Nice Try is a troll platformer. Every level looks simple: a floor, a few ledges, a door on the right. You start running, and that is when the level shows its hand. Spikes shoot up exactly where you were going to land, the floor drops out from under you, or the door slides away to the far side of the screen.
You will die a lot, and the game is built around that. A death costs nothing. You are back at the start in under a second, and you now know one more of the level's secrets. A trap only surprises you once, so every attempt gets you a little further.
There are 176 levels. The first ones are short practical jokes. Later levels stack their tricks and bring in new ideas: checkpoints, wind that pushes you around, blocks that blink in and out, levers that swap which platforms are solid, a ghost that repeats your own moves a few seconds late, and stages that keep scrolling whether you are ready or not.
How to play Nice Try
Press PLAY to start from the first level, or open Level Select to jump to any level you like. Cleared levels turn green.
- Move with the arrow keys or A and D. On a touch screen, use the two arrow buttons at the bottom left.
- Jump with the up arrow, W or Space, or the JUMP button on the right. Hold it for a full jump, tap it for a short hop.
- Reach the door to clear the level.
- Spikes, lava, saw blades, falling rocks and closing walls end your attempt, and the level restarts on the spot.
- R or the Restart button starts the level over at any time.
After you clear a level, a REPLAY button shows up at the top of the screen for a few seconds. Tap it to watch your run again.
Tips and strategy
Assume the floor is lying
If a stretch of ground looks too safe, it usually is not. On your first try through a new level, move in short steps and watch what changes.
Spend your first attempts scouting
Dying is fast and free. Treat the first few runs as reconnaissance: find the trap, note the exact spot where it fires, then plan a run that goes around it.
Hop late over surprise spikes
Spikes that pop out of the ground tend to appear just ahead of you. A short, late hop clears them more reliably than an early full jump, which can carry you straight into the next trap.
Read the door before you trust it
Some doors move, some are decoys and some stay locked until you pick up a key. When the door runs away, stop and look at what the level wants from you first.
Watch your replay
The replay shows your clean run from start to finish. It is the quickest way to spot where you hesitated or jumped too early, and to find a faster line for next time.
About Nice Try
Troll platformers flip the usual promise of the genre. In a normal platformer, what you see is what you get: a gap is a gap and a floor is a floor. Here each level is designed to break that promise at the worst possible moment. Getting fooled, laughing about it and getting past it on the next try is the whole game.
Nice Try started life as a mobile game, and this is the same game running in your browser. It is built with Flutter and the Flame engine, and all of its art and sound effects are generated in code. It is an original game and is not affiliated with any other title in the genre.
If you would rather play on your phone, Nice Try is also on Google Play. The browser version and the app keep separate saves.
Nice Try FAQ
Is Nice Try free to play?
Yes. Every level is free to play in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
How many levels are there?
- They get longer and nastier as you go, and the last stretch adds checkpoints, wind, switching blocks and a ghost that copies your moves.
The floor just disappeared. Is the game broken?
No, that is the game. Almost every level hides at least one trap that only shows itself once you commit to a move. Remember where it fired and you will get past it next time.
Will I lose my progress if I close the page?
No. Cleared levels are saved in your browser and show up in green on the Level Select screen when you come back. Clearing your browser data resets them.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. The game shows touch buttons for moving and jumping, and it plays best with the phone turned sideways. Use the Fullscreen button for the most room. There is also an Android version on Google Play.
How does the leaderboard work?
Pick a name when you press Play and your runs are posted to a shared leaderboard. One list ranks the furthest level reached. The other ranks deaths per level, counting players who clear at least five levels in a single run.
