Academics
ObbyPals
A make-an-obstacle-course game for ages 6–8: bridge the pits so Nims the goat — who can only climb up one step at a time — can run your course. Send Nims to test it, fix the spots he gets stuck, then share your fair course. On-device; nothing leaves your device.
▶ Play it nowBuilt for sittings of about 15 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, asks, and patiently scaffolds learning.
Mentored by Nims
#0f766e Characters who teach
Meet the cast
ObbyPals has a tiny friendly crew who make building a FAIR obstacle course something a six-year-old can hold: Nims the goat runs your course but can only climb UP one step at a time; Plank the beaver bridges the deep pits so every climb is one step; Spotter the meerkat tests the course and spots exactly where Nims gets stuck; and Fairley the tortoise checks, all the way to the flag, that every single climb is fair. Each friend shows ONE gentle idea about building a course a learner can run; everything is spoken, and there is no way to lose.
Nims
One step at a time - Nims the goat, the novice runner who can climb UP only one step at a time: a drop too deep is an unfair trap, so build the course fair for him
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Plank
Bridge the pit - Plank the beaver, who fixes a deep pit by bridging it: stack blocks or lay a step so the climb out is only one step high, a fair way through
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Spotter
Test, then fix the stuck spot - Spotter the meerkat, who does not guess: she sends Nims to test the course, watches exactly where he gets stuck, fixes that one spot, and tests again
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Fairley
Fair is every climb, all the way - Fairley the tortoise, who checks every single climb from start to flag: even one climb too deep is a trap, so a fair course has no traps left
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Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
A make-an-obstacle-course game for ages 6–8: bridge the pits so Nims the goat — who can only climb up one step at a time — can run your course. Send Nims to test it, fix the spots he gets stuck, then share your fair course. On-device; nothing leaves your device.
Mentored by Nims — no data leaves the device.
How ObbyPals handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages