Friday Fun! Why Do Homework When You Can Procrastinate With Liferaft: Zero?

With school starting for many of our readers (myself included), what better way to celebrate than with another edition of Friday Fun? After all, Flash games are the ultimate procrastination tool!

Liferaft: Zero is a devious blend of the setting from Portal, the acrobatics of N, and the frustrating difficulty of Jumper. You play the role of a series of clones, hopping through obstacle courses under the watchful eye of mysterious scientists. At your disposal are a standard jump, a wall jump to reach higher areas, and a grappling hook that can connect to specific points on the map, allowing you to swing across long distances.

If you impale yourself on one of the many spikes sprinkled liberally throughout the levels, you’ll respawn back at the beginning as one of your numerous clones with your previous body remaining on the map as a gruesome warning to your future selves.

The goal of each of the 30 levels is to ring a bell located somewhere in the level. Sounds easy, but ringing it is the simple part; getting there is where the fun is! On most of the levels you’ll also find a piece of candy, usually in a pretty difficult area to reach. Getting several pieces of candy unlocks bonus levels.

Make no mistake, this game is hard. The first fifteen or so levels are relatively easy, but the difficulty skyrockets quickly. Don’t even think about attempting to grab the pieces of candy in the later levels on your first time through. Not only do you have to climb into whatever nook or cranny the candy is in, you then need to make it to the exit without dying. If you’ve played the freeware game Jumper, you might start getting flashbacks.

Thankfully, Liferaft: Zero has a charm about it that diffuses some of your frustration. The humor in the game is similar to that found in Portal. Scientists peer at you through windows in the background. A line of future clones is visible, waiting patiently to be sent to their deaths. When the scientists talk to you, they address you by what number clone you are. At the beginning you are #001, but by the end you’ll likely be addressed by a number in the hundreds.

Manage to beat the game yet? I haven’t. Tell us about your experience below!