Dockline Dash sets off along the boardwalk the moment you press Play, running right on its own. Behind it, the row of brightly painted float homes drifts past in the evening mist, with the yellow house glowing at the far end. Closer in, silhouettes of pilings and rigging rush by much faster, which gives the whole run a lovely sense of depth and speed.
You have one decision to make, over and over: when to jump. Coiled mooring lines and glass floats in old netting sit on the planks, while tufted puffins swoop through at head height. Sea stars hang in the air along the way. Each metre adds a point and each sea star adds ten. Touch an obstacle and the run ends with your score.
How to play Dockline Dash
- Press Play and the run begins straight away, moving right along the boardwalk at a steady pace.
- Tap, click, press Space or the Up arrow to hop over a mooring line or a glass float ahead.
- Hold the input a little longer for a higher leap, and tap once more in mid-air for a second jump.
- Shape your arcs through the floating sea stars to add ten points each on top of your metres.
- Clear every obstacle as the pace slowly climbs; one bump ends the run and logs your score.
Dockline Dash controls
Getting better at Dockline Dash
- Short taps are usually enough for a coiled line; a full held leap can drop you onto the next one.
- Keep the mid-air jump in reserve as an escape for a puffin that appears just after takeoff.
- Puffins fly low, so staying on the planks and letting one pass is often safer than leaping.
- Only chase a sea star when the boardwalk ahead is clear; ten points never justify an early end.
- As the pace climbs, jump a touch earlier than feels natural, since each leap covers more planks.
Spacing that always leaves you a way through
The one rule we refused to bend is that every obstacle can be cleared. Gaps are checked as the boardwalk is laid down, so if you clip a coil of rope it is a timing slip rather than an impossible stretch. That is what keeps the next run tempting: you can nearly always say exactly what went wrong, and you can usually fix it straight away.
The speed climbs smoothly rather than in jolts. The opening stretch is almost a stroll, which gives newcomers time to feel the difference between a tap and a hold. By the time the floats are flying past, your thumb knows the rhythm and the real test is staying calm. A first-timer and a regular can share the same opening and both enjoy it.
Metres or sea stars: two roads to a high score
Scores grow two ways. Distance pays a point a metre and simply rewards staying on your feet. Sea stars pay ten at a time, but they float in arcs above the boardwalk, so grabbing one can mean jumping higher than the obstacle in front of you actually needs.
Early in a run the sea stars are close to free, and chasing them is smart. Later, once the planks are busy and the speed is up, the best players ignore the awkward ones and quietly bank metres. Knowing when to switch from greedy to careful is what separates a good score from a personal best. A run that passes 700 points earns three stars, and that line is a fine first target for a week of evening runs.
Questions about Dockline Dash
Twice: your normal jump plus one extra in mid-air. Once both are used, you need to touch the boardwalk before jumping again.
Yes, gradually. The speed rises gently through each run, so after a minute or two of clean jumping the boardwalk is moving noticeably quicker than at the start.
By your final score. One star for any run, two stars from 250 points and three stars from 700 points, counting both metres and sea stars.
