10,000 reviews, 90% positive on Steam, and only $5 - viral hit Chained Together uses the power of co-op to ruin up to four friendships at once

Jul. 3, 2024

Escape from hell in a platformer that channels Only Up’s dramatic climb

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For only five dollars, you can ruin up to four relationships at the same time in Chained Together, a platformer that’s more or less exactly like viral hit Only Up but this time in co-op.

You might remember Only Up as the third-person platformer that had players making ultra precise jumps across floating pieces of debris with hair-pulling difficulty that made it go viral on Twitch and TikTok. The game was eventually permanently removed from sale due to its use of copyrighted assets, but Chained Together is going for a similar vibe.

“Begin your journey in the depths of hell, chained to your companions. Your mission is to escape hell by climbing as high as possible,” the game’sSteamblurb reads. “Each jump requires perfect coordination to scale the platforms and escape the scorching heat.” Take one look at Chained Together and it won’t seem too dissimilar: floating platforms thrown all over the place, deadly obstacles at every turn, and a frustratingly deep drop should you miss a step.

Just two weeks after launch, Chained Together has already racked up almost 10,000 Steam user reviews with 90% of them giving the game a thumbs up. The only criticism I saw was that the game doesn’t include a ‘shove’ button for when you’re annoyed at one of your chain gang friends, though I suppose pushing your pals back to hell would lead to some self-induced pain too. You can hug them, though.

What makes Chained Together stand apart is, well, the chains. “The chain is not just a visual elements,” developer Anegar Games writes, “it is governed by a physics simulation that allows it to wrap around platforms.” The trailer above also shows the ways in which you can have friends hang off platforms or swing around mid-air while latched to others. If you want to make things a teeny bit more frustrating, then a “Lava Mode” also has flames flooding the levels, giving you a deadly timer to race against.

Check out ourbest co-op gamesranking for more friendship-ruiners.

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Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that’s vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he’ll soon forget.

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