Roku City is a true landmark of the streaming era, and the company behind the iconic screensaver has officially taken things a step further with a full interactive game. Roku City Dash, a side-scroller in the tradition of classics like Flappy Bird, is now available for free on all Roku devices.
The new Roku game is available through an “interactive TV” in the Roku City idle screen or as a separate app on the Roku homescreen. Click through either option and you’ll encounter a brief one-time download before being greeted by a full menu screen and a funky soundtrack.
The gameplay itself is about as simple as you’d expect. Roku City Dash puts the user in control of a small UFO floating over the rooftops of Roku City using their TV remote. Dodge obstacles to keep your score steadily climbing for as long as you keep the alien afloat. In typical arcade style, the game will keep track of your high score across playthroughs.
While the game isn’t exactly a ground-breaking platformer, it offers a fresh take on brand-inspired “idle games” like Google Chrome’s Dinosaur Game. In a press release accompanying the game’s launch, Lisa Holme, Roku Media’s Head of Content, made the following statement: “The game is a fun way for us to celebrate our beloved town, build on our platform’s interactivity, and invite users to spend time with Roku in a new way.”
Anyone with a Roku has likely noticed the company continuing to expand on the idle screen as an advertising opportunity. Buildings have given way to billboards, and the entire screensaver was recently overtaken by pink and green hues to promote Wicked: For Good.
Roku City Dash seems more like a celebration of what people have long enjoyed about the screensaver than another attempt to encroach on the lofi vibe with advertisements. That said, a quick run through Roku City Dash will show that the cityscape still makes the space for ads in gaming form.
The Roku Channel continues to offer one of the best free streaming libraries around. The company also recently launched a paid ad-free alternative, Howdy, and a live TV streaming service called Frndly TV.
Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn’t following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
