White Knuckle is a Tough but Unique Take on the Horror Genre

White Knuckle from developer Dark Machine Games and publisher DreadXP is a first person roguelite speed-climbing game where players must ascend through SUB-STRUCTURE 17 using the games precision movement mechanics. You’ll have to have quick reflexes and manage your resources in order to avoid the monsters that threaten you on every level.

It took me a while to really get into White Knuckle, finding it pretty frustrating to start. Thankfully a hefty tutorial, one that I played through twice, helps to familiarize players with things before you have to start your speedy climb. The game is eye-catching and haunting as you hear the creepy sounds of the creatures that are constantly hoping you’ll fall to your death.

Gameplay for White Knuckle is pretty simple though, as I mentioned, it might take you some time to find your footing (pun intended). I played the game mostly on my Steam Deck where the triggers were used for each hand to grip ledges, pitons, ropes, etc. Climbing feels really smooth, but you have to pay attention to your hands because they’ll turn red the longer you grip onto surfaces or objects, indicating your depleting stamina. If your hands turn bright red, you’ll lose your grip and fall. 

The game forces players to not only manage their time as they scale the horrific megastructure, but manage their inventory as well. You might not always have a surface to climb so you’ll have to carry around things for emergencies like pitons, for example, that you can hammer into walls. It can be a stressful process, though, because you may sometimes have to do so while hanging onto the wall with your stamina quickly depleting. It’s a mechanic that takes a few tries to get the hang of and had me sweating (and falling to my death) more than once. You also have to be careful about how much you carry with you because space is limited and every object you carry can weigh you down even more.

Overall, I enjoyed the time that I spent with White Knuckle, though the amount of stress it causes is probably not good for my heart. It’s a unique take on the horror genre and I love a game that thinks outside of the box. Its clever game mechanics and haunting atmosphere make it one to keep an eye out on as it progresses through its Early Access period.

White Knuckle is currently in Early Access and the devs plan to add new creatures, regions, secrets, game modes and more during its one year or so Early Access period. During that time they plan to gather community feedback to help with improvements and additions. You can follow the team’s Discord to keep up with communication and wishlist the game on Steam now where there’s also a demo you can try out for free.