This game was a blast to master.

I picked up White Knuckle while perusing the Steam summer sale seeing that its core mechanic of a first-person hand-based climbing challenge wasn't too dissimilar to another game I hold dear: Peaks of Yore. Add on that WK has horror elements and it is a title that I would play in most of my recent free time.

White Knuckle WILL make you stressed. Playing it blind is probably the best thing you can do. I could not convey how horrified I was the first few times I had to deal with Vent Thing in Habitation after barely scraping past Teeth an hour into a run.

The game is not too easy. Completing the campaign for my first time felt rewarding. I felt accomplished upon seeing the win screen after spending a few hours pushing through the sections prior. Perma-death is a key driver to this feeling, as each jump carries the weight of the whole run on its shoulders.

There is an expressive skill ceiling. My favorite part of playing White Knuckle was getting good at its mechanics. Every run I'd push a little further, climb a little faster, path a little quicker, and score a little higher. Nothing was more fun than sacrificing a meter long rebar by hurling it into the mass to launch upwards.

I strongly recommend White Knuckle to any player who is willing to rise to the challenge and who does not give up easily.