Free 8-bit incremental game

Press CTRL

is an incremental game where you control a character that controls another character. As the name suggests, you must press the in-game CTRL button. It appears on the left side of your screen and gets smaller as you play. A new screen will pop up with the same scene, but the dome direction keys appear in the original area. The goal is to direct your character to control the second character to press the CTRL-key. 

Metagaming environment 

Press CTRL is a strategy game that consists of three levels wherein each round reaches a maximum of four layers. Your job is to control the character on each layer using only the avatar on the foremost layer. It will be difficult to do, considering that each layer gets smaller as a new one is added. Luckily, there are only a limited number of layers, so it won’t be near impossible to finish. 

In addition, you can cohere the simulation of the game regardless of your user-level. The internal logic of the game is consistent; for example, pressing the escape button will prompt the screen to close. You will find that the developer – Idan Rooze – communicates his ideas with minimum intervention, like the Ctrl animation at the beginning of each level and the game’s title page. You begin to understand more of the game, the more you play. 

Once you go deep into a level, it conveys different buttons but uses fewer pixels. All four levels have the exact same layout, which will help you easily orientate with the game. Take note that the game was built from scratch by one person. He uses 8-bit graphics to keep the game lightweight and accessible. While the game is not an open-source program, it’s one of the few games where you can communicate with the developer directly. 

Truly unique gameplay

Press Ctrl stands out from other clicker games as it requires constant participation from the player. It’s straightforward and easy to use but challenging to play. Creating the illusion of ‘infinite’ layers, your strategy should create a domino effect on all four layers. Lastly, the pixelated graphics create smoother gameplay that you can engage with repeatedly.