Down the Mountain

Down the Mountain is a game about guiding a character down an endless mountain. The mountain is made up out of blocks, designed with the diagonal movement of the classic Q*bert. The character starts at the top and tapping the left or right side of the screen makes it jump that way. There is a slight element of randomization to the levels. As the top blocks disappear with each move, the character always stays on the same horizontal line on the screen.

Along the way various types of hazards are encountered. First of all the screen scroll down along automatically, forcing the player to keep moving as the upper blocks gradually disappear. Next there are cracked blocks that disappear immediately, lava that kills instantly and blocks with moving spikes. Cars and mountain lions roams the environment and need to be avoided as well. Water slides make a character slide down automatically and it is often required to jump off quickly. Sand tiles only offer a platform for a short while and TNT blocks are activated after hopping on them. There are also green pools that poison the character and an antidote needs to be picked up quickly. Bubbles provide a temporary shield to move through hazards. Sandwiches are sticky and require a quickly double jump to be freed. Finally, there are arrows that swap the direction of movement for the next hop.

Along the way stars and keys can be collected. The game is free-to-play, but offers in-app purchases to remove the advertisements. Stars can be used to receive extra points, skip missions and unlock new characters. Keys are rare and open up chests to unlock additional characters. The game has a large cast of characters to unlock, by completing missions or opening chests. These add new level variations, but no different gameplay or abilities. Additional keys can optionally be bought with real money. Every now and then a spinning wheel is available for a chance to unlock a bonus.