Dino Run

Dino Run (Escape Extinction In Style) is an independent Flash game created by PixelJAM^[1] and XGen Studios, in which the player steers a dinosaur through increasingly dangerous side-scrolling landscapes to escape an impending wall of doom. The game uses simple pixel art and 8-bit sound to replicate the style of 1980s arcade games. Recently, an improved version of the online game called Dino Run SE was released and can be bought for $3, on the Macintosh, PC, and Linux.

Gameplay

The dinosaur is controlled with the arrow keys.^[2] The object of the game is escape a wall of doom called the apocalypse ^[3] (a quickly moving wall of ash debris caused by meteors) and to make it to a 'dino sanctuary' alive.^[4] Along the way, the player can choose to collect eggs and devour bones to advance their dinosaur's evolution. There are four levels of difficulty.

Milestones

When the player completes a certain milestone or goal, they receive awards of bones, DNA, and points for your stats, as well as a trophy. Trophies can be viewed in the awards section of the stats menu, and they come in three levels depending on the level of skill the trophy was achieved with: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Cheats

These are codes that you can activate to have a certain something to get a finish to the level.

• Super Strength - calcium
• Mega Jump - leapinliz
• Top Speed - dinoracer
• Goodbye Doom - explore
• Low Gravity - astrosaur.
• Boulders = Balloons - goofballs
• Hat Code: don8tosaur (revealed to users who donate)
• Extra Hat Code: totinos

Mods

Unlike other cheats, these make it more difficult to navigate through the levels. You get an end of level bonus when the mods are enabled.

• Lights Out - goodbyesun
• Meteor Storm - smokey

Items

Egg - These are collected by the dinosaur. The player receives 1 DNA for every 8 eggs collected.

Dactyl Egg - These drop from pterodactyls as they fly. They are worth ten normal eggs.

Super Egg - These are collected for milestones. Collecting a super egg gives you a bonus of bones and DNA.

DNA - DNA is collected to evolve the dino. You can upgrade the speed, acceleration, jump, and strength.

Bones - Bones are collected by the dino when he eats up smaller creatures or runs through a dinosaur skeleton. With bones the player can purchase extras such as desktop wallpapers, demos, and MP3s.

Flowers - These give you various bonuses. Duck to collect the Speed bonus, Jump to collect the Jump bonus and run normally to collect the strength bonus.

Characters

Velociraptor (The Raptor) - This is the main character, which you name and control (and customize if you donate to PixelJam). He can also be upgraded by collecting DNA.

Stegosaurus (Stegos) - These dinosaurs walk slowly away from the wall of doom. The player must jump over them to get pass them.

Triceratops (Triceras) - These stampede, often in large groups. The player must jump over them to avoid being trampled.

Parasaurolophus (Paras) - These quick orange dinosaurs run faster than the velociraptor. The raptor can jump on their backs to pass other dinosaurs. They will crush any eggs they run across.

Ankylosaurus (Ankylos) - These appear very rarely. They are blue and move their spiked tails up and down. If the raptor is on the tail when it moves up, the raptor is flung forward.

Pteranodon (Dactyls) - The pterosaurs fly above the player and drop dactyl eggs. Pterosaurs can sometimes pick up the dino and carry it for a short distance. (Pteros) - These red-hot Pterodactyls fly in the opposite direction (right to left) low to the ground and try to hit the Raptor, knocking him back.

Brachiosaurus (Brachis) - They are usually stuck in tar pits. They do not move but can be climbed to jump onto hills.

Diplodocus (Diplos) - They appear in level five and in some speed runs. They stretch their necks to help the dino across pits.

Compsognathidae (Runners/Lizards) - These tiny little dinosaurs can be gobbled up by the raptor.

Game modes

There are three game modes: Challenge, Speedrun, and Multiplayer.

Challenge

Challenge mode is a single-player mode in which the dinosaur must run through levels to the dino sanctuary. It has four levels of difficulty.

Easy - In Easy there are six levels, level one, level two, level three, level four, level five, and apocalypse. The dino sanctuary here is a small cave, containing some edible Compsognathidae and a few other raptors, and a nest of eggs.

Medium - Medium renames the Easy mode's Apocalypse to Level Six, and adds a new, more difficult Apocalypse after it. The levels become longer and harder than in Easy. It has one more super egg than in easy. The apocalypse level now has a secret entrance to a bonus level. The dino sanctuary at the end of this level is larger and has a small cave corridor leading to it, and it contains many other dinosaurs and also many Compsognathidae who have a spawn point. There are lots of eggs too. Also, in medium and hard mode there are secret survival options, through a hidden entrance. One is simply a cave, while in the other you must jump into a light, by a floating dino symbolic of god. The screen then changes to paradise, which is an island with no doom wave.

Hard - Hard levels are longer and more difficult than in Medium. The sanctuary here is an enormous cave, containing a large amount of spawning Compsognathidae, worms and other dinosaurs, and also has a long cave corridor leading up to it. Many nests of eggs are here.

Insane - Insane adds a short level after apocalypse called "Beyond Apocalypse". The dino sanctuary for this level is a large, snow-globe-like spaceship containing every single dinosaur in the game except for the Diplodocus, each species having its own platform except for the two massive brachiosauruses which stand at the bottom. This sanctuary has many nests of eggs, edible Compsognathidae and also has the largest super egg in the game inside it on the Ankylosaurus' platform. After you beat insane difficulty, the snow-globe spaceship will appear in the background on the main menu, floating in the sky behind the raptor, and the Planet D Speedrun will be unlocked for playing.

Speedrun

Speedruns are single-level games that can be purchased and played in the options/speedruns menu. This menu also allows the player to switch between challenge mode and Speedrun mode. Speedruns contain landmarks recognizable from challenge mode, and they can have different kinds of sanctuaries depending on the run. Items such as super eggs and bones can still be collected. The levels of difficulty are the same as in challenge. when all speedruns are completed on medium, hard, or insane, the player unlocks a crown of bronze, silver, or gold for the raptor to wear as a hat.

Multiplayer

In Multiplayer Mode, you can create an account, sign in, or play as a guest. Games are created on one of three available servers, Dino Central, Stoneyville, and Bonedocks. You can also communicate in the game servers, either by private chat, or in the chat box.

References

1. ^ PIXELJAM GAMES - Neo Retro Video Games for the good people of Earth
2. ^ Games - Dino Run - Review - E4.com -
3. ^ IGN: Dino Run
4. ^ The 12th Annual Independent Games Festival

External links

• PixelJam.com
• Xgen Studios.com
• Dino Run at MobyGames
• Interview with Pixeljam about creation of Dino Run from TheHappyMedium
• XGen Studios - Online Flash Games - Dino Run: Multiplayer Edition