Robot Unicorn Attack

Robot Unicorn Attack is an endless runner where tapping the screen controls a jump and double-tapping triggers an attack by a unicorn galloping across an endless landscape full of stars, rainbows, and falling meteors, while a melodramatic rock ballad plays in the background, its repetition becoming an inseparable part of the experience. The goal is to run as far as possible, collect stars for upgrades, and beat your own records, all in an atmosphere that pokes fun at its own over-the-top romanticism.

[adult swim] games released Robot Unicorn Attack in 2010, first as a Flash game on the web, and the mobile version quickly adopted its kitschy, surreal aesthetic along with simple controls built precisely for touch, which suited a phone's small display even better than a mouse and keyboard on a computer. The combination of naively beautiful graphics, repetitive music, and an absurd premise turned it into an internet viral hit that spread mainly through sharing and funny links rather than a traditional ad campaign.

As a mobile title, Robot Unicorn Attack benefited from the fact that the entire gameplay fit into two gestures, making it a perfect example of short, easily understood entertainment for moments of waiting. Its free-to-play model with ads was unobtrusive in this case and didn't hinder quick repeated play, which, together with links spreading virally on social media, helped the game reach a much wider audience than its purely gaming qualities alone would have attracted.

Why play it: Suitable for nostalgics who want to be reminded of the internet humor of the turn of the 2000s and 2010s, wrapped in a simple, addictive arcade game.