If you know of Nidhogg, an absolutely delightful two-player game, then Pole Riders will seem quite familiar in its back-and-forth goal-chasing with a competitive multiplayer edge. Where that was about fencing, though, the idea here is that both of you play as a pole vaulter, aiming to vault upwards and kick a ball towards your opponent’s castle. Obviously, your opponent will be trying to do the same back.

Pole Riders, though, comes with a floppy twist. Those who’ve played Foddy’s previous games QWOP and GIRP will know that he enjoys playing around with fiddly, loose controls, incorporating them into his games as a mechanic in their own right. And with a pole vaulting game, these mechanics absolutely come into their own. This is a splendidly fun little game, made all the better by the gleeful, pizzicato strings sound effects that accompany the silliness. Play it here free  http://www.foddy.net/PoleRiders.html