Do You Even Forklift? A Delightful Indie Physics Puzzle Worth Your Time

I’ll admit it: when I first heard about “Do You Even Forklift?”, I braced for another half-baked physics sim parody clogging up my Steam library. But after seeing Polish solo developer Sylwester Osik’s creation snag Best Engagement & Fun at GameJamPlus 2024-25, I was intrigued. Instead of a fleeting gimmick, this forklift-focused puzzler delivers genuine hooks that made me haul crates—and watermelons—into the small hours.

Setting the Scene: More Than a Meme Title

“Do You Even Forklift?” wears its tongue-in-cheek name proudly, but underneath is a carefully tuned arcade puzzler. The visual style nods to Studio Ghibli’s warm color palette and quaint Japanese townscapes, with hand-drawn backgrounds and little details—rattling lanterns, chirping cicadas, friendly tofu stands—that drip with personality. Rather than leaning on parody alone, Osik has crafted over thirty levels that weave physics-based puzzles into zany forklift missions.

A Unique Take on Physics Puzzles

Think of this as a mash-up of traditional crate-stacking sims and cartoonish mayhem. Each “shift” assigns you a new objective: stack snack crates without toppling them, navigate obstacle courses of vending machines, or gently transport sleeping cats perched atop fragile boxes. The punchline? A “beep” button that serves as both comic relief and a functional tool, alerting NPCs (and sometimes scaring them) to clear your path. It’s a small feature that perfectly encapsulates the game’s playful, self-aware spirit.

Strengths: Engagement, Charm and Polished Design

Winning a global award for engagement is no mean feat. GameJamPlus judges focus on minute-to-minute fun, not just eye-candies or novel concepts. From my time with the demo, it’s clear the physics feel snappy—forklift wheels grip the ground, forks shimmy under cargo, and collisions reward you with satisfying bounces. Puzzle variety is strong, too: timed runs, precision stacking challenges, and light combat scenarios where you fend off mischievous delivery drones. Each level teaches you a new trick, then ups the ante, striking a sweet spot between accessible and challenging.

The art direction deserves a special mention. Packing so much cozy, hand-crafted flair into a physics sim is rare. You’ll spot playful references to pop culture—giant ramen bowls to be carried at breakfast shifts, souvenir stalls humming with wildlife mascots, and even a tea-leaf planting mini-game when you’re not busy forklifting. The soundtrack complements this vibe with mellow piano riffs and gentle percussion, keeping stress levels low even as crates tip and alarms blare.

Potential Pitfalls and Unknowns

No indie gem is without rough edges. While the demo dazzles early on, you start to wonder: can the full release sustain this momentum? Physics chaos can be a double-edged sword—too much randomness, and puzzle solutions feel arbitrary rather than earned. A handful of levels in my demo session suffered from floaty collisions or camera angles that obscured tight spaces. Hopefully these are teething issues in a work-in-progress build.

There’s also the looming question of content scope. Thirty levels might fly by if you master the mechanics quickly, and the lack of a built-in level editor or community-sharing features limits replayability once you’ve beaten the main puzzles. Achievement hunters may bemoan the absence of online leaderboards or time-trial rankings, although Osik has hinted at console versions and post-launch expansions. Whether those arrive—and whether they address pacing spikes and difficulty cliffs—remains to be seen.

Community and Future Outlook

One of the most promising signs is the developer’s engagement with early players. Sylwester Osik has been active on social channels, soliciting feedback on balancing, performance, and ideas for new mechanics (I’ve seen requests for co-op forklift shenanigans and seasonal events). If the community remains vocal and the dev keeps up this momentum, “Do You Even Forklift?” could evolve well past its jam roots.

Looking at recent trends, we’ve witnessed a mini-renaissance of physics-driven indies—titles like Octahedron Runner and Untitled Goose Game proved there’s appetite for physics that amplify humor rather than hinder it. Osik’s game sits firmly in that niche but risks being overshadowed if it doesn’t differentiate itself further with deeper mechanics or novel level variants. Custom puzzles, mod support, or seasonal challenge packs could be key to avoiding the dreaded “jam demo burnout.”

Final Verdict: Beep-Beep into the Fun

“Do You Even Forklift?” isn’t a one-trick meme; it’s a thoughtful mash-up of lively physics puzzles, quirky art, and genuine arcade hooks. It balances goofy antics (beeping at bewildered villagers) with satisfying mechanical depth (precision stacking under time pressure). While the demo isn’t the final word—watch for potential bugginess, pacing dips, and limited replay features—the foundation is solid. I’m eager to see where Osik takes it next: console ports, community tools, or new cargo-centric craziness.

If you’re itching for a break from the grind of competitive shooters or existential roguelites, fire up the free Steam demo today. Who knows? You may find yourself up at 2 a.m., forklift beeping and crates tumbling, utterly hooked on this unexpected indie darling.

Feature	Specification
Publisher	Take IT Studio!
Release Date	TBA (Demo available now)
Genres	Physics Puzzle, Arcade, Indie
Platforms	PC (demo); consoles planned