Delicious Fruit
Download Game Screenshots
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by DerpyHoovesIWBTG
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by Emmanating
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by DerpyHoovesIWBTG
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by Emmanating
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by DerpyHoovesIWBTG
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by DerpyHoovesIWBTG
Creator's Comments:
TheNewDerf [Creator]
Hey -- I appreciate everyone who has taken time to leave feedback, even though I don't make games anymore.
Just to clear up a common observation on XIFT: this game was part of a larger structure of games which all had certain states of mind as their theme. This game's theme was anxiety. That's the reason why the saves are invisible (to keep players in a state of unease), and it's the reason why the visuals force the player to constantly focus on reading the spikes, instead of passively relying on knowing their shape. These decisions clearly have quality-of-life drawbacks (as with most of the games I made, I was to a certain degree trying to alienate the player), but at the time I felt they were justified to make a unique experience which was different to a normal 50-floor needle game.
You can make your own mind up as to whether or not this was a worthwhile trade-off (just because these decisions were intentional doesn't mean they were good design choices for you, of course). I just wanted to leave this here for the people who think these decisions were thoughtless or arbitrary. Nothing in my games was ever thoughtless--even if a lot of what I made didn't work out the way I wanted it to, and in a lot of respects failed. I was a teenager, and a novice--but I was always passionate about fangames. I think a lot of people were like that, and that's part of the joy of the community.
[14] Likes
Just to clear up a common observation on XIFT: this game was part of a larger structure of games which all had certain states of mind as their theme. This game's theme was anxiety. That's the reason why the saves are invisible (to keep players in a state of unease), and it's the reason why the visuals force the player to constantly focus on reading the spikes, instead of passively relying on knowing their shape. These decisions clearly have quality-of-life drawbacks (as with most of the games I made, I was to a certain degree trying to alienate the player), but at the time I felt they were justified to make a unique experience which was different to a normal 50-floor needle game.
You can make your own mind up as to whether or not this was a worthwhile trade-off (just because these decisions were intentional doesn't mean they were good design choices for you, of course). I just wanted to leave this here for the people who think these decisions were thoughtless or arbitrary. Nothing in my games was ever thoughtless--even if a lot of what I made didn't work out the way I wanted it to, and in a lot of respects failed. I was a teenager, and a novice--but I was always passionate about fangames. I think a lot of people were like that, and that's part of the joy of the community.
Rating: N/A
Difficulty: N/A
Sep 14, 2019
67 Reviews:
ShrooM
one of the best needle i've ever played
Trippy scene and house music
a bit difficult but fun
press f2
Trippy scene and house music
a bit difficult but fun
press f2
Tagged as: Needle
[1] Like
Rating: 9.0 90
Difficulty: 55 55
Feb 28, 2018
UbersawMedic
The game is very pretty and atmospheric, but you don't need me to tell you that.
What interests me and I want to talk about are the saves. For like 3 years before playing this game, all I knew about it is that it had "invisible saves". This fact oddly enough stuck on my mind, and after some thinking, I assumed that this meant that the saves were invisible until you got on top of them, at which point you were allowed to shoot and save.
After finally having beaten this game, I see that isn't the case.
The saves are actually completely invisible fields, autosaving whenever the player lands on them. This is done, by admission of the same maker, made to inspire a sense of unease on the player, keeping them in tension over when the next save will be.
And for the most part, this works wonderfully! I felt like this allows screens to feel less like a bunch of saves that you do in sequence and instead continue feeling like one cohesive unit. With this mechanic, saves are more of a happy surprise that you get given from time to time and discover when you die. I love them.
...Buuuuut there's a catch. Even though visually the screens look clean and cohesive, the design still speaks for itself. This game follows the CN3-patented formula of making the first jump of a save a meat grinder: a very tough jump meant to filter out attempts and make the rest of the save feel more tense.
This means that whenever you look at the next jump, and it seems a lot harder than what came before it, it probably means that you have just landed on a save.
