Let’s Surf
Version: GIT Web: https://github.com/ jackbuehner/MicrosoftEdge-S.U.R.F.
Lately some Linux users have discovered an Easter egg in the Microsoft Edge web browser, particularly in its built-in, not-so-secret game available at edge://surf. The egg was not in the game itself, but rather in the fact that one could choose Tux as the character in the Linux version of the browser. We first thought that it has little or no connection to the open source games that we’re committed to highlighting in Hotpicks, but it turned out that the Surf game is a standalone open source project legally residing on Github. This is a third-party game with community patches that enable Let’s Surf to be played offline, and – what’s even more important – with any browser you want. There’s no Tux option here, but the rest of the game is identical to the original version.
Let’s Surf puts you in control of a person on a surf board somewhere in a fictional tropical bay. Start by choosing your character to be a boy or a girl, opt for a different skin colour, and then double-click to enter the game. By default Let’s Surf works in the ‘endless’ mode, which means that you need to stay up and avoid obstacles as for as long as you can. That’s not as easy as it sounds since your character tends to accelerate, making it more challenging to manoeuvre at higher speeds. The bay is populated with rocks, castles, other surfers, trampolines and squids. The only chance to run away from a squid is to use extra speed boost (right-click) and successfully pass over all other obstacles. There are two other game modes, featuring time trials and zig-zag challenges. Depending on the mode your goals can be a faster time, larger distance covered by surfboard or more completed zig-zags. Beautiful pixel graphics, power-ups, coins, extra lives – that’s quite a lot to make Let’s Surf a jolly time-killer!
We tested the game in the offline mode with Firefox and some other browser, and found it be smooth and error-free. Grab your board and hit the waves!