Info about BETON BRUTAL:

Official game description:
**Climb the tower**  
BETON BRUTAL is a first person parkour game which tries to replicate and build upon the parkour mechanics seen in Minecraft.  
Your goal is to climb a massive overgrown concrete tower which offers multiple stages of increasing difficulty.  
**Watch your step**  
Beware, a single misstep might cost you a lot of progress as there are no checkpoints whatsoever.  
The course is however riddled with shortcuts which, when spotted, can save a lot of time and frustration.  
**Vertigo**  
If things get too stressful feel free to rest for a moment and take in your surroundings, just make sure to not peek over the edge too much.

Release date: Mar 31, 2023

Categories: First-Person Perspective, Precision Platformer, Parkour Gameplay, Challenging Ascent Platformer, No Saves, Level Editor, Speedrunning, Psychological Horror

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 40; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: Audit of filtered reviews for Steam Deck compatibility. One Deck user reports screen tearing at default settings, resolved by enabling the framerate limit in performance settings; this is a manageable tinkering step and the game remains playable. No evidence of external launchers, anti-cheat errors, unreadable text, battery drain, or crashes. Other feedback concerns in-game difficulty and keyboard control precision rather than Deck-specific barriers.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 15.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 3.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: gameCompletion: Multiple reviewers report first completions ranging from 5-10 hours to 20+ hours, with 11h, 13h, and 15h examples and an expected 10-20h; a typical value of 15 hours is supported. storyCompletion: null because no narrative story is reported; the game is a climbing and parkour challenge. sessionLength: One reviewer describes playing a single segment for several hours on end, while another notes patience lasting a couple hours; this supports a typical session length around 3 hours. endgame: null because although speedrunning and extra maps are mentioned (e.g., 30-hour speedrun milestone, 116 total hours, 50 hours in Beton Bath), there is no consistent, defined endgame completion duration to assign a single number.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Most reports describe early enjoyment in the first half that later becomes punishing and repetitive beyond 300m and 400m. A conflicting report says fun only arrives after the first clear when speedrunning, but the dominant profile is fun then drops.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: No tutorial or easing-in period; Hidden skips require external guidance; Would have quit within the first 2 hours without skip knowledge; Skill-based self-teaching; Repetitive and overly harsh for players seeking variety, story, or mechanical progression; Tedious unfun mechanics repeated
  - Unlock drivers: Passing the first clear; Speedrunning approach; Growing skill and familiarity with the environment; Being told where the skips are
  - Conditions: If played as a speedrun; Once past the first clear; If someone points out the skips; During the first half; For players seeking variety, story, or mechanical progression beyond movement; Growing skill and familiarity with the environment
- Player Archetypes:
  - Foddian Genre Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: Experiencing a polished entry in the punishing-climb genre they already love.
    - Playstyle: Route-learning, repeated falls and retries up a vertical gauntlet, comparing the feel to other foddian climbs.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: foddian game fans
    - Reference games: Jump King; Getting Over It; Pogostuck
  - Minecraft Parkour Migrator (buy)
    - Motivation: Finding a single-player parkour challenge that echoes Minecraft parkour maps.
    - Playstyle: Skill-based jumping and route-finding learned from Minecraft parkour, adapted to the game's movement system.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: people coming from minecraft
    - Reference games: Minecraft
  - Casual Newcomer Deterred (no buy)
    - Motivation: Looking for accessible, low-frustration platforming they can finish quickly.
    - Playstyle: Casual short sessions, expecting checkpoints and a gentle difficulty curve.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: casual fans; new players
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Pain-Tolerant Mastery Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Overcoming brutal falls through persistence and turning repetition into mastery.
    - Playstyle: Long dedicated climbing runs, absorbing knowledge from each fall, sometimes stepping away to reset mentally.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: tryhard
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Positive overall impressions (weight 0.55): Players widely describe the game as cool, good, fun, and exceptional. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive with high frequency across multiple clusters.
- Minecraft-style parkour (weight 0.36): Many reviews highlight that the parkour and movement are nearly identical to Minecraft parkour. Some feel it improves upon the Minecraft parkour feel.
- Smooth and responsive movement (weight 0.35): Players frequently praise the movement as smooth, fluid, and responsive. The controls are also noted as intuitive and simple to learn.
- Excellent level design (weight 0.25): The level design is consistently described as great or phenomenal, with many approaches to each section. This is a recurring highlight.
- Challenging but fun (weight 0.2): The game is described as fun despite being hard, with a great challenge. It is recommended for those seeking a challenge.
