Don't Go Up There

A short, hand-drawn fever dream

Don't Go Up There is a tiny, surreal narrative adventure from Fish Hear With Fish Ears, following a character named Schubert on a disorienting climb up a mountain, talking to strange figures along the way while trying to avoid literally falling apart. Its hand-drawn art and sound design are the game's clearest strength, drawing consistent, enthusiastic praise. One reviewer who played it while sick described the effect vividly: "I played this game whilst ill and in a fever state not knowing anything about it other than the art is hand-drawn. The music, art, dialogue, and pacing of this surrealist panic-scape make for an original and enlightening nightmare." Another reviewer captured the game's tone more playfully: "[u]Don't Go Up There[/u] is the bad trip I didn't know I needed on a Sunday morning. Schubert's story oozes personality in the tight 30ish minutes it takes to experience," adding, "Hand-drawn art is groovy, audio is wavy, vibes are unmatched."

A shorter, stranger review leaned fully into the game's tone with its own surreal flourish: "A fictitious freaky frightening fervent feverdream from foreign faraway frames of mind. An appalling allegory of anointed allies abandoning any amiable allegiances to awakening animosity," before landing on a simple verdict: "Art and passion. 36 minutes long. 10/10 (no really)." Another reviewer summarized the moment-to-moment feel: "This game is a crunchy type of charming. Grotesque and silly designs and animation abound," describing the gameplay itself as "50% whimsy and 50% dodge mechanics as you traverse through the caves talking to strange beings," alongside "two small minigames invovlving matching stone faces and punching bugs for points."

Over before it really gets going

The single most common reservation, even among reviewers who otherwise loved their time with it, is that the game ends just as its story and atmosphere start to land. "A very simple, trippy drawn game with really groovy music. But.. but.. but.. even though I agree with other reviewers who enjoyed it, the fact that it is so short still spoiled the experience for me a bit. I was just starting to get into the story and vibe with the visuals when suddenly it was all over right after that puzzle with random shapes and objects," wrote one reviewer, who added a wish for the developer's next project: "I would really like to see something similar from the developer again... just at least an hour or longer next time." Another reviewer who enjoyed the atmosphere still questioned what the interactive layer was actually adding: "So the game is good and fun and short and sweet. And really the ambiance is awesome but I do have a hard time understanding why it is a game. The visuals are whimsical and the music is great and its nice to seat there. But outside of that I don't feel like the challenges or the controls adds much outside of exploration." That same reviewer went further, arguing the light gameplay actively worked against the writing: "I think its solely because of gameplay making the story less impactful and hurting the world building too."

The reviewer who praised the "crunchy" charm of its designs landed on a similar note despite recommending it: "While I think i enjoyed my strange experience, I do wish there was more." A different reviewer flagged just how under-the-radar the game currently is: "The lack of guides, discussions, achievements, popularity just add up to the curiosity you have while you are playing," treating the obscurity itself as part of the appeal rather than a downside.

A dollar well spent, portable or not

Beyond the story and its length, reviewers are near-unanimous that the game's asking price makes any hesitation moot. "This is worth every penny. The art, music and everything about it is amazing. I think this dev team will go far," wrote one reviewer, who added, "Runs perfectly on steamdeck too!" Another reviewer echoed the same portable-friendly note with a small caveat: "Interesting concept with a great sense of originality and artwork! Works decently well on steamdeck, minus a small portion of the screen displaying previous cutscenes." A third reviewer tied the value argument directly to the experience itself: "This game is super cool, weird and vibey, it starts off fun and stays engaging. The art and animation took me off guard, and the music is really good. I recommend this game to anyone with a spare dollar, it's super fun, and worth every penny." A shorter, blunter review summed up the same appeal in a single line: "The kind of weird gem I look for and love, also the soundtrack is a banger."

Verdict

Don't Go Up There is a strange, confidently-made little curiosity that leans entirely on its hand-drawn art, sound design, and surreal sense of humor to make an impression in barely half an hour — and by nearly every account, it succeeds at exactly that. Its weakness is structural rather than artistic: the gameplay layered on top of its story is thin enough that several reviewers question what it's really contributing, and the story is consistently described as ending right as it finds its footing. At a dollar, none of that amounts to much of a risk, and reviewers are near-unanimous that the atmosphere alone is worth the price of admission. It's an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a strange, memorable half-hour and can accept that "half an hour" is the whole pitch, but it isn't built for players looking for a game whose mechanics carry equal weight to its writing and art.