Hopper 4

Hopper 4 was one of those Flash games you'd find on a portal in the late 2000s. It didn't have a big studio behind it, just a simple platformer that loaded in your browser. You'd play it between classes or during a slow afternoon, part of that whole ecosystem of quick, free games that disappeared when Flash did.

You control a small character, Hopper, with the arrow keys and spacebar to jump. Your job is to climb a mountain. Each level is a single screen you need to navigate. First, you collect all the red balls scattered around. Only then does a golden star appear, which you must reach to finish the stage. The challenge comes from gaps to jump and enemies to avoid; touching anything harmful or falling off the edge sends you back to the start of that level. The stages get more complex as you ascend, introducing new layouts and tighter jumps. It feels like a straightforward test of patience and timing.