How to play
Road Hopper is a road-and-river crossing game in the style of the early-1980s arcade era. You guide a small bunny from the bottom of the screen to the top, one hop at a time. The trip has three parts. First you cross five lanes of traffic: cars, long trucks and fast bikes. Then you reach a safe grassy median where you can catch your breath. Finally you face a river with five lanes of drifting logs and groups of turtles, and you must land in one of the five burrows along the top edge.
Every hop moves you exactly one tile, so you always decide where to go next. On the road the danger is being in the wrong place when a vehicle arrives. On the river it is the opposite: the water is deadly, and you survive only by standing on something that floats. Logs and turtles carry you sideways at their own speed, so you often have to hop against the current to stay on screen. Fill all five burrows to finish the level, then do it again with faster traffic.
Rules
You start with three lives. You lose a life when:
- a vehicle hits you;
- you land in the water, or the turtle you are standing on dives;
- a log or turtle carries you off either side of the screen;
- the timer bar runs out (it starts with your first hop of each life);
- you hop into the hedge between two burrows, or touch the water snake that sometimes slides along a log.
If you hop toward a burrow that is already occupied, you simply bounce back and nothing is lost. Turtles in some groups sink on a regular rhythm: they shake as a warning, then go under for a moment before surfacing again. A friendly otter sometimes sits on a log in the first river lane, and touching it earns bonus points.
Scoring: 10 points for each new row you reach in a life (going back and forward again earns nothing twice), 100 points for each burrow plus 10 per second left on the timer, 300 for a berry that sometimes appears in a burrow, 200 for the otter, and 1,000 for clearing a level. You earn one extra life the first time your score reaches 10,000. Each new level makes traffic about 14% faster, speeds up the river current, shortens the logs and turtle groups, makes turtles dive more often and trims the timer. The water snake joins from level 2.
Controls
- Keyboard: arrow keys or W, A, S, D to hop; Space or Enter also hops forward; P or Esc pauses.
- Touch: swipe on the playfield in any direction to hop that way, or tap to hop forward. On touch screens, large on-screen buttons appear under the board as well.
- Mouse: click the playfield to hop forward, or drag in a direction to hop that way.
The game remembers one hop if you press a key while the bunny is still mid-jump, so quick combinations feel smooth. The game pauses by itself when you switch tabs or windows. If you prefer reduced motion, the hop animation is skipped and the scanline effect stays off.
Tips and strategy
- Watch a lane for a moment before you enter it. Gaps repeat, so one full cycle tells you what to expect.
- Use the median to plan, but watch the timer bar: it starts with your first hop and keeps running.
- On the river, step onto the middle of a log rather than its end. Edges are risky when you also need to hop sideways.
- Count turtle shakes. A shaking group is about to go under, so hop off it or on to the next lane before it sinks.
- Aim for a burrow that lines up with the current. Hopping from a moving log lands you a little to the side of where you started.
- Grab the berry when it is safe, but do not risk a life for it. A fresh burrow fills in only a few seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your score, lives, level and filled burrows are saved in your browser, so after a reload you can pick the game up again from the start of your current life.
Why did I fall off a turtle?
Some turtle groups dive. They shake first, then sink for a short time. Look at the animation before you step on, and leave the group when it starts to shake.
How do I get an extra life?
Reach a score of 10,000 once. The extra life is awarded a single time per game, so spend your lives wisely afterwards.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. Swipe on the board or use the large buttons below it. The page does not scroll while you play, and the layout fits small screens.
Is there sound?
There are simple synthesized sound effects, but they are off by default. Use the Sound button to turn them on; the setting is remembered.
How are high scores stored?
The top five scores are kept in your browser. When your score makes the table, you can type up to three letters or digits as initials.