You can't see the timer. You can only feel it.

A countdown is running behind the dark and the clock is hidden. Your only clue is the pulse (The screen flashes faster as time drains away).

When the countdown freezes, read the tempo in your bones and call the number. Trust your nerve. Miss three times and it's all over. (Not really.)

How to play

• Watch and listen to the pulse — it flashes faster as the timer drops.
• The moment it freezes cyan, that's your window.
• Press the number (1–9) you think it stopped on.
• Chain correct reads to build your combo multiplier — up to ×5.
• Three wrong guesses ends the run.

New here? Start with the built-in calibration — press 1–9 to feel each number's tempo before you dive in.

Why "Count Down"?

The whole game is a countdown — but stripped of its numbers. You don't watch the clock, you sense it. It turns the most familiar element in games into something you have to read blind.

Features

• A tempo-reading mechanic you won't find anywhere else
• Neon synthwave presentation, reactive audio, screen juice
• Combo multipliers and a persistent best score
• Self-paced calibration tutorial

Controls

Number keys 1–9 to guess · Space to start · M to mute

⚠️ Photosensitivity warning: this game contains flashing lights (capped at a safe rate, but please take care if you're sensitive).

GMTK Game Jam 2026 — theme: Count Down.