How to Play Temple Escape
Temple Escape is a side-scrolling runner game inspired by classic endless runners. Your explorer is sprinting through an ancient temple corridor — and the traps never stop coming. Jump over pits and boulders, duck under spinning logs, and survive as long as possible to maximize your distance score.
Controls
- Spacebar or Arrow Up — jump (hold briefly then release).
- Arrow Down — duck (hold to stay low).
- Tap upper 60% of screen — jump on mobile.
- Tap lower 40% of screen — duck on mobile.
- Use the on-screen JUMP and DUCK buttons for touch devices.
Obstacles
- Pit (dark gap with yellow warning line) — a gap in the floor. You must jump before reaching the edge to clear it safely.
- Log (brown horizontal beam) — a low-hanging trap. Duck under it by pressing and holding down. Standing height will collide with the beam.
- Rolling Boulder (large spinning rock) — a classic temple trap. Jump over the boulder before it rolls into you.
Scoring
Your score is measured in meters — the farther you run, the higher your distance. Every obstacle you clear safely adds to your total. The temple speeds up as you progress, shortening your reaction window for every trap.
Lives
You start with 3 lives shown as hearts in the HUD. Each collision with a trap costs one life and grants a brief invincibility period (the explorer flickers). Lose all 3 lives and the game ends.
Tips
- Pits are the most dangerous early — jump as soon as you see the yellow warning line.
- Logs require a long duck — hold the button the entire time you pass underneath.
- Boulders grow faster as speed increases. React early to high-speed segments.
- At high speeds, pit + boulder combos require a quick jump followed by an immediate landing.
- Torch flicker gives a visual heartbeat cue to help with rhythm — use it to stay focused.