Alpaca Run: Flash Game Friday
June 21, 2013 10:22 AM Subscribe
Okay, I played it all, for some reason. Did I miss something that made it good?
From my experience, there was a truly hideous platform game involving an alpaca, where the apples you were supposed to collect were spread out way too far, and where the mechanics were terrible. There was a fun song about the alpaca in the background. There was "Transcending," which was kind of dull, and took place at the end of the song, regardless of the game.
Was it supposed to just be a mildly interactive music video?
posted by blahblahblah at 10:41 AM on June 21, 2013
From my experience, there was a truly hideous platform game involving an alpaca, where the apples you were supposed to collect were spread out way too far, and where the mechanics were terrible. There was a fun song about the alpaca in the background. There was "Transcending," which was kind of dull, and took place at the end of the song, regardless of the game.
Was it supposed to just be a mildly interactive music video?
posted by blahblahblah at 10:41 AM on June 21, 2013
I think if you can write and record a really compelling song, and also design and program a really compelling short-form video game, then putting the two together is a really compelling idea. I look forward to the day that happens.
posted by davejay at 10:48 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by davejay at 10:48 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hm, I dunno blahblahblah. I shut my brain off, finished, and found myself smiling. YMMV of course.
posted by Tevin at 10:49 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by Tevin at 10:49 AM on June 21, 2013
blahblahblah: I enjoyed it in much the same way as I enjoyed You Have To Burn The Rope.
posted by Decani at 10:49 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Decani at 10:49 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well, it does eventually end, so there's that.
posted by achrise at 10:51 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by achrise at 10:51 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Woo space alpaca! Now somebody should make Capybara Run.
I thought this was going to be this other game I played once. You played as a llama, I think, or alpaca or sheep or some other fuzzy ungulate, and you ran to the right jumping on platforms and collecting fruits -- except that as you ate more fruits the game got faster and faster and harder and harder, and the background gradually changed from dull browns to bright colours to psychedelic rainbows, and it was really a whole lot of fun. I can't find that game for the life of me now. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
posted by narain at 10:52 AM on June 21, 2013
I thought this was going to be this other game I played once. You played as a llama, I think, or alpaca or sheep or some other fuzzy ungulate, and you ran to the right jumping on platforms and collecting fruits -- except that as you ate more fruits the game got faster and faster and harder and harder, and the background gradually changed from dull browns to bright colours to psychedelic rainbows, and it was really a whole lot of fun. I can't find that game for the life of me now. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
posted by narain at 10:52 AM on June 21, 2013
To be clear, I am not trying to heap hate on the game, but much like performance art, sometimes I don't get the point of an indie game experiment, but am missing something awesome. I can't tell if that is the case here.
I think You Have to Burn the Rope was clever, in that it was a (at the time) relatively novel commentary on games themselves, as well as being artistically interesting. And short.
posted by blahblahblah at 10:57 AM on June 21, 2013
I think You Have to Burn the Rope was clever, in that it was a (at the time) relatively novel commentary on games themselves, as well as being artistically interesting. And short.
posted by blahblahblah at 10:57 AM on June 21, 2013
I only died 19 times. For the record, it's acceptable to play this game while on the phone with your spouse.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 10:58 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 10:58 AM on June 21, 2013
It reminded me of this, for the 1.5 people who haven't played it yet.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:04 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by Navelgazer at 11:04 AM on June 21, 2013
Maybe it demonstrates -- in the most basic form imaginable -- how wrong the notion is that story and play needs to be conflict driven. Because as you're playing Apaca Run and listening to the narrator's ballad about his dear friend, Ingrid the Alpaca, you realize that this game actually isn't driven by any particular goal or affected by the oldest of tropes, death, and suddenly you're free to enjoy this experience that centers around a friendship between a guy and his alpaca and their journey together. What, then, could be more fitting than a journey that ends with you transcending because that's what we all must do when we challenge our deepest held beliefs about how the world is supposed to be.
Oh, and the lack of tags for this fpp? Brilliant.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:08 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, and the lack of tags for this fpp? Brilliant.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 11:08 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Wretched. Loud music without a volume control. No interesting game play.
You should just play New York Shark instead.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 11:09 AM on June 21, 2013
You should just play New York Shark instead.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 11:09 AM on June 21, 2013
It reminds me of Frog Fractions. I appreciate how it moves the edutainment genre forward.
posted by codacorolla at 11:30 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by codacorolla at 11:30 AM on June 21, 2013
Does something happen when you get all the apples? I missed a couple and I don't want to play it again.
posted by ljesse at 11:33 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by ljesse at 11:33 AM on June 21, 2013
Does something happen when you get all the apples?
Everything.
no
posted by shakespeherian at 11:39 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Everything.
no
posted by shakespeherian at 11:39 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well, to jump on in the haterade bandwagon, DAMN that took a long time to load.
Anyone know a source for the song?
posted by Samizdata at 11:40 AM on June 21, 2013
Anyone know a source for the song?
posted by Samizdata at 11:40 AM on June 21, 2013
My cat decided to walk across the keyboard at one point. I died a lot but still finished.
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 11:46 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 11:46 AM on June 21, 2013
Not sure I get the appeal, but the backgrounds were cool.
posted by Think_Long at 11:55 AM on June 21, 2013
posted by Think_Long at 11:55 AM on June 21, 2013
Truly, this is the Citizen Kane of one-button video games about alpacas.
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:01 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:01 PM on June 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Does something happen when you get all the apples?
The snake laughs and the camelids have to leave the garden.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:04 PM on June 21, 2013
The snake laughs and the camelids have to leave the garden.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:04 PM on June 21, 2013
Alpacas are on my list of Top 10 favorite ALs...
along with (in ALphabetical order)
anon
Bundy
dente
Gore
Green
Jazeera
Lewis
Stewart
Yankovic (#1 on my list)
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:49 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
along with (in ALphabetical order)
anon
Bundy
dente
Gore
Green
Jazeera
Lewis
Stewart
Yankovic (#1 on my list)
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:49 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I enjoyed it. When you eat all the apples, your alpaca turns into a rainbow before it reaches the rainbow gate.
Alpaca levels are the new ice levels of platform gaming. Mark my words.
posted by ardgedee at 4:01 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Alpaca levels are the new ice levels of platform gaming. Mark my words.
posted by ardgedee at 4:01 PM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Me too narain, the llama colour game is called fade, it's basically canabalt but with upgrades and llamas.
posted by Ned G at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ned G at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Decani at 10:41 AM on June 21, 2013 [1 favorite]