''Dino Run'' is a

Flash game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...

created by PixelJAM and XGen Studios, released on April 30, 2008. The player steers a ''

Velociraptor ''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the pa ...

'' through increasingly dangerous side-scrolling landscapes to escape an impending "wall of doom". The game uses simple

pixel art Pixel art () is a form of digital art drawn with graphics software, graphical software where images are built using pixels as the only building block. It is widely associated with the low-resolution graphics from 8-bit and 16-bit era computers a ...

and 8-bit sound to replicate the style of 1980s arcade games. ''Dino Run'' was conceived by PixelJAM co-founder Richard Grillotti while he was sketching dinosaurs. Expanded and improved versions of the game were later released for

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

, PC, and

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

under the titles ''Dino Run SE'' (2011) and ''Dino Run DX'' (2015). In early 2023, the multiplayer mode for ''Dino Run DX'' shut down. In response, PixelJAM made a tweet announcing they were turning the game open source.

Reception

Sequels

Two additional games, ''Dino Run: Marathon of Doom'' (2011) and ''Dino Run: Enter Planet D'' (2013), were released as stand-alone titles. In November 2013, PixelJam launched a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

fundraising campaign to finance development of ''Dino Run 2''. The game would introduce new dinosaurs, including ''

Triceratops ''Triceratops'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivore, herbivorous Chasmosaurinae, chasmosaurine Ceratopsidae, ceratopsid dinosaur that first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), period, about 68 m ...

'', ''

Parasaurolophus ''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "near crested lizard" in reference to '' Saurolophus)'' is a genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, abou ...

'', ''

Pachycephalosaurus ''Pachycephalosaurus'' (; meaning "thick-headed lizard", from Greek ''pachys-/'' "thick", ''kephale/'' "head" and ''sauros/'' "lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. The type species, ''P. wyomingensis'', is the only known species, ...

'', and ''

Archaeopteryx ''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird''), is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaīos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...

''. The fundraiser sought $175,000, but ended a month later, raising only $83,476. Another Kickstarter campaign succeeded in being funded in 2018. The game remains unreleased.

References

External links

*{{MobyGames, id=/dino-run 2008 video games Video games about dinosaurs Flash games PixelJAM Games games Side-scrolling video games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States