You Have to Burn the Rope

Gameplay

You Have to Burn the Rope is a platform game in which the player must guide the character through a short level through which text on how to beat the game is clearly visible. At the end of the level, the player has a boss fight against the "Grinning Colossus". To beat the boss, the player must jump to one of the torches on the wall and use it to burn the rope attaching a chandelier to the ceiling, dropping it on the boss. The character can throw axes which lower the Grinning Colossus' health bar. However, the health bar regenerates too fast for the player to drain it completely.

At the end there is a short section of credits which includes the all-original song "Now You're A Hero", composed by Henrik Nåmark. The entirety of the game is often shorter than the credits song itself, which runs for 2:13. The current speedrun world record is held by "LordSaradoc" at 26s 866ms.

Despite the simplicity of the game, both a text and video walkthrough have been released.

Reception

You Have to Burn the Rope was a finalist for the Innovation Award at the 2009 Independent Games Festival.

Joystiq praised the game for its "stunning character design, addictive gameplay, and breathtaking soundtrack," calling the game "a smörgåsbord of top-notch writing, programming, and design."

Dan Hopper of Best Week Ever said "You Have To Burn The Rope Is By Far The Greatest Online Game I Have Ever Played."

On the online website Kongregate, there has been a badge entitled "You have to earn the badge". This is earned by defeating Grinning Colossus.

The MMORPG World of Warcraft added a quest titled "You Have to Burn the Ropes" in the Mists of Pandaria expansion.