White Knuckle is a roguelike climbing simulation game by Dark Machine Games! Read on to learn everything we know, our review of the demo, and more.
Everything We Know About White Knuckle
White Knuckle Plot
In the pit of the bowels of the neverending layout that composes SUB-STRUCTURE 17, the unfortunate are tested and forced to escape death from a rising sea of decomposed liquid remains of those trapped before. They must utilize all that they can to make it out of the subterranean concrete structure miles below the surface, and make it through the Silos, the Sewers, and the Habitation.
White Knuckle Gameplay
White Knuckle is a first-person speed-climbing roguelike where players must grab onto any ledge they find – or make– and escape death by climbing a seemingly infinite tower filled with lethal obstacles and traps. Players individually control their left and right in-game hands by the left and right mouse buttons respectively, and they must alternate between the two in order to ascend. However, hanging on too long or climbing too far without resting in between will cause the hands to individually and steadily lose stamina.
Luckily, supplies can be found throughout the journey that can replenish stamina, as well as pitons, rebars, and rope that players can fashion into handholds and make their own routes upward.
Upon death, players must restart their climbs with an all-new different layout of ‘rooms’ and ‘obstacles’ that keep the player experience fresh and unique.
White Knuckle Release Date
It has yet to be announced when White Knuckle will be fully released, but the developers at Dark Machine Games intend for the game to launch under early access soon.
The early access release date as of writing is still unconfirmed, but it will eventually find its way to the PC via Steam.
White Knuckle Review (Demo)
On The Way To The Top
White Knuckle is a very uniquely brilliant gaming experience, as there is nothing quite like it. There have been numerous climbing games in the past where they tried to mimic true realism, opting for controlled climbing mechanics where slow and steady wins the race. There have also been numerous games applauded for its parkour/free-running mechanics, but they were mainly implemented for first-person shooters that aided in dodging and weaving out of enemy fire. White Knuckle is an adrenaline-filled, reflex-intensive, problem-solving free-running climbing game where mastery of the mechanics makes players feel immersed and satisfied, marking its way to become a sleeper-hit of a game.
It has the makings of a great game, from its eerie atmospheric aesthetics and art direction, its sound design, and of course, its gameplay.
Easy to Learn, Immensely Satisfying to Master
White Knuckle’s greatest strength lies in its gameplay mechanics that require players to always be alert and thinking on their feet, able to ‘problem solve’ at a glance on how to find their way up to the next level. The game’s level design allows players to utilize many different routes that best fits their situation. Some may opt to climb only the pre-generated routes, some may skip some holds altogether and reach faraway places, and some may make their own routes using the tools they find in their run.
The ability to utilize tools such as pitons, rebars, and rope that can be attached to any flat surface adds the most dynamic layer of skill and mastery for the game, allowing for all sorts of crazy combinations and shortcuts that give players the freedom of expression. Said freedom to place one’s own path upwards results in very divergent gameplay that enables players to feel smart, feel accomplished, and feel like they have triumphed over difficult problems, because in actuality they do.
The momentum-based movement from the physics engine is a joy to experiment with and get used to while swinging and climbing from hold to hold, ledge to ledge. Running to gain speed to catch a bar in the middle of a chasm, and to precisely let go before your momentum is stopped at the climax in order to swing to the other side is seamless action that requires so many coordinated reflexes and actions. Though it would take a beginner a few tries to perfect it, once they get it down, it feels so natural and satisfying.
Still ‘Looks’ a Bit Barebones With a Few Bugs
Unfortunately, as a demo that’s still in the works with its main launch still far away, the game is bound to have a few bugs present (and not the brown and gold ones used as currency in the game). On multiple occasions, items dropped from the players’ hands while near a wall would throw said item into the wall clipping through the collision and getting lost. This has caused me to accidentally lose my hammer multiple times, forcing me into a no hammer/piton run.
On the side of being barebones, the game feels quite empty at times, as though there could be more filled-out space to be had to further enhance the ambience or atmosphere. No doubt the spacious caverns of the Silos, the first area of the game, were intended to be as such. Them being, well, silos, and to ease new players into a wide-open space, allowing them to freely survey areas above and below. However, a lot more could still be implemented for the game's ‘horror’ elements here and there. The current occasional human bones and scattering of bugs the game has are good examples of populating adding ‘life’ to a death-filled space. Perhaps the addition of writings/graffiti/blood on the wall, more random spooky SFX or music tracks, and more miscellaneous objects aside from the boxes could populate the huge empty spaces.
However, this could all be irrelevant, as maybe the dev team’s art direction intends for a sort of liminal effect with the minimal objects and spacious design. Both certainly have appeal for the horror atmosphere they intend. As it stands this early in the demo, things could still change, and so the choice to go either route stands on them for the future.
Already Has So Much Content and Replayability, With More to Come
Amidst all of that though, the game as it is, while being a free playable demo, already has a lot of content that is enjoyably replayable. It currently has two massive major regions with ever-changing locations and obstacles for players to conquer, and with a third on the way for its imminent early access release. Each region is 500 meters tall, but are filled with various ever-changing stopgaps intended to hinder and challenge players from ascending.
Players will inevitably fail and fail over and over again, and it never feels cheap or undeserved, as it’s always the fault of not being able to reach a certain ledge, running out of stamina, overstepping and falling, or mistiming jumps. The speed at which the player can fail and restart a run is addicting and fun, and this constant trial and error as the player gets steadily better and beats their previous peak record bestows a sense of self-improvement that influences players to keep trying and keep going. And when they do finish the campaign, they are rewarded with endless versions of the regions, allowing them to infinitely climb to their hearts’ content.
White Knuckle at its core has struck a great formula of self-improvement, atmospheric tension, and addictingly satisfying gameplay that’s leading its way to the top of becoming an amazing game.
Game8 Reviews
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White KnuckleProduct Information
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| Title | WHITE KNUCKLE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | TBA |
| Developer | Dark Machine Games |
| Publisher | DreadXP |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam) |
| Genre | Platformer, Roguelike, Horror, Simulation |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | White Knuckle Official Website |
