If you've ever thought to yourself, I wonder what Jusantwould be like if David Szymanskimade it, you'll be thrilled to hear about White Knuckle, «a first-person roguelite speed-climbing game» being developed by three-person indie studio Dark Machine Games.
Even better, you can partake in its unique horrors right now thanks to a free demo on Steam. At their most basic level, the climbing mechanics in White Knuckle and Jusant are quite similar: Your left and right mouse buttons correspond to your left and right hands, and you click and release to open and close them as you climb ever upward.
There's a rhythm to it, and once you're in the flow you can make upward progress pretty quickly. Beyond that, though, the two games couldn't be more different.
Jusant, which I will once again say is brilliant and grossly underrated, is built on «joyful rock climbing and fascinating storytelling,» as we said in our 89% review.
It's relaxing, meditative, and challenging but not stressful because you might stumble, but you can't fall. White Knuckle, on the other hand, is an ascent into hell.