Ink Runner
Pip runs on his own. Draw the ground before the gap arrives — with a limited ink meter.
Ink Runner is an auto-runner where the level does not exist until you draw it. Pip sprints forward at a constant speed across broken terrain, and the only thing standing between him and a very long drop is whatever line you sketch in front of him.
The catch is the ink meter. Lines are not free — every stroke drains it, and it refills only gradually. The game is really a resource puzzle wearing a platformer’s clothes.
How to play
- Press Start, and Pip begins running to the right immediately.
- Click and drag (or drag one finger) anywhere on the canvas to draw a platform.
- Release to set the line. It hardens into solid ground and the ink is deducted.
- Keep him running. When he falls, the run ends and your distance is your score.
Reading the terrain
Good players stop thinking about the gap directly ahead and start thinking two gaps out. Because ink regenerates on a timer, a cheap solution now is what pays for the expensive solution later. Bridging a small gap with a long, beautiful arc feels good and then loses the run thirty metres later when the meter is empty and a wide chasm appears.
The other habit worth building is drawing ahead of Pip rather than under him. The physics resolve per frame, so a line placed where he currently stands is a line placed where he no longer is.
Built for one hand
The entire game is a single drag gesture, which makes it the most phone-friendly game on the site. No buttons, no virtual stick, nothing to reach for.
Tips
- Short flat lines cost less ink and hold better than long sweeping ones. Elegant curves look great and empty the meter.
- Draw slightly ahead of Pip, not underneath him. A line drawn under his feet arrives after he has already started falling.
- A gentle upward slope buys you height for free, and height buys you time to draw the next platform. Flat is safe, uphill is strategic.
- When the meter runs low, stop drawing bridges and start drawing ramps. One well-placed ramp can carry Pip over two gaps on momentum alone.
Questions
What is the ink meter?
Your drawing budget. Every pixel of line you draw subtracts from it, and it refills slowly as you run. Running dry mid-gap is the usual cause of death.
Can I erase a line I drew badly?
No. Once a stroke is released it becomes solid ground and the ink is spent. Committing to a rough line is often better than hesitating.
Does the level ever end?
The terrain keeps generating, so a run ends when Pip falls. Distance is the score.
Is a mouse better than touch?
Neither has an advantage. The drawing surface is the whole canvas and both input types use the same stroke logic.