ALTERNATE DISPLAY SIZES: Small: 640x480 Normal: 800x600 Large: 960x720 Huge: 1280x960


About Jacob's Folly

Jacob's Folly is a game designed by Christopher Allen as a fanciful representation of the wrestling match between Jacob and God in the Book of Genesis.

That's right. The Bible has a divine wrestling match in it. You can read all about it in Genesis 32:22-32 (from the Good News Bible). The passage isn't that long, at least compared to the entire story of Jacob, but it certainly stands out. It is one of the very first tales that describes a matchup between mortal and deity.

The cartoonish representation of the wrestlers shouldn't be taken too seriously; nearly all my games are tongue-in-cheek on some level. But if nothing else, it should make you think about what makes a tale decent. Pro wrestling in real life has been doing this for a long time, telling some kind of kayfabe tale in which people are expected to be invested. It goes all the way back to the Old Testament.


How To Play

The controls of Jacob's Folly mostly follow the scheme found in classic arcade and 8-bit wrestling titles, such as Mat Mania or Nintendo Pro Wrestling. If you don't know what you're doing, you can figure it out quickly enough by pressing a direction and one of the punch or kick buttons.

The controls depend on how many players are selected. For one-player mode, cursor direction keys and Z (kick) and X (punch) control Jacob. For two-player mode, individual players can use the same keyboard: WASD and V and B for first player, and cursor direction keys and O and P for second player.

If you have one or more controllers plugged into the machine, these can also be used to control the wrestlers.


Move List

No quarter sweeps or obscure combos! I like it when controls are simple, and so should you.

Note that P denotes punch, and K denotes kick.

MoveCombinationAppearanceDescription
PunchP The effect of this technique is not very strong, but it does hurt.
KickK Slightly longer range and more power than the punch, but slower.
RunP+K
-or-
Right+Right
-or-
Left+Left
Start running. Some additional moves are possible while running.
ElbowRun, P Elbow strikes can catch an opponent by surprise and knock him down.
ClotheslineRun, K Smack down opponent running in opposite direction with a looping arm strike.
TackleRun, Up+P Knock down opponent into a pin.
Drop KickRun, Up+K Knock down opponent with a heavy flying kick.
Duck LiftRun, Down+P Use opponent's inertia against himself and toss him overhead. Note that this move will not toss opponent if there is no inertia!
Thunder SlideRun, Down+K Surprise opponent with a low rolling slide.
Body SlamGrapple, then Left/Right+P During grapple, pick up opponent and throw him a short distance.
Side TossGrapple, then Left/Right+K This throws opponent careening into the hedges at the side of the arena. Opponent will not be able to immediately control the run, so prepare for another attack.
Brain BusterGrapple, then Up+P Toss opponent behind self "the long way." This is tiring, but very damaging.
Atomic DropGrapple, then Up+K Powerful back-breaker maneuver.
Sleeper HoldGrapple, then Down+P Drain opponent's health until he escapes. More effective if opponent is much weaker.
Pile DriverGrapple, then Down+K Invert opponent and drive his face into the dirt.
Crude AwakeningStun, then Left/Right+P Smash opponent's head with a tangled suplex.
Running SlamStun, then Left/Right+K Force opponent to run into a stage hazard.
High Spin TossStun, then Up+P Spin opponent overhead, then throw. Tiring, but effective.
Airplane SpinStun, then Up+K Twirl opponent by ankles and launch far away. Very tiring, but inflicts real damage.
Coccyx BreakerStun, then Down+P Snap opponent's tailbone with a powerful knee strike.
Leg Lock HoldStun, then Down+K Drain opponent's health until he escapes. More effective if opponent is much weaker.
Obstacle ClimbP+K When near a stump, table, or boulder, can climb obstacle. Press Down to jump down from the obstacle.
Rolling SplashWhen on obstacle, P From obstacle, jump down on nearby oppponent. Ouch!
Flying Knee DropWhen on obstacle, K From obstacle, strike opponent with knees. This one really hurts!
Elbow DropNear downed opponent, Down+P Crush downed opponent with elbow.
Leg DropNear downed opponent, Down+K Smash downed opponent with thighs.
Force UpNear downed opponent, P Force opponent up into a grapple. Grapple timing will be slightly favorable to the one forcing the opponent up.
PinNear downed opponent, K Pin opponent and start 3-count. Opponent's ability to escape depends on health.
Dodge RollWhen downed, Up/Down+P Escape opponent and get up quickly, further away. Can be useful to dodge jumps from obstacles.
Get UpWhen downed, P Get up. When downed (but aware), can choose to get up immediately or stay wary.
UpkickWhen downed, K Catch opponent off-guard with a swift upwards kick. Useful tactic when feet are facing opponent.


Difficulty and Player Handicaps

The Wrath of God meter in the main menu controls the CPU strength and cunning in one-player mode. If things get too hard, you can make it easier. There is also a switch for auto-adjusting the difficulty depending on how well (or poorly) you do against God.

In two-player mode, one can set a Player Handicap to rebalance the match if one player is much more skilled than the other. This affects both damage inflicted and grapple meter blockers. Helpful when parents are playing against young children. It's the parents that need the handicap, of course--kids would annihilate them otherwise.


Tips

Timing and judgment are important to winning at Jacob's Folly. Which move is the best for the current situation? Which one is fastest? Which one will wear you out slower? One should take several things into consideration.

