Only Up! is the latest viral indie game that is making waves all over the internet and seems to have taken over the realm of live streaming & online gaming. With Mizkif, HasanAbi, and Dr Disrespect, among other popular streamers playing it on stream, Chinese developer SCKR Games’ debut title is currently the fifth most watched game on Twitch since its release in May 2023.
Loosely inspired by the timeless English fairy tale of “Jack and the Beanstalk,”Only Up! features a poverty-stricken protagonist, Jackie, who embarks on his journey to explore and learn more about the world. While the plot of Only Up! might appear simplistic, the game’s main objective is for the player to help Jackie make his way vertically through many obstacles, including railway tracks, pipes, and stairs, among others.
What makes this game challenging and the fancy of every speed runner in the world right now is the inability to save the game while progressing through levels. The game has stages that force players to start afresh, as every single misstep sends them plummeting to the start of the game at ground level. Thanks to this very niche game mechanic, several popular streamers have been left raging and frustrated over the past few weeks after one careless move became their undoing, forcing them to start all over again.
IShowSpeed and four other streamers who fell down and ended their Only Up! run
1) xQc
It is no secret that Felix “xQc”loves to try his hand at speedrunning every possible game that allows for it to happen. His entertaining approach to speedrunning, filled with humor, excitement, and over-the-top reactions, has made his attempts a joy to watch. Given xQc’s speedrunning pedigree, you would assume he would be an infallible entity. However, this has not been the case. It took him multiple tries over days to finally beat the game.
One of the most iconic moments from Felix’s Only Up! streams came from a June 20 broadcast that featured the Juicer fall for nearly two minutes straight after he miscalculated a jump and stepped onto a block of cheese an hour into the game. Despite all his attempts to move while falling, xQc ultimately ended up on the ground leaving him astonished.
2) Pokimane
On 16 June 2023, Twitch A-lister Imane “Pokimane” joined a growing list of streamers who had tried their luck at conquering the ‘hardest’ indie game of the year, Only Up! After getting familiar with its in-game physics and movement mechanics, Imane explored for a while before deciding to put a timer on screen and officially start her Only Up! run.
With a tedious and meticulous approach, Pokimane cautiously made her way up for over an hour and ten minutes before a pixel bug pushed her character into an empty space sending her tumbling down to the previous stage. Accompanied by her screams, the former OfflineTV member decided to ‘run away from home’ and start a ranked game of Valorant.
3) Emiru
Over the past few years, Emily “Emiru”has made quite a name for herself as a cosplayer, Twitch streamer, and content creator. The second-most recent content creator-turned co-owner of OTK, Emiru’s unique blend of charisma, skill, and authenticity has allowed her to come a long way since her days as a League of Legends exclusive streamer.
After a mammoth run that lasted over two days, Emiru had ground her way up to a certain height for nearly 12 hours. However, a mistaken step on a weak obstacle sent her free-falling, prompting the 25-year-old to yell in frustration:
“why me bro? Why mee? What did I do to deserve this?”
The fall lasted for over two minutes and sent Emiru at the start of the game, prompting her to look at Mizkif’s fall at the same spot before restarting the timer for her second Only Up! run.
4) Mizkif
The next entry features yet another OTK content creator and co-owner, Matthew “Mizkif,”and his ill-fated fall that led to one of the most iconic rage-induced behavior that Only Up! has produced so far. On June 17, 2023, the same day Emiru had her nearly 12-hour-long run cut short, Mizkif reached the same cursed spot that had sent Emiru packing all the way down in about 1 hour and 18 minutes.
However, just like his co-owner, Mizkif too stepped on that same weak obstacle shaped like a coaster, sending him all the way back to the start of the run. Unlike Emily, who maintained a level head throughout the excruciating two-minute-long free fall, Mizkif hurled his chair away from the camera, visibly seething in anger at the outcome of his Only Up! run.
5) IShowSpeed
Wrapping up this list is arguably YouTube’s greatest live streamer of all time, Darren “IShowSpeed.”Known for his violent outbursts, eccentricity, and erratic behavior on stream for unprovoked reasons, Speed surprised everyone with his play-through of Only Up!, which turned out to be a treasure trove of content, considering the rage-inducing nature of the game.
On June 26, 2023, Speed decided to try his luck at beating Only Up! live on stream. After an eight-hour-long journey filled with him slowly ascending despite the occasional fall, Speed reached the same rainbow bridge that led to the doomed coaster that ended Emiru and Mizkif’s runs. After carefully examining and identifying the perfect place to take his leap of faith, Speed’s character steps on the fragile block of wood, which sends him plummeting to the ground for two minutes.
Accompanied by panicked button smashing, mouse-clicking, and a healthy dose of ‘what the f**ks,’ the young American was left shell-shocked and on the verge of tears and visibly shaken after his Only Up! run came to a sudden end.
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