Happy Wheels

Take a bike trials simulator, add heaping helping of gore and dismemberment, a splash of very difficult controls,  and let the free-to-play internet community “stir” (see: “mod”) and you’ll get the viral sensation Happy Wheels. As a 2-D browser based game, to become popular you need an interesting gimmick, and Happy Wheels’ modding tools combined with the bouncy and responsive physics engine that gives the riders ragdoll physics with fully dismemberable bodies and internal (ready-to-be external) organs are the perfect gimmick to let the internet’s sick mind to play around like a kid in a candy shop.

When you start up a game of Happy Wheels, you’ll have a selection of community created levels to pick from, sorted by popularity and rating. While the bike trials genre of games generally have the playable character as a guy on a bike, Happy Wheels mixed it up with a wider and questionably conceived cast of riders to choose from. Some of these characters include Wheelchair Guy, Segway Guy, and Irresponsible Dad who has a fully dismemberable child strapped into the bike’s rear seat.

The goal of each level is the same, reach the end of a course without falling off your vehicle or without dying. Many levels will have you riding over obstacles while avoiding the many things that can gruesomely kill the rider; like swords falling from the sky, arrows shot from crossbows, or rotating platforms that can grind you up.

Creative Community Creations

The community has gotten creative with the modding tools and created levels that have nothing to do with riding past obstacles. Some of these more unique levels include a murderous javelin toss where the player uses the grab and release function of the rider to throw swords and impale other characters of varying distance and difficulty. Another is set up like a human pachinko/plinko machine where the player tries to maneuver the rider into the winning space at the bottom. These are just a few examples of the endless amount of community designed levels that Happy Wheels features.

Play or Watch

This game has been picked up and played by many popular Let’s Players and Streamers due to the extreme and hilarious situation the game often has the rider in. As one of the most popular and viral in-browser games of all time, not to mention free, you owe it to yourself to check out Happy Wheels and spend a few indulgent hours “accidentally” getting your rider impaled or crushed on your way to the victory line.