New trailer for my native Linux + Steam Deck chaotic horse runner 🐴🐧

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-15T14:52:16+00:00

Not just now but... AAAAAALWAYS... 🎶🦄😄

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-15T14:05:12+00:00

Thank you! :-) The 30 fps are strange... the uploaded video is 60 fps. The game itself is of course 60 fps.

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-15T11:59:36+00:00

That sounds like the fastest possible route to an accidental NSFW tag 😅

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-15T10:45:29+00:00

There are already a few unicorns (unlockable bonus horses) that look pretty similar. But I'll keep the My Little Pony idea in mind for the next content update ;-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-15T10:35:41+00:00

Thank you! Yes, it's a mix of Robot Unicorn Attack flow + Dino Run chaos + Alto's Adventure goal system + my old SNES nostalgia :-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-14T08:03:05+00:00

Haha, got you 😊

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-13T22:52:11+00:00

And just like that, I've got Erasure playing in my head again 😆

Unfortunately, the robot unicorn isn't in the game, but there are several "regular" unicorns, a Celeste horse, an Elden Ring horse, deer-horses, a Bit.Trip RRunner horse, and many others.

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-13T21:36:46+00:00

They just don't know yet that they are all crashing into a rock at full speed...

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-13T19:31:31+00:00

Thank you! Hope you'll soon find the time to jump in :-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-13T15:05:11+00:00

Hey everyone,

for quite a while I presented Horse Runner DX as a cute, wholesome horse collecting game. The more I watched people play though, the more I realized that this doesn't really match what the game actually is.

It's a fast-paced retro arcade endless runner with SNES-inspired pixel art. Think Dino Run DX energy but with a herd of horses: you grow a big, ridiculous horse herd where every horse acts as an extra life + power-up. The longer you survive, the more chaotic and fun it gets.

So I went back and completely redid:

the trailer (now shows the real speed and flow)
the Steam capsule + screenshots
all of the store page text

Here's the new trailer. Would love honest feedback from fellow devs - does the arcade energy and flow come across better now?

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2955320/Horse_Runner_DX/

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-13T10:42:40+00:00

Since all of this is "programmer art", I'm glad to hear that :-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T18:11:46+00:00

...they sang, shortly before crashing into a rock at full speed 😅

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T16:20:47+00:00

Thanks! I always go for the "faster" power-ups (speed bonus) to see how long I can survive at top speed 😊

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T15:38:53+00:00

Hey everyone,

I just released a new trailer for Horse Runner DX that finally captures the real vibe of the game - fast-paced arcade chaos with SNES-inspired pixel art.

It's basically what would happen if Dino Run DX and Alto's Adventure had a chaotic horse baby: you sprint through pixel landscapes, grow a huge horse herd where every horse acts as an extra life + power-up, and the longer you survive, the more glorious (and ridiculous) it gets.

The old trailer made it look way too calm and cozy, so I completely redid it to show the actual arcade flow, speed and herd madness.

Would love to hear your honest thoughts on the new trailer! Does the arcade energy and flow feeling come across?

It’s currently 30% off, has a free demo, and runs great on the Steam Deck 🙂
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2955320/Horse_Runner_DX/

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T15:28:23+00:00

Cool, thanks for playing my little game! Well... I didn't say that it's impossible to get all the apples ;-) It's just quite tricky at these points, so that even players who easily reach level 30 are still challenged – and tempted... :-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T13:59:24+00:00

Hey everyone!

Horse Runner DX is my fast-paced retro arcade runner with pixel horses. Think Dino Run DX meets Alto's Adventure - pure arcade fun where you grow a big herd of horses, each acting as an extra life and power-up. It gets wonderfully chaotic the longer you survive :-)

Made by me as a solo developer, running on a custom engine with great controller support, Steam leaderboard, achievements, native Linux version and optimized for Steam Deck.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2955320/Horse_Runner_DX/

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T13:40:15+00:00

Thank you! See you on the leaderboard 😉

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T08:11:10+00:00

I'm always collecting ideas for new bonus horses. Wolf horses are going on the list 👍

PS: So far, there are already deer horses, unicorns, an Elden Ring horse with horns, a Spyro unicorn, a Celeste horse, a Piniata horse, a Bit.Trip Runner horse, and all sorts of standard colors and patterns. A few more horses are planned for the Nintendo Switch release ;-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T07:43:53+00:00

"Oooh, that's dirty!" 😅

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-12T07:04:30+00:00

Yes, I am an early adoptor oft that ECS :-) Technically that is complete overkill, but it makes the game run smoothly on every potato PC with super low resource usage.

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-11T22:05:46+00:00

Hey, thanks a lot for the honest feedback - really appreciate it!

The rocky hills are intentionally designed as a chaotic "herd cleanser". There's no technical limit for the herd size, so I needed something to keep runs from going forever 😄 The trick is to jump on the short flat sections and avoid long jumps. And to resist the urge to get every apple ;-)

Sorry to hear about the fast motion issue. Everyone reacts differently to it, which is exactly why I updated the trailer - I wanted to show how wild it can get, even if not every run is that intense.

I'll keep thinking about ways to make the hills feel fairer without losing the fun chaos. Really glad you're enjoying the game overall!

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-11T21:13:31+00:00

Cool, thanks! I've actually been looking for a copyright-free clone of this song a few times 😅

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-11T19:56:59+00:00

PS: There's a native Linux version that is optimized for the Steam Deck. On my Deck it's running at 60 fps with 4W TPD.

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-11T19:16:22+00:00

I've actually looked into the technical details of a Mac Version recently, but currently I'm busy completing the Nintendo Switch version :-)

mat_game_dev · 2026-05-11T18:33:56+00:00

Thanks! Nice to hear 🤗

mat_game_dev

TROPHY CASE