- Great music and audio (weight 0.2): The music is frequently praised as great or crazy good. It blends well with visuals and effects.
- Pleasant parkour experience (weight 0.19): The parkour is often called pleasant, especially on pillars. It is a good first-person platformer that plays very enjoyably.
- Best parkour game (weight 0.17): Several reviewers call it the best parkour game, especially for its low price. It is considered one of the best on Steam for passing time.
- Insane game design (weight 0.11): Some reviewers call the game design insane or genius. This highlights the cleverness of the overall design.
- Useful shift walk function (weight 0.11): The shift walk function prevents falling off platforms when held. It also works on ladders and lamps.
- Optional horror elements (weight 0.1): The horror elements are immersive but can be turned off in settings. This gives players flexibility in their experience.

Common complaints:
- Game is overly punishing and stressful (weight 0.64): The high difficulty and severe fall penalties create a stressful, frustrating experience that many players cannot enjoy. It often leads to giving up or negative emotions.
- No checkpoints cause huge progress loss (weight 0.46): The game lacks checkpoints or save points, so any fall sends players back to the beginning and can erase hours of progress. This is a major source of frustration and demotivation.
- Difficulty spikes drastically at 300m (weight 0.38): After 300 meters, the game becomes significantly harder with punishing jumps and new mechanics. Many players find this section unfair and quit.
- Vertigo mechanic is annoying and unfair (weight 0.37): The vertigo effect obscures vision, slows progress, and punishes looking around. It is widely seen as an unnecessary hindrance.
- Ladder grabbing is problematic (weight 0.32): Players report that grabbing ladders is very difficult, especially from the side, and requires pixel-perfect timing. Many failed attempts lead to falls and frustration.
- Controls and physics feel inconsistent (weight 0.31): Players report unresponsive controls, odd physics behavior, and inconsistent mechanics. This includes issues with sprinting, sloped surfaces, and ladder interactions.
- Jump inputs are too tight (weight 0.28): Players find jumps extremely difficult due to precise timing and small platforms. This leads to frequent mistakes and falls.
- Falls cost excessive time to recover (weight 0.28): Returning after a fall is very long and can take 10-20 minutes even without mistakes. This repetition of easy sections is tedious and discouraging.
- Ladder parkour is unfun and overused (weight 0.27): A large portion of the game focuses on ladder parkour, which many find boring, frustrating, and poorly designed. The slidey mechanics add to the annoyance.
- Additional maps and DLC are even harder (weight 0.25): Extra maps like BETON BATH and BETON BIRTHDAY are significantly harder than the base game. They add more punishing challenges without new enjoyment.
- Visual and audio settings are lacking (weight 0.24): The game has minimal settings, with no brightness options and loud stock sounds on boot. Visual clarity is often poor due to darkness and obstructive elements.
- Lack of progression or variety (weight 0.23): The game offers no upgrades, abilities, or story to motivate players. This makes it repetitive and unappealing for those seeking more than raw difficulty.
- Gaps between platforms are too far (weight 0.2): Many jumps require covering large distances, especially in late-game sections. This leads to frequent failed attempts and falls.
- Map design leads to confusion and getting lost (weight 0.19): The twisted map layout and unclear paths make it hard to find the correct route. Some players resort to guides or accidentally skip sections.
- Horror elements are repetitive and annoying (weight 0.18): Scary events with blinking vision and eerie noises become repetitive and annoying rather than frightening. The horror elements feel half-hearted.
- Not accessible to average players (weight 0.17): The extreme difficulty and punishing design make the game inaccessible to most players. Many give up early or never finish.
- Poor explanation of mechanics (weight 0.16): The game provides little to no explanation of controls or mechanics, forcing players to figure everything out themselves. This is especially problematic for those unfamiliar with Minecraft parkour.
- Lack of character model hinders feedback (weight 0.11): Without a visible character model, players have no precise feedback on collision with edges or ladders. This makes platforming feel inconsistent and guess-based.
- Lag spikes and technical issues ruin runs (weight 0.07): Split-second lag spikes can cause falls and ruin otherwise successful attempts. This adds unfair difficulty on top of the game's challenges.
- Core mechanics copied from Minecraft (weight 0.06): The parkour mechanics are seen as ordinary and directly copied from Minecraft, without innovation. This makes the game feel unoriginal to some players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hardcore parkour platformer (weight 0.72): Players consistently describe the game as a hardcore parkour platformer, emphasizing challenging movement and precision jumps in a first-person perspective.
