How to Beat Only Up! – Ending Explained

Take a journey of self-discovery and patience in Only Up!, a 3D precision platformer that will test not only your reflexes, but your endurance. As the title implies, your only way is up, and if you miss a jump, it is all the way back down to the beginning for you. If you are ready to tackle this beast, we have some tips for how to beat Only Up!, and we also explain the ending for those who just want to see the story.

Tips for beating Only Up!

Only Up! is a precision platformer that requires very precise jumps to make it to the end. You start the game on the ground in the slums, and work your way up to into the great unknown. The only problem? If you miss just one jump, it might be all the way back to the ground for you.

There is a lot on the line here, so the number one tip we can give you is to be patient. There is no time limit you have to worry about, so make absolutely sure that you study your jumps before you commit to them. It is better to be confident in a jump than to rush and lose minutes, maybe even hours, of progress.

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With that being said, the game is a bit merciful when it comes to correcting jumps. If you barely miss a platform, keep moving forward and your character should automatically grab the ledge and pull himself up. This maneuver can save you from bad jumps, so do not forget about it.

However, you need to be careful of round objects. The physics in Only Up! are not the best, and the engine seems to have a lot of trouble with rounded objects. Sometimes, you bounce right off of these things even though it looks like you made it, and even if you manage to pull yourself up, you might just slide right off. There is no sure way to deal with round objects, so just try to make your jumps as clean as possible.

Only Up!’s ending explained

Only Up! does not feature a save or checkpoint system of any kind, so the entire game must be beaten in one sitting. We were not kidding when we said this game is a massive test of your own patience and willpower.

If you do manage to make it all the way to the end of the game, the boy you are playing as suddenly finds himself in space. He meets an astronaut and a very futuristic-looking spaceship. The astronaut says some very inspirational lines to the player, congratulating them for enduring the adventure and toughing it out to the very end.

The boy then gets into the cockpit of the spaceship, and prepares for take off. The astronaut encourages both the boy and player, telling them that they are now in full control of their life, and they can do anything they wish. The boy then takes off into the great expanse of space, ending the game.

Although short, the ending to Only Up! is pretty satisfying, and it is very uplifting, considering the amount of pain you had to endure getting there. Usually, these kinds of games tend to mock the player for wasting so much time trying to beat them, but Only Up! opts for a more positive outlook.

The boy is effectively a stand-in for the player, and the game is speaking to you as a player, letting you know that you did very well to make it to the end. Since you poured so much effort into the adventure, you should know that you can do anything you set your mind to, just like the astronaut says.

This is just one interpretation, of course. Some players have noted that the obstacles you ascend over are not just random objects, but they tell an environmental story of sorts.

The boy starts in the slums, but ends up in space, so it could be the story of a young boy who dreams of traveling through space. There are plenty of objects that are seemingly random, but they might mean something. What do you think of the ending? Let us know in the comments below!