Bristlehop
Hop a hedgehog across tractor tracks, streams and pastures before the dusk catches up.
An endless crossing game in a painted countryside at dusk. Your hedgehog hops up the field one row at a time: farm tracks where tractors and hay carts rumble past, streams you cross on drifting lily pads and fallen branches, pastures where sheep wander back and forth, and open meadows that an owl sweeps with its shadow. Behind you the dusk creeps up the field, so standing still is never safe for long. Every new row scores a point and every apple five. The field is built from a seed and checked as it is built: there is always a way through. Three fields, easy, medium and hard, plus a Daily field that is the same for everyone.
- Category
- Arcade
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Touch · Mouse · Keyboard
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How to play
Tap to hop forward. Swipe left or right to hop sideways, swipe down to hop back. On a keyboard: the arrow keys or W, A, S, D; Space hops forward too. Tractors, hay carts and sheep knock you over, so hop through the gaps. On a stream, hop onto a lily pad or a branch and ride it; water with nothing under you is a splash, and riding off the edge of the field sweeps you away. When a meadow glows amber an owl is about to sweep it: get off that row. Bushes block the way. The dusk follows a few rows behind your furthest row and slowly gains on you, faster as you go. Every new row scores one point, every apple five.
What is Bristlehop?
Bristlehop is an endless crossing game: you hop a hedgehog up a field that never ends, one row at a time, across everything the countryside throws in its way. One mistake ends the run, and the dusk behind you makes sure you keep moving.
The hedgehog and the world are our own. A round little hedgehog with chestnut spines crosses a painted farmland at dusk: dirt tracks with tractors and hay carts, streams with lily pads and fallen branches drifting along, pastures full of wandering sheep, and meadows where an owl comes swooping low.
How to play Bristlehop
- Hop forward. Tap anywhere. Every new row you reach scores a point.
- Hop sideways or back. Swipe left, right or down. A hop sideways is often the way round a tractor or onto the next lily pad.
- Keyboard. The arrow keys or W, A, S, D. Space hops forward too.
- Tracks. Tractors and hay carts drive across. Hop through the gaps; a hay cart is slower but longer.
- Streams. Hop onto a lily pad or a branch and ride it. Water with nothing under you is a splash, and if the stream carries you off the edge of the field you are swept away.
- Pastures. Sheep wander slowly back and forth. They will knock you over all the same.
- Owl meadows. When a meadow glows amber, an owl is about to sweep it with its shadow. Be off that row when it comes.
- Bushes block the way. Apples lie in the grass: each one is worth five points.
The dusk
The dusk follows a few rows behind the furthest row you have reached and slowly gains on you, a little faster the further you go. Standing still is fine for a moment, never for long. Hopping back gives up the safety margin, so do it only when you must.
Tips and strategy
- Look two rows ahead. Pick your gap on the next track while you are still on the grass.
- Ride the water. On a stream you do not need to hurry: ride the pad toward the middle of the field and hop when the next one lines up.
- Watch the edges. A branch drifting toward the side is a clock. Hop off before it carries you out.
- Apples are worth a detour, not a risk. Five points is five rows; a splash is the end of the run.
- Mind the amber. The owl gives you a moment of warning. Use it to step forward rather than back.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bristlehop free?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.
Is there always a way through?
Yes. The field is built in stretches from a seed, and every stretch is checked before you see it: the game searches for a real sequence of hops that crosses it ahead of the dusk, starting at any moment you might arrive. A stretch that cannot be crossed is built again, gentler.
What changes between the three fields?
The easy field has slower traffic, more room between tractors, more to stand on in the water, a slower dusk and the owl only much later. The hard field is faster and busier, brings in sheep, streams and owls early and lets the dusk gain quicker.
What is the Daily field?
Every day everyone plays the same medium field, row for row, so the scores compare directly on the leaderboard.
Does it work on a phone held sideways?
Yes. The field fills the height of the screen and the score sits beside it. Upright you see more rows ahead.
