Leap Year

About

Leap Year is a single player and multiplayer platformer game with a mystery theme. It was developed by Daniel Linssen and was released on June 13, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Leap Year is a clumsy platformer about knowledge and discovery. Understand the game’s secrets to reach new areas and collect all the pages of your calendar. Explore a compact, hand drawn world filled with hidden paths. About 2 hours of playtime 40+ rooms 6 audio tracksDancing friends Leap Year was commissioned by Sokpop, an indie game studio from the Netherlands who create p…

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 859 reviews

gameplay68 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Innovative and clever puzzle platformer with a unique mechanic where falling from usual jump heights can kill the player, turning platforming into a puzzle about knowledge and exploration.
Tight and masterful level design that gradually teaches mechanics through gameplay without tutorials, leading to satisfying discovery and 'aha' moments.
Short, concise, and well-paced game that does not overstay its welcome, providing a rich and rewarding experience within a few hours.

Some players find the platforming controls slippery and the lethal jump mechanic frustrating, especially early on and during challenging parts near the end.
The game involves significant backtracking and some check points are spaced far apart, leading to repetitive loops that can feel tedious.
Lack of features like a world map and cloud saves can make exploration and replaying more difficult and less user-friendly.

gameplay
217 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
68%
1%
The gameplay is centered around a deceptively simple yet uniquely inventive jump mechanic that gradually reveals deeper layers through clever, tightly designed puzzles and level layouts. The game excels in teaching mechanics organically without text, encouraging exploration, discovery, and problem-solving over pure platforming skill, making it a satisfying and fresh puzzle-platformer experience. While some players found initial jumps tricky or mechanics confusing at first, the novel design and "metroidvania"-style backtracking and mechanic mastery offer engaging, bite-sized challenges that rarely overstay their welcome.
- “A beautifully crafted platformer that subverts a very basic mechanic (jumping), and then just goes nuts with explorations of it, along with the introduction of other mechanics in ways that always feel unexpected and delightful.”
- “The amount of creativity and ways to expand on the same simple gameplay, all while leading you on with learning lessons naturally and with zero need to write any text or point anything outright (besides the basic movement of course) just goes to show how masterful the design behind it is.”
- “Constantly brilliant level design that subtly teaches you the hidden mechanics of everything is what makes this game excellent.”
- “The mechanics are unfortunately also very poorly conceived and designed.”
- “[spoiler] The game actually formally introduces a grid overlay as a mechanic because you need to know things like fall distance in order to know whether it's possible to trigger certain kinds of jumps, but it's too lazily designed to indicate that by some more clever means.”
- “The introduction of the drill jump is also very sloppy, as it is signposted with a background element of a large mechanical drill, and the ground underneath looks disturbed, so you could be forgiven for thinking it's only an option on special patches of ground.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
38%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for being calming, catchy, and perfectly complementing the simple yet charming art style and gameplay. It creates a pleasant, immersive atmosphere that enhances exploration and puzzle-solving, though some found it repetitive or disruptive during frequent deaths. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout and integral part of the enjoyable experience.
- “The visuals and music work together well and fit the gameplay nicely, making it a really pleasant experience.”
- “The level design, mechanics, introductions to said mechanics, puzzles, artstyle, music... it's all just superb.”
- “Joyful music, some head-scratching puzzles, and great ah-ha moments.”
- “The death animation is way too long and the music slowing down and cutting off is incredibly annoying, especially for a game where any wrong move will kill you, and I died a lot.”
- “The music is repetitive wallpaper.”
- “The music plays like a record scratch to your actions, and I can't wait to find out more secrets in this little world.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
12%
The graphics feature a charming, simple, and hand-drawn art style that complements the gameplay and creates a pleasant, cohesive atmosphere. While some find the visuals occasionally noisy or mismatched with precise gameplay needs, overall the aesthetics are effective, appealing, and enhance the game's memorable and enjoyable experience.
- “The visuals and music and atmosphere are really charming and enjoyable, and I liked how the map fit together.”
- “The visuals and music work together well and fit the gameplay nicely, making it a really pleasant experience.”
- “Great music and adorable graphics lured me in.”
- “The wibbly wobbly hand-drawn art style seems like a poor fit for a game where you need to exactly know how many squares there are.”
- “It's visually quite noisy, despite the simple art style.”
- “With every new discovery, the layout of areas and seemingly mundane visuals become the sort of pixel hunt that conjures up memories of classic adventure games.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this platformer is praised for its clever, deadpan style centered around the witty mechanic where jumping kills the player, creating both challenge and amusement. Players find the game consistently funny, with moments that provoke laughter and surprise throughout its short, creative, and well-designed experience. Overall, its humor adds charm and personality, making it memorable and enjoyable beyond typical platformers.
- “The central conceit, that your normal jump kills you when you land, is a hilarious idea that led to creative puzzles and kept messing with my mind and muscle memory right up to the end of the game.”
- “A short, satisfying, puzzle platformer whose main mechanic is simultaneously genius and hilarious.”
- “Very cute and clever little platformer that made me laugh out loud multiple times.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The story aspect is minimal or nonexistent, with no real lore or ending, focusing instead on delivering a fun and engaging experience. The game is often compared to "An Untitled Story" for its simple visual style and nostalgic feel, emphasizing gameplay over narrative.
- “Great fun, reminded me of An Untitled Story with its simple OST and visual style, which only endeared me more to it.”
- “Reminded me of An Untitled Story and some other old classic indie games.”
- “A neat little puzzle-platformer, reminiscent of Within a Deep Forest or An Untitled Story.”
- “There's no story, no real lore, no world, no real ending.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious and can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially due to backtracking and challenging mechanics that require muscle memory. However, some players find it manageable and not overly frustrating, though additional checkpoints could improve the experience in tougher sections.
- “Got near the end, but I found it more tedious than fun, and I don't think I'll finish it.”
- “That's one of my main complaints with these types of games: the backtracking can feel quite tedious when you just want to work on a puzzle.”
- “Nice game, but the main game mechanic can get annoying and tedious (anti-platformer muscle memory); the last puzzles really need some more checkpoints.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the game emotionally engaging, evoking smiles and genuine feelings through its nostalgic indie style. It successfully combines moments of humor, surprise, and satisfaction, making it a memorable and heartfelt experience.
- “No joke, finished the game with a smile on my face and even a little emotional for some reason.”
- “This is one of the best games I've ever played, it made me laugh, it made me gasp, it made me feel really smart and really silly.”
- “Made me feel like I was playing an old indie game from the days of VVVVVV, Star Guard, and Knytt.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers high replayability through well-paced challenges, including speedrunning and secret discoveries, keeping it engaging even after multiple playthroughs. Its appealing art and design enhance the overall experience, making it one of the best puzzle platformers with lasting appeal.
- “It's well paced and adds speed challenges for extra replayability once you know all of the secrets.”
- “Best puzzle platformer I've played in a while, great art, nice vibes, and just great overall, plus there is a lot of replayability (I've already forgotten the solutions to a lot of the puzzles) and the potential for speedrunning is also there.”
- “Replayability is high for the speed achievements.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers an additional layer of challenge through path optimization even after mastering the mechanics and puzzle solutions, providing extended gameplay for those seeking efficiency improvements.
- “After you've learned the game mechanics and solutions to all the puzzles, there is still path optimization to be done :p”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its charming visuals and enjoyable music, creating an inviting and cohesive environment that enhances the overall experience.
- “The visuals, music, and atmosphere are really charming and enjoyable, and I liked how the map fit together.”