- Minecraft parkour mechanics (weight 0.52): Many reviews note that the movement and jump mechanics are heavily inspired by Minecraft parkour, including physics and bounce pads similar to slime blocks.
- Punishing fall resets progress (weight 0.52): Falling from heights resets the player's progress, often sending them back to the bottom, which is a core and punishing mechanic.
- First-person climbing movement (weight 0.34): The game is built entirely around first-person climbing and character movement, with a strong focus on precise control.
- Ladder climbing mechanic (weight 0.31): Ladders are a key climbable surface, and jumping onto ladders from various angles is a major parkour element.
- In-depth map editor (weight 0.28): The game includes a full in-game level editor that allows players to create and share custom maps, adding significant replayability.
- Vertigo mechanic (weight 0.25): A vertigo mechanic triggers hallucinations or a chasing figure when the player looks directly up or down for too long, adding a psychological challenge. It can be disabled in settings.
- Brutalist concrete jungle environment (weight 0.24): The setting is a brutalist concrete jungle where players climb pillars, pipes, and bridges, with a strong vertical emphasis.
- Vertical tower progression (weight 0.2): Progression involves climbing ever higher in a vertical tower, with no checkpoints, making each ascent a continuous challenge.
- Scout mode for pathfinding (weight 0.12): A scout mode lets players detach from their character and float around to scout for a safe path, useful for planning difficult jumps.
- Toggleable horror elements (weight 0.12): Scary events and horror elements are present but can be disabled, allowing players to tailor the experience.
- Practice mode available (weight 0.12): A practice mode is available, helping players learn difficult sections without the risk of losing progress.
- Speedrun incentives (weight 0.12): A timer and speedrun achievements incentivize players to optimize their routes and compete for fast times.
- Standard keyboard controls (weight 0.11): The game uses standard first-person controls: WASD to move, Space to jump, Shift to sprint, and CTRL to sneak.
- Shortcuts and skips (weight 0.11): The game includes shortcuts that allow players to skip sections, rewarding exploration and skill.

Performance notes:
- Smooth performance on PC (weight 0.12): Multiple reviewers report that the game runs smoothly and perfectly without major issues. This indicates generally good optimization for most players.
- Screen tearing on Steam Deck (weight 0.07): Some Steam Deck users experience screen tearing immediately, but enabling the framerate limit in performance settings completely resolves it. This is a simple workaround for a common issue.
- Random FPS drops reported (weight 0.06): A few players encounter random framerate drops, though no specific cause or fix is provided. This issue appears less common than smooth performance reports.

Recommendations:
- Foddian and parkour audience (weight 0.69): Many reviewers recommend the game specifically for fans of foddian games like Getting Over It and Jump King, as well as Minecraft parkour and 3D platforming challenges. The game is often described as a fitting entry in the genre for players who enjoy punishing climbs.
- High difficulty and persistence (weight 0.66): The game demands patience, perseverance, and a high tolerance for repeated failure. It is recommended for players who enjoy intense challenges, speedrunning, and die-and-retry gameplay.
- Not for easily frustrated players (weight 0.38): Several reviewers caution that the game is not suitable for those who get angry easily, lack time to practice, or prefer a chill experience. It is explicitly not recommended for players without patience or those who dislike ladder parkour.
- Worth the price (weight 0.34): Multiple reviews highlight that the game is reasonably priced and offers good value, especially for fans of the genre. Some note it is worth trying even if only the first map is played.
- Speedrunning and movement fans (weight 0.3): The game is recommended for fans of speedrunning, WASD movement, and climbing games, as well as those who enjoy old CS jump maps.
- Positive overall reception (weight 0.25): Many reviews give high ratings, such as 10/10 or 8.5/10, and describe the game as excellent or great overall.
- Minecraft parkour nostalgia (weight 0.22): Reviewers note that players who enjoyed Minecraft jump maps or parkour in the past will likely love this game.
- Recommended for patient players (weight 0.16): Several reviews explicitly recommend the game for patient people, emphasizing that calmness and perseverance are key.
- Watch guides or speedruns (weight 0.14): Some players recommend watching guides or speedruns to progress faster, while others suggest avoiding spoilers for unknown parts of the tower.
- 300m mark criticism (weight 0.14): Some reviewers specifically mention that they recommend the game up to 300m but not beyond, citing a drop in quality or enjoyment after that point.
- Not for stream-watchers or dev-critics (weight 0.09): A few reviewers state the game is not recommended for those who prefer watching streams over playing or who focus on criticizing developers rather than gameplay.