Grapple Meters

The Grapple Meters extend just above the health bars when the wrestlers begin grappling. During this process, the faster wrestler wins. If you can consistently react faster than the other guy, you'll do well.

The meters work slightly differently in one-player and two-player modes. For one-player mode, the meter represents the limit to reaction. If it fills up all the way, the CPU wins. In contrast, in two-player mode, either player can react more quickly at any time.

Certain conditions will expand or contract the meter, or block certain portions of it. Higher computer difficulty will shorten the meter. Loosening up after several strikes, having low health, being fatigued, and a few other states will reduce grappling favorability. Be aware of conditions that would limit your timing ability!

Different grappling moves consume different amounts of the meter. It takes less time to side-throw or body slam than it takes to atomic-drop, pile-drive, or brain-bust. Being fast isn't everything--if the move takes too long, your opponent can still beat you with a move that takes less time to execute.

If a portion of the meter is chained and blocked, grappling moves cannot be triggered from this portion of the meter--you must wait until an unblocked portion of the meter is shown. You don't want too much of the meter to be blocked, or your timing window will be worse!

Reversal Meter

The Reversal Meter is shown after a grapple is chosen successfully by one of the wrestlers. But all is not lost for the loser--the loser can button-press P or K faster than the winner to throw the state back to a grapple again. As long as the winner does not beat the loser during the reversal period (and the winner does not have a frame-perfect button press at the end of the meter), the loser can wriggle out of trouble.

Don't rely too much on reversals--the timing window is very tight, and each time a reversal occurs during grappling, the window shrinks a bit more. Be ready for anything!

Pins and Holds

If a wrestler is caught in a pin or hold, button-mash to escape! The Escape Meter shows the progress towards escape. Remember that every second counts--the caught wrestler's health goes down during this period.

Pins must be escaped in three seconds, or the wrestler loses. Holds must be escaped before health reaches zero, or the wrestler gives up.

Stunned Status

If a wrestler receives several knockdowns in succession, he can become stunned. This is a dangerous situation, because the opponent can deliver more powerful grappling moves than normal, which cannot be reversed.

These special suplexes are very damaging, but also very exhausting. It may be fun to airplane-spin a stunned opponent, but this may cause fatigue.

Fatigued Status

A wrestler becomes fatigued after delivering several difficult suplexes or running attacks. This status prevents obstacle climb, reduces grappling performance, and limits standard grappling moves to body slam, side toss, and sleeper.

It is possible to tank through the fatigue...but do you want to do this? It might be best to stay back and catch your breath. It's your decision.

Loosened Status

Scared to grapple right away? Punches and kicks will loosen an opponent and make grappling more favorable. The moment you see your opponent stagger, that is when you should grab him.

If you force an opponent up from downed, the opponent will be loosened automatically, having no recovery time.

Staying Smart

Pay attention! Watch your opponent carefully! Look for location-based advantages! You're in the fight for your life against God! You have to give it your all!

Running moves can catch an opponent by surprise. Certain running moves will counter and win against other running moves. Choose them wisely.

Use upkicks when downed if your legs are close to your opponent. Also watch out for the other's upkicks. It might also be better to roll out of the way--you don't want to be smashed from above!

Obstacle-launched flying attacks are incredibly damaging. But don't use them recklessly--if dodged, the landing will hurt and will stun you.


Special Moves--for Heels Only

You didn't think God would fight fair, did you? Watch out for the following!

MoveAppearanceDescription
Dislocation Canonically, God does this to Jacob when He realizes He might not win. A dislocated hip joint causes stumble during run, reduces run speed, and slightly worsens grapple performance.
Sandman The MacGyver Special. As God gets up, he sands Jacob's eyes. Blindness lasts several seconds and prevents God from being seen.
Low Blow Why not? Cheap instant-stunning blow right in the wobbly bits.
Pirania Bite Not very damaging, but inflicts fatigue immediately. Nice choppers.


Interpreting Jacob's Ladder and the Wrestling Match

Some of you might think a divine wrestling match seems out-of-place in the Bible, but it actually serves as a final "test" or "crucible" for Jacob after a lifetime of struggle.

The term "Jacob's Ladder" is a colloquial term often used to describe Jacob's life struggle after he took the favored status from his brother Esau through trickery with the help of his mother. The wrestling match with God is usually interpreted to be symbolic of the culmination of a successful struggle, making up for this original crime through hard work and perseverance.

I'd like to say the match went exactly the way it works in the game...but unfortunately, the Book of Genesis doesn't give a blow-by-blow account, other than the dislocation event. My guess is that it sure must have been sensational!


Enhancements/Modifiers/Cheats

You can place various GET variables on the URL to modify the Jacob's Folly experience. This is accomplished by adding a question mark and stating a NAME=VALUE pair. You can also add multiple GET variables by placing an ampersand (&) between assignments.

For example, this changes the canvas resolution to 1080x810: https://www.chriskallen.com/jacobsfolly/JacobsFolly.html?WIDTH=1080&HEIGHT=810


Other Information

Like Jacob's Folly? Or not? I'd like to hear more. Try chris@chriskallen.com.

You can also try my other games, like Cruz or ZZT Ultra, at https://www.chriskallen.com.



This page is Copyright © 2024 Christopher Allen.