Dusk Climber
Published 2026-10-24 08:02:44
Game info
- Developer Ivan Onoprienko
- Publisher Ivan Onoprienko
- Year 2026
- Platform iPhone
- Genre Action
How high can you climb? Dusk Climber is a physics climbing game where every jump, swing and ledge matters. Swipe to aim, release to leap and tap to pull yourself up. Easy to understand; hard to put down. Find your rhythm. Run along a platform, crouch before a jump, catch a ledge and recover your strength. Chain precise moves for combos and technique points. Your body has weight, and timing makes the difference. Five worlds to ascend. Explore a twilight valley, overgrown gardens, an underground world, rocky cliffs and a snowy summit. Moving platforms, ropes, branches and crumbling footholds keep every ascent interesting. Unlock each biome by reaching it, then start there with a fresh score.
Player Select
I set up a new contact form recently, and one of the first messages I received was from the developer, Ivan, asking me to have a look at this game and potentially review it. Dusk Climber is free to download and play from the App Store, and there are no ads, which is always appreciated! I've played it for a few sessions and cleared the first two main areas, with a handful more still to go.
It's in the Game
The design is captivating before you even start moving. An elongated and embellished stick figure making its way through atmospheric landscapes, it's moody and beautiful. The game bills itself as 'one finger parkour' and that's exactly what it is. A few gestures to swipe your character higher and higher up the screen, and the momentum feels real. Gravity has an impact, different swipes will have a different effect, and the physics works. If you overshoot, you stagger forwards. If you land badly, you can wobble backwards as well. I ended up playing the tutorial twice to really get my head around that and to fully embed the different moves, but it's not a complicated game.
I was playing through one session and was so close to that next checkpoint but forgot about the momentum and could only watch helplessly as the character toppled off the edge and tumbled down the middle of the screen. Heartbreaking! There are lots of bells and whistles around the screen, extra ropes and little ledges on a turntable, things to swing off, and small collectibles to find. But for me, it was just about chasing the heights and trying to beat my own score.
You can toggle on a ghost of your previous attempts as you keep replaying, so you can keep tabs on your performance compared to last time. I ended up switching it off because my ghost was performing so badly, but I like this as an optional feature.
Thoughts
When I was first playing this, I couldn't stop - just one more go, just one ledge higher. I gradually reached a plateau where I don't need to play this game every day, but I'm keeping it on my phone to reach for in the future. It's the kind of casual game that's perfect to have around for a rainy day, and I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.
Rating: 4 / 5