- DLC warning for Beton Bath (weight 0.06): A reviewer warns not to attempt the BETON BATH DLC before completing the classic map, as it becomes extremely difficult.
- Community maps available (weight 0.06): Players seeking more or easier maps can find additional content in the Community section.
- Liminal aesthetic appeal (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for fans of the liminal aesthetic, suggesting its visual style is a draw for some players.
- Checkpoint system request (weight 0.06): One reviewer states they would fully support the game if a checkpoint system were added, indicating a desire for more accessible progression.
- Not for jar-game dislikers (weight 0.06): A reviewer does not recommend the game for those who dislike jar-game style, suggesting the game's aesthetic or genre may not appeal to everyone.
- Blind play recommended (weight 0.06): One reviewer suggests going into the game blind if you enjoy the genre, implying that discovery enhances the experience.
- Challenge with zero wiggle room (weight 0.06): One reviewer recommends the game for those who like a no-holds-barred challenge with zero wiggle room, highlighting its unforgiving nature.
- Steam Deck performance tip (weight 0.05): One reviewer suggests enabling the framerate limit in performance settings to fix screen tearing when playing on Steam Deck.
- Rebinding controls recommended (weight 0.05): A reviewer advises rebinding run and walk keys to personal preference for better control.

Other player notes:
- Minecraft parkour comparisons (weight 0.64): Many reviewers compare the game to Minecraft parkour, noting similar mechanics and feel. Some describe it as a love letter to Minecraft parkour and highlight detailed differences.
- Compared to Getting Over It (weight 0.43): The game is frequently compared to Getting Over It, often noting friendlier controls and more mechanical depth. Some describe it as a mix of Minecraft parkour and Getting Over It.
- Multiple official maps (weight 0.41): The base game includes two harder maps in addition to the main map, and DLC adds more. There is also a free anniversary map.
- Extensive custom map ecosystem (weight 0.37): The game has a small but thriving Workshop community with talented creators, offering infinite replayability. Some workshop maps match base-game quality.
- Varied completion times (weight 0.32): Completion times vary widely: from under 1.5 hours to 5-10 hours on first casual playthrough, and some take 6 months. Speedrunners can finish below 10 minutes.
- Rich level editor included (weight 0.29): The game includes an in-depth level editor, leaderboards, replays, and extensive custom content. The editor allows for longer game life and user-generated maps.
- Compared to Only Up (weight 0.28): Reviewers compare the game to Only Up, with some believing it was undeservedly displaced by Only Up. It is also described as a masterpiece compared to Only Up.
- Low price high value (weight 0.25): The game is sold for less than its perceived worth, with a low price of $7 for the amount of content. Reviewers consider it reasonably priced.
- Frequent comparisons to other games (weight 0.23): The game is compared to a wide range of titles including Jump King, Pogostuck, Super Meat Boy, Cuphead, and FromSoftware games, often favorably.
- Among hardest climbing games (weight 0.21): The game is considered one of the hardest climbing games played, requiring exceptional patience. It is compared to Souls games in difficulty.
- Meditative and chill gameplay (weight 0.19): Despite being a rage game, the game is described as more meditative and chill, suitable for playing while listening to podcasts. It has smooth painless movement.
- Level design quality varies (weight 0.19): The first half up to 300 meters has good, believable level design, but after 300 meters the platforming quality drops with less immersive elements.
- Community and creator recognition (weight 0.18): The game was discovered via content creator Laink and gained publicity in summer 2023, praised by critics. It received awards for excellent level design.
- Brutalist tower setting (weight 0.17): The game is set in a colossal brutalist tower inspired by brutalist architecture. The title derives from the architecture term Beton Brut (raw concrete).
- Distinct atmospheric experience (weight 0.16): The game has a distinct atmosphere with hums, constant echo, and brutalist style. Environmental sound is emphasized, with no music most of the time.
- Steam Workshop and community features (weight 0.16): The game supports Steam Workshop for custom maps, has competitive leaderboards, player ghost replays, and an official Discord server with a modding channel.
- Suitable for hardcore platformer fans (weight 0.14): The game is recommended for players who enjoy Counter-Strike movement games and hardcore platformers. It is compared to old CS jump maps.
- Technical performance notes (weight 0.11): The game runs perfectly on Steam Deck out of the box except for screen tearing. Offline hours not accumulating causes run timer mismatch with Steam playtime.
- No checkpoints challenge (weight 0.11): The game has no checkpoints, contributing to its difficulty. It is compared to Getting Over It for its vertical tower without checkpoints.