Is this a "bad" thing? Nah, but it changes how the game is experienced. By the time I reached the 3rd stage on my playthrough, I was accurately guessing where saves were with around 90% accuracy, which took a lot of the feeling of tension out of the design.
What interests me and I want to talk about are the saves. For like 3 years before playing this game, all I knew about it is that it had "invisible saves". This fact oddly enough stuck on my mind, and after some thinking, I assumed that this meant that the saves were invisible until you got on top of them, at which point you were allowed to shoot and save.
After finally having beaten this game, I see that isn't the case.
The saves are actually completely invisible fields, autosaving whenever the player lands on them. This is done, by admission of the same maker, made to inspire a sense of unease on the player, keeping them in tension over when the next save will be.
And for the most part, this works wonderfully! I felt like this allows screens to feel less like a bunch of saves that you do in sequence and instead continue feeling like one cohesive unit. With this mechanic, saves are more of a happy surprise that you get given from time to time and discover when you die. I love them.
...Buuuuut there's a catch. Even though visually the screens look clean and cohesive, the design still speaks for itself. This game follows the CN3-patented formula of making the first jump of a save a meat grinder: a very tough jump meant to filter out attempts and make the rest of the save feel more tense.
This means that whenever you look at the next jump, and it seems a lot harder than what came before it, it probably means that you have just landed on a save.
Is this a "bad" thing? Nah, but it changes how the game is experienced. By the time I reached the 3rd stage on my playthrough, I was accurately guessing where saves were with around 90% accuracy, which took a lot of the feeling of tension out of the design.
Tagged as: Needle
[0] Likes
Rating: 7.0 70
Difficulty: 60 60
Jul 2, 2025
PlutoTheThing
The concept behind this game is really interesting and thought provoking, the way it's presented is incredibly unique, from the visual style, to the lack of visible saves, and the needle design itself all contribute to the vibes of the game. With that being said I don't adore the platforming, it's generally enjoyable but at times a little awkward and I feel like I abused numpad for a lot of it. The game is still really good though and is one of a kind, so it's at least worth checking out for that reason.
[0] Likes
Rating: 8.3 83
Difficulty: 50 50
Jul 12, 2024
bereavement
I felt nothing when playing this. Seems like the intention was to make you feel anxiety through obfuscating saves and having confusing visuals.
However, for me, that only led to slight annoyment - the idea quickly disappeared, when the pattern for the saves could easily be deduced. In the earlier stages, a few jumps and you get your save. In the later stages and especially the last one, it was basically one save per screen. Could have benefited from having more saves, especially one screen in particular, with the drop into half spike, but I never felt that I was specifically yearning for a save. Maybe if the game had longer saves or harder jumps, maybe then it could have meant more to me.
Not saying that the game is bad, but I really don't get why it's lauded by some as the greatest fangame ever.
However, for me, that only led to slight annoyment - the idea quickly disappeared, when the pattern for the saves could easily be deduced. In the earlier stages, a few jumps and you get your save. In the later stages and especially the last one, it was basically one save per screen. Could have benefited from having more saves, especially one screen in particular, with the drop into half spike, but I never felt that I was specifically yearning for a save. Maybe if the game had longer saves or harder jumps, maybe then it could have meant more to me.
Not saying that the game is bad, but I really don't get why it's lauded by some as the greatest fangame ever.
Tagged as: Needle
[0] Likes
Rating: 6.5 65
Difficulty: 55 55
Apr 7, 2024
quadstuffed
10/10 atmosphere, a game with fully realized artistic vision. The platforming is arguably uninteresting with many "hallways" and short hops that are become trivialized with jump cancel tech, but I'd argue this game shows that a great needle game doesn't need to be mechanically mind blowing, or have never before seen techniques and movements.
[0] Likes
Rating: 8.8 88
Difficulty: 60 60
Feb 5, 2024