Nanny's Journey

About Nanny's Journey

Nanny's Journey is a chaotic platformer where you play a grumpy grandma armed with a grappling hook, scaling a nightmarish version of hell. Developed by Pixsails, it drops you into procedurally generated levels that shift constantly, forcing you to adapt or fall into lava. Released in October 2025, the game’s single-player focus is all about raw speed and precision. You’ll jump, grapple, and scavenge for upgrades to survive. It’s a punishing but addictive loop, blending retro platformer mechanics with modern difficulty spikes. The story is as nonsensical as the setting, something about redemption through climbing, but the real draw is the relentless action.

Gameplay

You spend most sessions scrambling up shifting terrain, using a grappling hook to leap over gaps and dodge hazards. Each level is a gauntlet of spikes, falling rocks, and lava pits, with the environment changing slightly each time you die. The grappling hook is your main tool, letting you chain jumps and swing across obstacles, but timing is brutal. You’ll die often, maybe dozens of times per level. Collectibles scattered around encourage retries, but the real goal is speed. A session usually lasts 30, 45 minutes, with the final stretch of each level being the most punishing. Controls are tight, but the difficulty curve feels uneven, especially in the first hour.

What Players Think

PlayPile users rate it 8.2/10, with 38% completing the full game. Average playtime is 5.7 hours, but 62% of players report quitting before the final third. Moods are split between "Frustrated" (45%) and "Determined" (30%). One user wrote, "The first boss feels impossible until you realize the lava resets on a timer." Another noted, "Best for players who like permadeath and minimal checkpoints." Metacritic averages 79, praising creativity but criticizing inconsistent difficulty. The game has 40 achievements, with the hardest requiring a speedrun under 15 minutes.

PlayPile's Take

Nanny’s Journey is a love letter to masochistic platformers. If you enjoy punishing precision and hate respawns, this isn’t for you. But if you thrive in high-skill loops and don’t mind repeated deaths, it’s a solid 10-hour challenge. The $29.99 price tag is fair for the content, though the lack of difficulty scaling may turn off casual players. The grappling hook mechanics and shifting levels keep things fresh, even if the later stages feel like a slog. Skip if you hate permadeath, but give it a shot if you crave retro-style punishment.

Storyline

play a grumpy Grandma, help her to climp hell to her redemption !! jump, use your grappling hook, and more, in this dynamic and difficult speedrun game