Vinehold: Vine Climb and Swing

A panda hangs from a vine in a narrow forest canyon. The vines swing in the wind. The rock does not. Vinehold is a one-thumb arcade climber built around a single decision: when to let go. HOW IT PLAYS Swipe up to climb toward the anchor. Swipe down to slide toward the tip. Tap either side of your panda to leap that way. That is the whole control scheme. There are no buttons on screen, no menus mid-run, and nothing to learn beyond four gestures. THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS The tip of a vine swings furthest. The anchor barely moves at all. So the tip is where the reach is — go there to cross a wide gap. And the tip is where the rock is — climb up to survive a wall that is swinging toward you. Every run is that trade, made a few hundred times. WHAT WILL KILL YOU The wall. Touching rock is instant. The vines swing into it and you have to see it coming. The rocks below. Miss a catch and there is a long way down. The beetles. They patrol a vine and cannot be passed. The rot. Every vine you touch starts dying from the bottom up. The part you were standing on goes first. FORESTS Emerald Hollow, Amber Canopy, Bluewood Mist, Ashen Grove and Nightbloom. Each is a complete look with its own light, its own weather and its own air. Nightbloom is lit from below, by the flowers on the vines themselves.