Desert Dash

About Desert Dash

Desert Dash is a 3D endless runner. Your little toy fennec fox races down a winding three-lane road through seven desert zones: sunny dunes, a red canyon, a green oasis, ancient ruins, salt flats at sunset, the desert at night and a sandstorm, then round again, faster. Swipe between the lanes to dodge cacti and rolling boulders, jump logs, chasms, pools and snakes, slide under arches and swooping vultures, fly off ramps and bounce pads, and grab gems and power-ups as the road gets faster and faster. How far can you run?

Also called: 3D endless runner, lane runner game, running game online.

How to play Desert Dash

1. Tap the board, or press any arrow key or Space, to start running.
2. Swipe left or right, or press ← / → (or A / D), to change lanes.
3. Swipe up, or press ↑, W or Space, to jump over logs, fences, tumbleweeds, snakes, chasms and pools.
4. Swipe down, or press ↓ or S, to slide under low arches, vultures and propped-up pillars. Swipe down in mid-air to drop straight back to the ground and slide.
5. Cacti, palms, old columns, salt spires, boulders and falling rocks can't be jumped or slid under: change lanes to get round them.
6. Run up a ramp for a long, high jump, or onto a bounce pad for a huge one. A bounce pad is the only way over a tall crate wall.
7. Pick up gems for bonus points. Your score is the metres you run plus 5 points for every gem.
8. Grab a floating power-up when you see one: a Magnet pulls in gems from every lane, a Shield takes one hit for you, Double gems makes every gem count twice, and the Glider carries you over everything for a few seconds.
9. Press P or the pause button to pause. The game pauses by itself when you switch tabs.

Rules

• The run ends the moment the fox runs into anything, or runs into a chasm or a pool with its feet on the ground. Hit areas are trimmed a little inside the models, so a graze is forgiven.
• A jump always has the same height and length. A jump pressed just before landing happens as soon as the fox touches down, and a jump cuts a slide short.
• A slide lasts a moment and then the fox stands up again. You can change lanes while jumping, sliding or flying.
• The road runs through seven zones of 600 to 700 metres each, and each has obstacles of its own: rolling boulders, falling rocks and chasms in the Red Canyon, pools and snakes at the Oasis, toppled pillars and crate walls in the Ancient Ruins, cracks in the Salt Flats, snakes in the Night Desert, and boulders and tumbleweeds in the Sandstorm, where you can't see as far. After the Sandstorm the road starts again at the dunes, faster and trickier.
• The road speeds up steadily for the first two minutes, then holds its speed until the end of the first time round. Each time round after that it gets a little faster.
• Obstacles come in patterns, some of which need two moves in a row. Every pattern is checked before it is placed, so it can always be got through from any lane at the speed you will be going. A crate wall always has a bounce pad just before it.
• A falling rock's shadow shows where it will land. A boulder rolls down its lane towards you, and a toppling pillar falls across two lanes before you reach it: jump its base or slide under its top.
• Power-ups float over the road now and then, one at a time. A new one replaces the one you have. The ring by its name shows how long it has left. When the Glider runs out the fox floats down and can't be hurt for a moment after landing.
• Medals: bronze at 500 points, silver at 1,500, gold at 3,000. Your best score is saved in your browser.
• Each day brings three small goals, the same for everyone, like jumping three ramps or reaching the Oasis. They are ticked off as you meet them and stay ticked until the next day.

Desert Dash tips and strategy

• Look ahead, not at the fox. The road is laid out well in advance, so plan your lane a pattern or two early.
• Swipe in the direction you want to go as soon as the path is clear. You don't have to wait for one move to finish before the next.
• One finger can do two moves: swipe left, then keep going up without lifting, for a lane change and a jump.
• Jump a little early rather than late, especially as the speed climbs. Chasms and pools are long, so jump before the near edge.
• Coming down too slowly for the arch ahead? Swipe down in the air to drop and slide at once.
• Ramps and bounce pads usually have a trail of gems above them. Line up in their lane, and don't jump before a pad: the fox has to land on it.
• Watch the road for shadows in the Red Canyon. A shadow that isn't moving is a rock about to land.
• Keep your nerve in the Sandstorm: you see less of the road there, so stay in the middle lane when you can, where both sides are one swipe away.
• While gliding, steer along the gem trail in the sky, and look at what is below you: you land with a moment of safety, but not for long.