# Crux: The Great Outdoors — Rock climbing in your pocket

> Strategic climbing puzzle game with time-based hold mechanics. (iPhone/iPad app by Benjamin Dressler.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crux-the-great-outdoors/id1590750590 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Benjamin Dressler](https://appshunter.io/developer/1522414392)
- Category: Games, Sports, Puzzle, Sports
- Price: $3.99
- Rating: 4.20/5 from 9 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 206 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2023-03-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crux-the-great-outdoors/id1590750590/reviews.md

## What is Crux?

TouchArcade Game of the Week: "Incredibly enjoyable.”
Droid Gamers: “A sequel to possibly the finest climbing puzzler ever created.”
Pocket Gamer: “It’s still a delight.”

Climbing is about carefully planning your route and flawless execution. In Crux you move your hands or feet to a new hold - but each hold will only let you hang on for so long. Find the sequence of moves that get you to the top and execute them! And when you've reached all the tops - beat the highscores by finishing each climb in the fewest possible moves.

- Unique time-based puzzle mechanic: Move hands and feet separately to climb the walls!
- 12 areas with over 70 levels
- Meet the challenge or chill in practice mode
- Beautiful, stylized landscapes & music

## Key features

- Unique time-based puzzle mechanic
- Move hands and feet separately
- Over 70 levels across 12 areas
- Challenge and practice modes
- Stylized landscapes and music
- High score competition

## Recent user reviews (10 of 13)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crux-the-great-outdoors/id1590750590/reviews.md

### 5/5 — 何もかもステキな傑作！

*2025-08-18, version 1.1*

美しいイラストに惹かれて始めれば、手足それぞれ4方向フリック移動。手足を伸ばして登る感覚や、それぞれホールドできる時間の差でルートが決まるパズル要素が楽しい。カエルのように跳べるようになると最高に爽快、「The Shortest Runway 」を軽快に踏破する達成感で完全にハマった！難易度は徐々に上がって最少ムーブ70超などになると、連続のカエル跳びで画面のスクロールが遅く先が見えないし、星3つの達成感の為に(同じようでも少しずつ変化するホールド構成)全てのムーブを暗記して繰り返すのは凄く厳しい。でも「練習モード」があるのでルートを探索、カエル跳びをF、左右をLR、時計方向0369でマップを作成して攻略。ホント最高に面白い！

### 5/5 — Great puzzle game!!

*2024-04-24, version 1.1*

Amazing!

### 5/5 — Crux

*2023-11-15*

I actually climb & I absolutely love this game. It may not be exactly like the real thing but it’s dang close. The “puzzle” within the game is the same on a real life rock climbing wall/outdoor rock. You have to think which hand to move where, and same goes for your feet. I definitely feel as if this game could/will help me with my climbing. Great stuff!

### 4/5 — Fun little game

*2023-05-09, version 1.1*

It's a fun puzzle game, not a realistic climbing simulator. Took me quite a few rounds to figure out the exact rules. Especially the rules about dynos are unintuitive and could be explained better. But basically, if you don't have enough time to move your feet, it means your beta is wrong, nothing wrong with the controls.

Some of the levels are really fun to solve. Some look like they were randomly thrown together. At least one of the levels appears twice (Archenemy aka Pub Crawl).

Overall, it's a fun game to play on the toilet, but could do a slightly better job at explaining the game mechanics, and some of the levels could be a bit more interesting.

### 5/5 — Fun and exciting game

*2023-03-11*

I am a rock climber, and I think this game is super realistic to the real thing. You can customize pads your character and there’s so many different levels. I found out that you can eventually do a dino. I think it’s a really fun game.

**Developer response:** Glad you like it, thanks for the review! :)

### 5/5 — J’aime

*2022-12-15*

On retrouve des aspects de l’escalade dans ce jeux, ce qui n’est pas facile à réussir. La lecture des routes, l’apprentissage progressif par le cerveau pour parvenir à la bonne exécution. J’ai bien aimé le travail fait sur les voies : variation de style de difficulté.
J’avais beaucoup aimé déjà la première version du jeux.
Je butte sur 2 routes au point de me demander si le score maximal est atteignable.
Merci aux développeurs !

**Developer response:** Merci beaucoup! Heureux que vous appréciez le jeu - une mise à jour avec de nouveaux niveaux et la résolution de certains problèmes arrive très bientôt! (via Google Translate)

### 3/5 — Could be a good game… but…

*2022-11-18, version 1.0*

After about 4 levels the difficulty becomes ridiculous. The time given on holds before you fall off is only a second at most, completely unrealistic to real climbing. The controls aren’t responsive enough to make the 4 moves required before falling with either control systems. 

I notice another review mentioned the same thing in May 2022 and the developer replied to say he would look into the controls. 

It doesn’t seem like anything has been updated. 

It’s a pretty game, a little more tweaking and it could be fun. It’s just too frustrating as is at the moment.

### 2/5 — A bit stiff

*2022-05-11, version 1.0*

Not very responsive to swipe around. Big difficulty spike early on means I can’t progress.I associate climbing with a leisurely pace but the time-out holds come thick and fast turning it into a string of QTEs.

### 2/5 — Disappointing

*2022-05-10*

Quirky, repetitive and annoying. Oh well.

**Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback, sorry it wasn't your cup of tea! :)

### 5/5 — Great stuff!

*2022-05-10*

I recently got into climbing in real life and I really appreciate the attention to detail here! It’s really fun and challenging. Hope to see a more levels and a level editor soon!

**Developer response:** From a climber for climbers! Enjoy the sore forearms and stay injury free! :)

## Frequently asked questions about Crux

### What is Crux: The Great Outdoors?

Crux: The Great Outdoors is a paid puzzle game where players strategically plan and execute climbing routes. It features a unique time-based mechanic for moving hands and feet on holds.

### How much does Crux: The Great Outdoors cost?

Crux: The Great Outdoors is a paid application, priced at $3.99. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements.

### Does Crux: The Great Outdoors have ads?

No, Crux: The Great Outdoors does not contain advertisements. It is a premium, ad-free experience.

### What platforms is Crux: The Great Outdoors available on?

Crux: The Great Outdoors is available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

### How many levels are in Crux: The Great Outdoors?

The game features over 70 levels spread across 12 distinct areas, offering a substantial amount of content for players.

### What is the age rating for Crux: The Great Outdoors?

Crux: The Great Outdoors has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of players.

### When was Crux: The Great Outdoors last updated?

The latest version of Crux: The Great Outdoors was released on February 17, 2023, indicating ongoing support from the developer.

### What makes the gameplay in Crux: The Great Outdoors unique?

The game's unique mechanic involves moving hands and feet separately to climb walls, with each hold having a time limit, requiring careful planning and execution.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2023-02-17

- 3 brand new areas!
- 20 new levels!
- New graphics level for high-end phones!
- Bug fixes

### 1.0 — 2022-04-19

No release notes.

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## More apps by Benjamin Dressler

- [Crux: A Climbing Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crux-a-climbing-game/id1522414390)
- [One Million Miles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/one-million-miles/id1626645595)
- [MageTrain](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magetrain/id6479560703)

All apps by Benjamin Dressler: https://appshunter.io/developer/1522414392

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*