About This Is The Only Level
This Is The Only Level is a platformer Flash game developed by John Cooney (under the pseudonym jmtb02) and released on August 7, 2009, by Armor Games. The game’s title is both literal and deceptive: there’s literally only one level layout: a simple room with platforms, spikes, a red button that (usually) opens a gate, and an orange exit pipe on the right. You control a blue elephant who must navigate this single stage over and over, but with 30 wildly different “stages” (variations) that twist the rules, controls, and even the game’s interface itself.
How to play This Is The Only Level
- Controls: Use the arrow keys to move the elephant
- Objective: In every stage, guide the elephant from the left side of the room to the orange pipe on the right. Step on the red button (usually mid-screen) to open the gate blocking the pipe.
The game shines in its escalating absurdity. Here’s a high-level guide to the 30 stages, grouped by theme.
- Stages 1-10: Straightforward jumps and button-pressing, with minor hurdles like moving platforms or reversed gravity.
- Stages 11-20: Arrows behave oddly, e.g., no jumping, constant auto-movement, or button-mashing required.
- Stages 21-30: Break the game itself: Use Caps Lock, wait for auto-opens, or navigate menus/credits. Ends with a dark room relying on memory.
