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Walkie Talkie (Windows)

BY DANIEL LINSSEN

Daniel Linssen must see platformers everywhere. He’s already made one inside a computer interface and one that works in tandem with a separate game. Now he’s made a platformer inside an online chatroom. It also doubles up as one of the most easy-to-use level creators ever conceived. Called Walkie Talkie, the game is a fully-functioning online chatroom where people can talk to each other by typing into a box.

You can scroll through the entire conversation and, at any point, press Enter to turn the text into a 2D level for a platformer. Symbols and letters have prescribed functions so that an exclamation mark is a bouncing hazard, the letter Z a falling floor, and an arrow facing up becomes a bounce pad. You control a tiny stick figure who can run and jump across the level attempting to beat each one. Or you can create your own levels by typing a few characters into the chatbox and hitting Enter. Not even Mario Maker can compete with that level of accessibility.

Perfect for: Millennials, Snapchatters, level designers

Playtime: A few minutes