Katapult

Katapult was one of those physics-based Flash games you'd find in the mid-2000s. It didn't have a complicated story or fancy graphics. You just had a catapult and a stuntman, and the goal was simple: send him flying as far as you could.

You control the launch. Holding and releasing the spacebar sets the power, then you do it again to set the angle. Once he's airborne, you use the arrow keys to rotate his body, trying to keep him flat to cut through the air. Hitting a pink cloud gives you a boost if you press up at the right moment. The real trick is timing the parachute with the spacebar for a safe landing; your score only counts if he touches down gently. The game moves quickly, and a slight miscalculation sends him tumbling. It feels like a careful, slightly absurd balancing act between force and control.