White Knuckle by Dark Machine Games (Early Access Preview)

I have to state something upfront: I hate physics-based platformers. It’s largely because I’m bad at them, but I also just don’t have time in my life for a game designed to piss me off. Getting Over It? I was over it the second I saw it. I’m not a streamer, and I don’t have a revenue stream directly linked to my suffering.

I say all of this up front to emphasize the fact that I’m well and truly impressed with White Knuckle, the debut title from Dark Machine Games and published by horror legends DreadXP, because it had an uphill battle to get me to like it. And like it I do. A lot, actually.

The Climb

As a nameless test subject in the industrial hellscape Substructure 17, you have one simple goal: escape. Of course, that means a lot of climbing, and if the fall doesn’t kill you, there are plenty of things down there with you only happy to oblige.

At its core, White Knuckle is a speed-running Rogue-like with an emphasis on hand-over-hand climbing physics. Substructure 17 is slowly but surely filling with a terrifying miasma, and if you don’t keep ahead of it, it’s game over and back to the start. You accomplish this by climbing ledge by ledge, but you also need to make risky jumps, swing from ropes, and even hammer pitons into walls to give yourself new handholds.

It’s a vertical journey the likes of which would make even Lara Croft and Nathan Drake sweat, and that’s before you get into how the game plays. Not content to be a simple “push forward to climb” game, White Knuckle is all about literal hand management.

The left and right mouse buttons each control grabbing with one of your hands, which handles everything from climbing to picking up items to interacting with the environment.

Hand in Hand

Climbing is a simple-to-grasp (no pun intended) but hard-to-master system that I initially found frustrating, but it quickly became intuitive as I made riskier climbs and bigger jumps, all while praying my hands’ stamina lasted long enough to not fall.

Even when I inevitably failed, the game’s meta progression systems meant I was working towards new unlocks that would help me out the next time.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a DreadXP-published game without a ton of horror in the mix. Substructure 17 is an industrial nightmare full of things out for your blood, and often your only recourse is to run (although you can defend yourself with your trusty hammer).

This adds an element of spice to what would otherwise be a simple “stay ahead of the death line” game, and I appreciate it tremendously. I also love the PS1-inspired jagged polygon visuals.

The Verdict

White Knuckle is already a polished, harrowing experience unlike anything else out there. As of right now, its Early Access release features three of the game’s promised seven areas to explore, along with an Endless mode for those who want to score-chase.

The developers have also promised Challenge and Sandbox modes in future updates, but trust me, even just completing what’s available now will take you plenty of time (and attempts). Gird your loins – and fingers – for a hell of a challenge ahead.

White Knuckle is available via Steam.

Watch the trailer for White Knuckle below: