You are one small dot. A single touch, and the run is over. Most games would pay you for staying safe. FLINCH pays you for the opposite: the only way to score is to fly close enough to the thing that would kill you that sparks jump off it. The nearer the miss, the bigger the score.
Why it feels the way it does
Most dodging games reward distance, so the safe move and the smart move are the same, and it gets dull. FLINCH puts the points exactly where the danger is. Now every instinct to pull away is fighting the instinct to lean in, and that tension is the game. Your heartbeat in the soundtrack quickens as you get close, so you can feel the risk before you think it. It is pure skill, with no luck and nothing to gamble.
How to play
Move to dodge. Click to dash through a hazard with a flicker of invulnerability, for a phase bonus and a beat of slow motion. Graze for points, chain your near-misses for bigger and bigger multipliers, and bank what you earn into permanent upgrades that make the next run reach further. The daily run is the same for everyone, so the leaderboard is honest.
There is a sequel where you become the danger: FLINCH: PREDATOR.