Netflix Has Its Own Old School Scroller, And It's Hilarious

Netflix released an original game based on old-school 16-bit scrollers from the 1990s. The game is pretty hilarious once you realize what it's about and who it stars, and it's definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you're willing to give them up.

Over on the official Netflix website there's a portal to an infinite runner arcade game called Netflix Infinite Runner. Yeah, the name is pretty basic, but the game itself stars four of the main characters from some of their hit streaming shows, such as Pablo Escobar from the hit show Narcos, starring Elite Squad alum Wagner Moura. As Pablo you'll have to jump over policemen, dodge barriers and grab cocaine packets in the air. Hitting anything will end the game.

The next playable character on the list is Marco Polo, where gamers take on the role of the titular character from the Netflix show of the same name. There's an obvious change in scenario from the dense jungles of Latin America to the busy streets of a burgeoning Khan-ruled Asia. As Marco, players will have to dodge the Mongolian troops while collecting relics floating by in the air.

A more familiar and long-running relic that helped put Netflix on the map in the first place is none other than Orange Is The New Black, and the endless runner pays homage to Netflix's roots by letting people take hold of Piper Chapman, who is played by Taylor Schilling. You have to dodge sinks and cups while catching chickens and outrunning prison guards, racing through the prison along the way.

The final character on the list is Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things, who must dodge guards and scientists while running through the forests. Eventually players must outrun the demogorgon that is chasing them down.

The little endless runner is a nod to some of Netflix's most popular original shows. Unfortunately, other popular shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones don't make the cut. It's presumably to do with the fact that the four characters that they allow players to take control of in their endless runner are completely original shows, whereas stuff like Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are all Marvel properties. And there's a whole string of legal red tape and licensing issues associated with trying to use certain Marvel characters in any sort of video game. Gamers are still curious what characters and boundaries are afforded to Capcom for the upcoming Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite, which is due out at the end of 2017.

Even still, if you have some time to burn and you don't mind playing through a repetitive series of endless running escapades based on the popular Netflix shows, the little project isn't that bad. However, if you were hoping for some in-depth gaming, where maybe you would get to play through a Stranger Things 16-bit platformer designed in a similar vein to the old Aladdin game or Pitfall games on the SNES and Sega Genesis, you're fresh out of luck.

You can play each of the four different themed levels right now by paying a visit to the Netflix Arcade portal.