Endless arcade action game
You can dodge or smash rocks to rack up points, advance to the next level, and earn a spot on the online leaderboards. Dodgy Rocks combines 8-bit Amiga-style-graphics with a twist on endless runner gameplay.
’One more go’ action
Dodgy Rocks takes the fixed left/right movement plane of an endless runner and literally throws rocks at it. You need to avoid waves of boulders for as long as possible in this retro arcade title.
Developed for the Amiga
There’s a subsection of developers who create games for older consoles or operating systems, and Nivrig Games (the developer behind Dodgy Rocks) falls into this category. Although available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices, Dodgy Rocks are primarily targeted to Amiga fans.
This element is especially evident in the simple, yet effective, 8-bit artwork, streamlined gameplay, and chiptune music. Rather than just make a retro-style game, Nivrig Games have also made it available in Amiga ADF and LHA formats for free. Other versions come with a price tag.
Addictive gameplay
Popular endless runners like Alto’s Odyssey and Subway Surfers combine responsive controls with steadily escalating obstacles. Dodgy Rocks distills this core gameplay into score-and-wave-based arcade action.
Players can move from left to right and perform special moves (like a dash or smash) as a masked villain rolls boulders towards you from the top of the screen. Successful counter-attacks will net more points, but if you let a rock hit you when you’re not attacking, then it’s game over. However, quick restarts feed into the core ‘one more go’ gameplay loop.
Secrets and difficulty
To further add to the replay value, Dodgy Rocks claims to have secret moves to unlock, along with three difficulty levels to master. The hardest of these is Nightmare, which turns the background red and features high-speed rocks. The chance to appear on the online leaderboards also helps fuel the desire to keep playing.
Straightforward arcade action
There’s a good level of player feedback, with screenshake and particle effects, but it ends up being a case of style over substance. Ultimately, Dodgy Rocks stumbles over its gameplay, which falls more on the side of ‘simplified’ rather than ‘refined’.
