Squid Dash — Play Free Online

Squid Dash is a jump-and-platform game that runs straight in the browser, with nothing to install. Like most games in this genre, the job is to guide your character across hazards by timing movement and jumps, and a run is short enough to fit into a couple of minutes between other things.

If you came to the site for Doodle Jump, the appeal is similar: you are reading a screen, picking the moment to move, and trying to do slightly better than last time. Squid Dash is not an endless vertical climber, though, so expect to think about routes and timing rather than only bouncing upward.

The catalogue lists Poki as the developer and puts the game in the Jump & Platform category. Beyond that, this page sticks to what the controls and category tell us rather than guessing at level counts or modes.

How to play

On a computer, move with the arrow keys or WASD. The mouse is used to aim and to select things on menus. On a phone or tablet, tap and swipe on the screen instead, so no keyboard is needed.

Start the game, get a feel for how far your character moves per key press, and then work toward the goal of each stage. Aiming with the mouse suggests that some actions are directed rather than purely run-and-jump, so keep one hand on the keyboard and one on the mouse.

Tips

• Spend the first attempt learning the movement speed and jump timing rather than rushing forward.
• Use the fullscreen button under the game window if the play area feels small.
• If the game stalls or the controls stop responding, reload the page to restart it cleanly.
• On a touch screen, keep your fingers clear of the part of the screen you need to watch.

Similar games on Doodle Jump

For another jumper, Bird Jumper and Bouncy Basketball both build on timing a bounce, while Helix Jump turns the idea into a tower you descend. If you prefer precision platforming with tougher obstacles, try Ovo 2 or Fireboy and Watergirl, the second of which is built for two players cooperating.

Squid Dash suits short sessions on either a keyboard or a touch screen, and it is easy to drop in and out of.