Ascend through 'ten thousand meters of concrete and decay' in this horrifying 'first-person roguelite speed-climbing game'

pcgamer.com:

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. Even the tutorial is a goddamn nightmare: It starts off simply enough but within minutes you're dealing with crampons, rebar, ropes, long jumps, dizzying heights, and no safety net—and unlike the tireless hero of Jusant, your cardio doesn't seem super-hot either because after just a few seconds of dangling from one awful spot or another, your hands start to turn red and tremble. Fail to address that situation more or less immediately, and it's kersplat time.

Inventory management is also designed to be psychologically taxing. You have two pockets, each capable of holding one item, and a backpack that will accommodate several. Pick an item up with one hand or the other, open the inventory with the TAB key, put the item in the appropriate spot, and release your mouse button—simple, right?

Now do it while you're hanging one-handed about a million feet in the air: Open the inventory, pull out a