CAN YOU GET TO THE EXIT? KRUNCH is a quick-reflex game about escaping, survival and the fear of being closed in. KRUNCH draws inspiration from NES era gaming and has an exclusive 2-player mode for the Winnitron 1000: the indie video game cabinet. KRUNCH demands concentration, delivers fast gameplay and will test fans of games such as Mega Man and VVVVVV.

Perhaps the biggest game element to get used to is bouncing. After making contact with a wall or a non-lethal hazard, the character will ricochet off of it and lose any sort of momentum. Recovering from one of these bounces is often difficult and sometimes impossible. Any single mistake, depending on the level, could mean death. The obvious solution is “don’t hit the walls or non-lethal hazards,” to which I say GOOD LUCK! Sometimes it is possible to bounce on purpose and use it to your advantage. Sometimes.

After a slip-up, it may become evident that the level is going to win. Plain and simple. It is not a bad thing, but it may take a while for the level to actually kill you and restart. In this vein, the absence of a quick-restart button is a bit of an oversight. Sure, it takes no more than 3-5 seconds most times for the level to kill you and then restart, but in a fast-paced game like Krunch, it can feel like an eternity.

There are a few boss levels throughout Krunch, which don’t overstep their bounds or feel out of place. They don’t change the formula at all — escaping quickly and efficiently is still the name of the game, and that’s a good thing. In fact, these few levels are probably some of the most well designed of the entire bunch and easily the most exhilarating.

KRUNCH is now available for Mac, Windows and Linux!