Can you escape the ultimate escape room?
TEN is a challenging platformer in which you face a relentless gauntlet of ten-second deathtrap rooms in a desperate struggle to escape your fate and uncover the truth! Collect tokens, purchase upgrades and learn how to overcome each floor’s onslaught of saw blades, cannon fire, lasers, bizarre monsters and more. Every room is a test. Every death is a lesson. Evolve and master every obstacle as you die, try, die and try again. Conquer various environments and triumph over escalating threats, challenges, and deadly bosses as you make your way to the surface – and to your freedom.
TEN reminds me of other tough platformers like Super Meat Boy with it’s look and feel, though the game itself is definitely a bit different than that. Your objective is to survive in a room for ten seconds then a door on the other side will open for you to enter but learning when to make a run for it is the real challenge. You can a lot of times get to the other door before the 10 seconds is up, but you’ll be facing obstacles while you wait, while other rooms have bombs that need collecting before detonating or boss rooms will have you waiting even longer for the door to open.
There is a casual mode with an invincibility option for those who either want to speed through the game for the Platinum trophy or those who just don’t have that split-second timing. It’s good for those who will struggle with the challenge, but it does undermine things for the other players who will wander why they should bother with this death gauntlet when they can just speed run it without taking any damage.
I guess it comes down to personal choice, but if you are after a challenge then trying to complete it without resorting to invincibility is definitely worth trying. The visuals are simplistic by design but charming along with it and the soundtrack is impressive too.
The Verdict
TEN is a challenging platformer if you choose it to be and I believe its worth trying to finish normally, but it’s also an easy Platinum for trophy hunters. Either way, there’s something here that should please most.