- Portal 2 aesthetic vibes (weight 0.07): The overgrown aesthetics over concrete architecture remind some reviewers of Portal 2. The game has a unique visual style.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.16): Players get frustrated due to the punishing difficulty and lack of checkpoints, especially after the 300-meter mark, where a single mistake can send them all the way back to the beginning. This forces repeated replays of already completed sections and highlights unreliable mechanics like ladder grabbing, tight jumps, and inconsistent physics. The high time investment required to progress amplifies the frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Players enjoy the game because of its pleasant withered atmosphere, insane level design, and smooth, responsive movement that surpasses similar games like Minecraft. The balance between challenging parkour and rewarding progression creates a fun, die-and-retry experience with horror and pressure that keeps them engaged. The overall polish, including ambient music and polished textures, contributes to the enjoyment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction comes from mastering the platforming, achieving personal bests, and finally completing the main map. The intuitive controls, refined movement, and well-designed levels make the experience rewarding, especially when executing dicey jumps perfectly. The game's atmosphere and dynamic controls add to the feeling of accomplishment.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Players are disappointed because the game focuses too much on gimmicky ladder parkour and changes difficulty halfway through, with mechanics like vertigo that feel unnecessary. The lack of caring level design after 300 meters and the pressure becoming too great to enjoy sour the experience. Some also find the game too short or not fun overall, despite initial promise.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement is driven by the rush after passing each milestone, the aerobatic thrills of parkour, and reaching new heights. The refined movement, phenomenal level design, and insane atmosphere create a precision platformer that evokes strong emotions through punishing mistakes and high stakes on each jump.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Players admire the game's genius level design, beautiful graphics, and flawless movement that make standard maps feel like real jump puzzle adventures. The game excels at making players surpass themselves, with a strong atmosphere and interesting route design that leaves a lasting impression.
- Fear (weight 0.03): Fear arises from the scary ending, the constant fear of failing jumps and falling, and unexpected horror elements like shadowy figures and strange sightings. Playing at 2 am with music off intensifies the horror, making players see things in the corner of their eyes and think they're monsters.
- Stress (weight 0.03): Stress is caused by the vertigo effect, lack of checkpoints leading to repeated falls and paths, and the large failure punishment that increases with height. The slightest mistake can cost a large part of progress, creating a completely traumatic and stressful experience.
- Addiction (weight 0.02): The game is addicting due to its precise movement and level design with skips, making speedrunning highly engaging. Players find themselves relapsing into the game, describing it as an addictive hell that keeps them coming back for more.
- Anxiety (weight 0.02): Anxiety stems from the tough challenge causing cold sweats and near heart attacks, especially at heights like 240m with the first 'boing'. The tension of losing progress if you misstep and making risky jumps that could result in falls of hundreds of meters creates a constant state of unease.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement comes from falling 100 meters and the resulting burn, which players find funny and rate highly. The fun gameplay and being startled leading to falls add to the amusement, creating a lighthearted take on the game's punishing nature.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players love the 3D platforming, simple movement with momentum-building mechanics like ice, and the overall experience that ranks among the best they've played. The atmosphere of abandoned brutalist architecture and the thrill of falling from 300M and redoing everything contribute to this deep affection.
- Tension (weight 0.02): Tension is created by the vertigo mechanic, shadowy figures stalking the player, and the high stakes of precise platforming. The open middle section gives a feeling of falling straight down if you miss a jump, keeping players on edge.
- Fun (weight 0.02): Fun is found in making maps with the Custom Map Editor and the smooth, painless movement that makes playing enjoyable. The game is described as jump rope for the soul, offering a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- Dislike (weight 0.01): Dislike is due to the spin jump being too tough and horror elements not appealing to some players. These aspects detract from the overall experience for those who prefer different mechanics or genres.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is high because the game is considered the best parkour game, with Minecraft-like movement that offers more options and workshop maps. Players are excited about the cool features and overall experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by reminding players of old CS 1.6 parkour map times and doing jump on Minecraft. These memories create a strong emotional connection to the game's mechanics and style.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is for the great movement game with editor, leaderboard, replays, and custom content. Players value the responsive controls and honest level design that requires precise control without tricking the player.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Relaxation comes from the relaxing sound effects and fluid controls that make traversing the concrete jungle feel calming. The game provides a soothing experience despite its challenges.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief is felt because the controls are the same as a normal FPS and easy to understand, and the last 400 meters are safe and allow finding skips. This provides a sense of ease after the intense sections.}