Trailhound: Summit Dash

Lace up and run for the summit. Trailhound: Summit Dash is a third-person trail run up three switchback mountains at sunrise, and the ground under your feet is the whole game. Mud, wet rock, loose scree, snow and log bridges each change your grip, your top speed and how much you slide, so your line and your boots really matter.

Before every trail you pick one of three pairs of Trailhound boots. Grab trail markers to shave seconds off your time, hop the fallen logs, keep your feet on the log bridges over the streams, and listen to Scout the hound, who waits at the checkpoints with a tip for the ground ahead. Beat the par time and chase your best total across all three climbs. Find your trail.

How to play

Run from the trailhead to the summit and beat the par time. The clock starts on GO, and every trail marker you grab takes one second off your finish.

• Press Run the Trails and choose your boots for the first trail
• Run uphill; the trail bends through tight hairpins, so ease off before them
• Watch the surface panel at the bottom: it names the ground and rates your grip
• A sharp turn at full speed on slick ground makes you slip
• Jump the fallen logs or you trip over them
• Stay on the log bridges; step off and you splash into the stream
• Finish all three trails for your total time and try to set a new best

Read the ground

Every patch of trail has its own feel. The game names it as you run and tells you how well your boots are holding.

• Packed dirt: great grip, full speed. Open it up
• Mud: slow and slippery, unless you are in Mudlines
• Wet rock: slick, keep your turns gentle
• Loose scree: slides you downhill, lean into the slope
• Snow: slow going with little grip, where Alpines shine
• Log bridges: straight and steady over the streams

Three boots

Pick your pair before every trail. Each one has its own grip, speed and stability, and each one has a favourite kind of ground.

• Ridge: the balanced all-rounder. Steady on everything, no weak spots
• Mudline: deep lugs that bite through mud and cling to wet rock, but skate on snow
• Alpine: stiff, studded and sure-footed on snow and scree, clumsy in deep mud

Three trails at sunrise

One run takes you up three mountains in a row as the sun climbs over the peaks.

• Pinehollow Forest: muddy pine switchbacks, wet rock and two streams. Par 2:05
• Granite Ridge: wet granite slabs, loose scree and a stream crossing. Par 2:20
• Summit Snowfield: scree and snow all the way to the top. Par 2:30

Scout the hound

Scout is your trail guide. You meet Scout at the trailhead and again at the checkpoints, where Scout barks you through and tells you what the ground ahead holds, with advice that depends on the boots you chose.

Controls

Keyboard

WASD or arrow keys to run, Space to jump, Q and E or mouse drag to turn the camera, Esc or P to pause

Gamepad

Left stick or D-pad to run, A to jump, right stick for the camera, Start to pause

Touch

Drag on the left side to run with the on-screen stick, tap the jump button, drag on the right side to turn the camera, pause button at the top

Features

• Three switchback trails at sunrise: forest, granite ridge and snowfield
• Six kinds of ground: packed dirt, mud, wet rock, loose scree, snow and log bridges
• Three Trailhound boots with their own grip, speed and stability
• Slips on sharp turns, fallen logs to jump and streams to cross on log bridges
• Trail markers that each take one second off your time
• Scout the hound waiting at the checkpoints with boot-specific tips
• Par times per trail and a saved best total for the full climb
• Plays in the browser with keyboard, gamepad or touch