Push-Up Idle Game Incremental Push Up Draws Debate Over What Idle Means
An idle game that requires the player's body contradicts the genre's defining premise, and the pushback on Atamnia's own post shows the audience that premise is not negotiable.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Developer Adam Atamnia released Incremental Push Up on the App Store on September 25. The iOS idle boss battle game has players defeat 12 bosses with a blade, dealing damage by doing push-ups detected through the camera rather than tapping the screen. The first boss has 30 HP; the final boss has 3 trillion. Part of the game is free, with full access at 800 yen. An Android version is planned.
The game's structure is standard incremental fare: upgrade the blade, buy helpers and mines that work while the player is away, and feed an in-game battery that only recharges through more push-ups. What breaks the pattern is the attack input. Players lower themselves until their body nearly touches the floor, which readies the blade, then push back up to strike.
Atamnia said he likes simple incremental games and likes push-ups, and wanted to combine the two. The App Store listing holds 102 ratings at 4.0 out of 5. Commenters on his Reddit post questioned whether a game demanding physical effort belongs in the genre, and some reported being stuck on the first boss.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.