickiest platformer of the year, as Struggling has just got a surprise release for Steam and Nintendo Switch.

This twisted puzzler sees you take control of Troy, an unfortunate experiment-gone-very-wrong who is a gangly mess of limbs and flesh. It's up to you to help guide Troy through levels that will test your brains and reflexes in equal measure. The good news is that you don't have to tackle this journey alone. A co-op mode will allow you and a mate to attempt the struggle together, each controlling a single arm. We can't wait to see how that will go wrong…  

Troy isn't the only weird thing about this world though. Your journey will take you through plenty of peculiar locations, from sketchy labs to freaky fever dreams, each providing you with plenty of new concepts to wrap your head around. Physics-based puzzles will test your ability (and Troy's durability) as you try to grab and swing your way through levels, but don't worry about losing one of Troy's arms. It'll grow back. 

While negotiating these levels might be a tough task, you'll be able to help Troy evolve as the game goes on. For instance, some of the powers it'll unlock includes being able to stick your arms onto the environment, the ability to slow down time, as well as detachable arms that can crawl around the level. 

One of Struggling's greatest strengths is its appropriately disgusting visuals. We mean this as a compliment, as the hand-drawn animations make this look like a cross between a Saturday morning cartoon and The Fly, with plenty of moments that will make you giggle and wince. Basically, we think fans of David Cronernberg's style of body horror are in for a treat with this one.

And the best news is you don't even have to wait to try out this Future Games Show title. You can grab Struggling now on Nintendo Switch and Steam. 

Ben Tyrer
Contributor

Ben Tyrer is a freelance games journalist with over ten years experience of writing about games. After graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in multimedia journalism he's worked for Official PlayStation Magazine as a staff writer and games editor, as well as 12DOVE (hey, that's this website!) as a news editor. He's also contributed to Official Xbox Magazine, Edge, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, PC Games N, and more. His game of the year - no matter the year - is Rocket League.

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