MQ: Rise Above takes the familiar idea of climbing toward safety and transforms it into a chaotic survival adventure where the environment itself becomes both the greatest enemy and the player's most important resource. Developed and published by 99ADM, the game revolves around escaping a collapsing world by continuously moving upward. Rather than presenting a conventional platforming course, it combines physics-based movement, construction, environmental disasters, character progression, boss encounters, and multiplayer features into an unusually broad interpretation of the vertical-climbing formula.
The central gameplay concept is immediately understandable: the ground below is becoming increasingly dangerous, so survival depends on gaining altitude. Falling monoliths complicate this objective because they can crush or obstruct the player, yet they are also useful materials for constructing a route toward the sky. This creates an interesting relationship between danger and opportunity. Instead of merely avoiding everything falling around you, you must recognize which objects can help form the next section of your path. Lightning strikes, hurricanes, lava, freezing conditions, and other catastrophes add further unpredictability, forcing players to adapt rather than memorize a single reliable route.
The construction element is particularly important because it separates the game from straightforward precision platformers. Building occurs as part of the ascent, turning positioning and quick decision-making into major components of survival. Saving Platforms scattered throughout the journey provide valuable moments of security, making them desirable targets whenever the surrounding environment becomes overwhelming. The physics-driven nature of the action also means that unexpected situations are part of the intended experience. Success is therefore about more than accurately timing jumps; players must react to a world that can change around them at inconvenient moments.
Character progression gives repeated play additional purpose. Experience can be accumulated through ordinary participation, including placing blocks, and players can gradually strengthen fundamental attributes. Improvements to speed, strength, and resilience should make later attempts feel meaningfully different from the earliest climbs. Active abilities, passive perks, bonuses, and other upgrades further expand this progression system. This RPG influence helps prevent the game from relying entirely on mechanical platforming skill and provides a longer-term incentive for players who enjoy steadily developing a character.
Another creative feature involves magical abilities descending from the sky. Players can attempt to collect these spells during their ascent, potentially turning a dangerous situation into an opportunity to become more powerful. The mechanic introduces a useful risk-versus-reward decision because pursuing a spell may require moving away from a safer route. When combined with permanent character improvements and other bonuses, these temporary opportunities can make individual climbs more varied and encourage experimentation with different abilities.
Boss battles provide major obstacles as players reach higher areas. These guardians employ elemental powers and can threaten not only the character but also the structures supporting the climb. This is a clever extension of the core premise because attacking the player's constructed route can be just as dangerous as directly damaging the character. Defeating these enemies grants additional power and opens the way forward, giving the ascent recognizable milestones instead of making the entire experience one uninterrupted sequence of environmental hazards.
Customization is surprisingly extensive for this style of game. Clothing, hats, accessories, wings, trails, auras, visual effects, and animated pets allow players to create distinctive characters. These cosmetic options become particularly relevant in multiplayer because other participants can see the results of that customization. Wings and movement trails also complement the vertical fantasy nicely, while companion pets add personality to a journey otherwise dominated by environmental destruction. The variety described suggests that cosmetic progression is intended to become another substantial motivation for continued play.
Multiplayer may ultimately provide some of the game's most entertaining moments. Online and LAN cooperative play allow participants to build and survive together, while competitive modes encourage players to prove who can climb more effectively. Cooperation could produce enormous improvised structures, while the unpredictable physics and disasters should naturally generate amusing failures when several players occupy the same unstable environment. Single-player remains available, however, so enjoying the basic progression and climbing mechanics does not strictly require finding other participants.
The game's biggest concern is also one of its strengths: it attempts to combine a remarkable number of ideas. Survival, physics, construction, platforming, RPG progression, spells, bosses, character customization, pets, competitive multiplayer, and cooperative building all compete for attention. When these mechanics reinforce the upward-survival premise, the experience has the potential to feel energetic and distinctive. If they lack sufficient depth or balance, however, the game risks becoming a collection of interesting concepts without one exceptionally polished centerpiece. Its strongest identity comes from keeping construction, environmental chaos, and vertical movement at the center of everything else.
Steam Deck compatibility is currently uncertain rather than officially confirmed. The Steam listing does not provide an official Steam Deck Verified, Playable, or Unsupported classification. Since the game is primarily listed with Windows requirements, Steam Deck owners should therefore not assume guaranteed compatibility. Proton may potentially allow it to operate, but without an official compatibility rating, performance, controls, multiplayer functionality, and other behavior on the handheld should be considered unverified.
Overall, MQ: Rise Above offers an imaginative combination of vertical platforming and survival mechanics, strengthened by construction, RPG progression, unpredictable environmental threats, bosses, customization, and multiplayer. Its apocalyptic climb gives the gameplay a clear sense of urgency, while the ability to transform falling hazards into useful building opportunities gives the central concept some genuine personality. The amount of content promised is ambitious, and the ultimate quality depends heavily on how consistently those systems work together, but players attracted to chaotic physics and progression-oriented climbing games may find plenty to experiment with. Developer: 99ADM. Publisher: 99ADM.
Rating: 7/10
