Ice Oval
Long-track speed skating against an otter on a 400 m oval. Tap left and right in rhythm to stride, ease off before the curves so you don't skid, and mind the lane swap on the back straight, where the inner skater must yield.
Play nowHow to play
Controls
TapKeyboard←→↑↓- After the countdown, tap the left half and the right half of the screen alternately (or ← and →).
- Each stride pushes harder when it lands on the beat: the ring in the middle closes in time with the rhythm, which speeds up as you go faster.
- Tapping the same side twice is a slip.
- Curves have a speed limit, tighter on the inner lane; go in too fast and you skid and lose speed.
- Every lap the skaters swap lanes in the marked crossing zone on the back straight: if you are coming off the inner lane with the otter beside you, a YIELD sign appears; stop pushing until you are through, or you collide.
- Win the race; stars by time against the par.
About the game
Ice Oval is a rhythm race on a long-track speed skating oval. Your penguin and an otter rival line up on the inner and outer lanes of a 400 metre track, and after the countdown everything comes from your two thumbs. Alternate left and right to stride. A stride that lands on the beat pushes hard; one that is early or late pushes weakly; two on the same side is a slip. The beat is not fixed, either: the faster you skate, the quicker your legs have to move, so holding top speed means speeding up your tapping with it.
The oval brings two more problems. The curves have a speed limit, and the inner lane is tighter than the outer one, so arriving at a bend flat out makes you skid wide and bleed speed; good skaters ease off on the straight's last strides. And, as in real long-track racing, the two skaters swap lanes once a lap in the crossing zone on the back straight. The skater coming off the inner lane has to give way, so when the otter is right beside you there, you must coast instead of pushing or crash into each other. Eighteen races grow from one lap to three against steadier rivals.
Free to play in your browser. No download, no sign-up. Best on a computer, or a phone held sideways. Your progress is saved on this device.
