Walkable Cities

What it is

Walkable Cities is a game about walking, with one key to walk. Your character, seen from above, is a round pink body with two enormous pale feet sticking out either side, standing on a square of lawn with the title painted on the grass and a pool to one side. Press space and one foot plants while the body swings around it in a half circle. Press again and the next foot plants. Getting from here to there means timing those swings so they land where you meant.

How to play

The title screen is the first level. Space takes a step, R restarts, and a counter at the bottom adds one for every step you take. A rapid burst of presses registers as only a few steps, so the game wants a rhythm, not a hammering. The page says it was made for a game jam and that a full version is planned for Steam, and it offers downloadable builds, but the browser version plays right on the page after you press run game.

What makes it different

Walking games usually make walking hard with bad physics. This one makes it hard with geometry: each step is a pivot, so you move in arcs, and a path that looks straight has to be solved as a sequence of swings. The step counter turns the level into a puzzle about economy, and the comments under the game are a wall of people reporting their totals. It also looks good: flat cartoon shapes on photo textures of grass, brick and water.

Why it is on Bored

Start it in a second, understand it in two: one key, one idea, a counter to beat. Each step is a pivot, so a straight path has to be solved as a sequence of swings, and the step count at the end is the number people compare in the comments. The page's own talk of pedestrian city design is a straight face held over a very silly game, which is our favorite kind.

Tips

• Watch where the free foot will land before you press, the swing is a half circle
• Short pauses between presses, mashing does not add steps
• R restarts a level, use it early rather than walking back
• Count your steps, the total at the end is the score people compare

FAQ