Backrooms Craft

Mission briefing

You went through the wrong door. Behind it: damp carpet, humming lights, yellow wallpaper that runs further than it has any right to. No way out. Just a workbench, a furnace, and whatever the last expedition left behind. A chair comes apart into sticks, sticks become a torch, boards a workbench. Then stone tools, then steel, each opening what the last could not touch. The furnace smelts metal; the salvage bench strips furniture for parts. The world reshuffles every time you start — except the first hall. A yellow line on the floor marks the border: everything built inside it stays where you left it. Past it, nothing holds. Health, hunger, thirst and your grip on things. Almond water steadies the mind, a bandage closes what bit you. In the dark a torch is all that stands between you and what walks there. Poolrooms in white tile, server halls in blue half-light, warehouses, hotel corridors. Locked rooms, anomalous seams, flickering zones — all written up in the journal for good.

Field manual

On a computer: WASD or the arrow keys to walk, Shift to run, Space to jump, C to crouch. The mouse looks around. Hold the left button to mine a block or pull furniture apart — on a creature it is a blow. The right button places a block, eats, drinks, or opens a workbench or furnace. Keys 1-9 and the mouse wheel pick an item from the belt. E is inventory and crafting, J is the journal, Esc is pause. On a phone: the stick appears on the left wherever you touch the screen; hold it against the edge and you break into a run. Drag a finger across the world to look around. Hold a finger on a block and mining starts, and you can keep sliding without lifting. A short tap places, uses or hits. Round jump and crouch pads sit on the right; a weapon pad appears when you are holding one. The bag at the end of the belt opens inventory and crafting, the journal is in the top corner.

Launch orders: press Launch mission above and the game loads on this page itself — nothing downloads and no form stands between you and the first move. It is designed for a landscape (wide) screen and takes its orders from mouse, keyboard or touch, depending on the mission. It is built wide, for a landscape screen — rotate a phone sideways, or give it a tablet or monitor to stretch out on. If it offers a fullscreen control, use it — a fight this size deserves the whole screen.

Backrooms Craft — questions from the ranks

What does it cost to play Backrooms Craft?

Nothing at all. The mission is free from the first order to the last — no sign-up, no download, no paid tier guarding the good levels. The advertising around this page is what keeps the board free.

What sort of mission is Backrooms Craft?

Backrooms Craft is filed in our Horror theatre. Like every operation on this board, it is a browser game — read the briefing above for the publisher's own account of what you are deploying into.

Can I run Backrooms Craft on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It plays in the browser on phones and tablets exactly as it does on a computer. It is built wide, for a landscape screen — rotate a phone sideways, or give it a tablet or monitor to stretch out on.

Do I have to install anything before playing?

No installation of any kind. Backrooms Craft is an HTML5 game: press the launch button and it loads on this page, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind.

After-action

Mission complete, or still pinned down? The full Horror theatre is one click away — Thirty-four operations where the fight is partly against the dark itself. Bring a light, keep it weak, and do not trust the quiet rooms.