Walrus Run is a 2D Action Platformer with a twist...
Progress through 18 levels of platforming action, eating anything that gets in your way! This game is score-based, meaning you get points by moving fast, eating fish, eating enemies, eating... okay, lots of eating.
You lose points if you take too much time, or take damage. There are no health points, meaning you can make as many mistakes as you want and still complete the level, with a shiny new D Rank. Master the levels to get achieve the even shinier S Rank!
This game is compatible with conveniently-shaped bongo controllers! When the game starts, you can choose between "Modern Controls" and "Bongo Controls." Press and hold a bongo pad button for 3 seconds, and BINGO! You can play the entire game with your bongo controller.
But of course, if you don't own such a controller released 20 years ago, you can use modern controllers or keyboard + mouse. You can just pretend you're playing on bongos by mashing the buttons to move. (Yes, you can change this in the settings!)
Walrus Run is the first game released by the brand new indie game studio, The Jam. This game was solo-developed by the company's owner, Eric Callahan. To follow the game's development, you can follow The Jam's Twitter.
- High replayability with 18 short levels. Replay the levels if you want to improve your rank!
- 3 Secret Levels that require A Ranks or higher on all levels to unlock.
- Play through the entire game in Arcade Mode to get an Arcade Mode Rank.
- In-Level bonuses that grant bonus points such as "No Damage."
- Collectible Paintings that unlock bonus artwork in the Gallery.
- All audio is done with my voice, including sound effects and voiceovers. The music is A-Capella made by me, featuring my voice. You may hear the bongo controller and clapping in there as well!
- Most importantly, a speedrun timer.
Founded in October 2023, The Jam is an independent video game development studio ran by one member, Eric Callahan. Eric is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University's Simulation, Animation, and Gaming program. After failing to land a job in the industry after graduation, Eric decided enter the industry his way - by forming his own indie studio "The Jam," and releasing his first game, Walrus Run.
Eric began his full-time pursuit of game development in 2023. After working on a different, larger game for six months, Eric learned the hard way to not to make your first game release to be your dream game. He decided to scale back and release a smaller project as his first project, as a means to gain experience, create his company, and form a community.
Walrus Run is inspired by Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. The idea came to him after watching this video made by YouTuber Cobra Code, where the developer made his own Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat successor in Unreal Engine 5. After playing through both games, Eric, who is also an Unreal developer, decided to take his own spin on the idea. He decided to hone in on 2D Action Platforming as the focus, featuring fast-paced gameplay, easy-to learn hard-to-master design elements, and a rank system to increase replayability.
