A beautiful thing about looking at indie games is seeing the passion behind each new title you look at. They can take genres you’ve played before and do one or two unique things to bring a brand new experience to even seasoned gamers. Sometimes, those ideas are so simple that you’re shocked no one has done it before. Such as the idea of a platformer where you have to survive in a room for TEN seconds.

That’s the pitch for TEN. Developed by The Bworg (I love that name) and published by Ratalaika Games, TEN has players wake up in a mysterious world where they are tasked with surviving challenging room after challenging room for a set amount of time. It’s an idea so straightforward and executed to almost perfection that I’m shocked no one has done it before.

Ten Rooms. Ten Floors. Ten Seconds.

The premise of TEN is simple. You must use platforming skills to survive for ten seconds in a room by avoiding traps thrown at you. Do this for ten rooms across ten floors. You have three lives to get through each floor, with the final room being a boss room that tests all your skills. Lose all your lives, and it’s back to room one of the area to start again.

Each floor is themed around a specific type of trap style. Fire, water, electricity, and lasers, to name a few. This leads to the game never feeling stale. Each level on each floor has a distinct design that throws new things at the player they would never suspect. For platformers, this is the best type of level design. I believe it makes multiple runs feel so fun and rewarding once you beat a level that has been causing you trouble.

In each room, you can find coins that will disappear once the room is completed. Collecting these coins allows you to upgrade abilities between floors that can help tremendously on future levels. Something as simple as just getting an extra life can be the factor that leads to success on future runs. 

Get ready to die. A lot.

The addictive element of TEN is its difficulty. It’s not too hard where you want to quit on your first run of each floor. But it’s not a walk in the park either. To master each floor, you must die to figure out the correct paths in each room. And you’ll be dying a lot to lay out that master runs to survive.

These types of platformers are the ones I adore with all my heart. Games like Rayman Origins or Super Meat Boy, where half the fun is figuring out that perfect path to the finish. That process of seeing which paths lead to success or death and combining those successes for ultimate triumph. 

The trial and error can be egregious for novice players of the genre. And I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking this game is too hard. But for fans of platformers who love a good test, this game delivers in ways you wouldn’t expect. 

Final Thoughts.

TEN is the type of indie game I adore finding. One that presents a simple idea yet executes it with such care and confidence you can’t help but marvel at it. Its difficulty might not be for everyone, especially for people who struggle with platforming games initially. But for those that have beaten titles like Spelunky or Celeste, this game is a hidden gem that deserves your attention. 

TEN is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, and Steam. And it is only $5. It’s worth every penny.

Review code provided by Ratalaika Games.