Unless

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A free pixel-art speedrun platformer with a once-a-day shuffled run and a daily leaderboard.

Every day: A Daily Challenge inside Shuffle Mode: one seed a day that reshuffles which level gates lead where and where the Golden Leaves and Crystal Berries sit, the same for every player, with one attempt to place on the daily leaderboard. New puzzle: Not stated by the developer; a new Daily Challenge seed each day..

Play Unless on store.steampowered.com

Unless on Steam Bellwood Studios press kit

Unless is a free 2D speedrunning platformer from Bellwood Studios, with 66 short level screens across four worlds. After you finish the story, Shuffle Mode opens, and its Daily Challenge gives everyone the same shuffled layout for the day and one attempt to set a time on the daily leaderboard.

About Unless

Unless is a retro pixel-art platformer by Bellwood Studios, an independent studio in Toronto. It came out free on Steam on 10 January 2025 for Windows, macOS and Linux, after a demo in August 2024. You play Mari, who runs, jumps and clings to walls through four worlds of the Forest of Worlds, gathering Golden Leaves to save it. The levels are built to be cleared fast: beating them quickly earns Crystal Berries, which unlock bonus levels, and a Speedrun Mode adds an on-screen timer, quicker transitions and skipped dialogue.

The daily part comes after the story. Finishing the base game unlocks Shuffle Mode, which keeps the hand-made levels but randomises the links between every level gate and moves the Golden Leaves and Crystal Berries around inside each level. Any seed can be shared to race friends, and the Daily Challenge hands every player the same seed for the day. You get one attempt at it, and your result goes on that day's leaderboard.

Unlike daily runs in roguelikes such as Spelunky 2 or 30XX, nothing here is generated from scratch: the screens are the same tuned levels you already know, and the day's puzzle is the route through them. That makes it suit players who enjoy learning levels and shaving seconds, while generous checkpoints, a co-op Assist Mode and settings for game speed, jump and wall-cling behaviour make the main game approachable for newer players. Music is by Mark Sparling, the composer of A Short Hike.

How to play Unless

Download Unless for free from Steam and play through the story mode to learn the four worlds.
Finish the base game to unlock Shuffle Mode.
Open Shuffle Mode and choose the Daily Challenge to load the day's seed.
Run through the shuffled level gates, collecting the Golden Leaves and Crystal Berries in their new places.
Finish the route in your single attempt and see where your time lands on the daily leaderboard.

Screenshots

Unless level complete screen showing a time of 0:15.05, an S rank, berries and leaves collected

Tips

Practise with ordinary Shuffle Mode seeds first, since the Daily Challenge allows only one attempt.
Turn on Speedrun Mode for the timer and faster transitions so you can see where time is lost.
Learn each level screen in the story mode: the shuffle changes the order and the collectible spots, not the screens themselves.