Black Cat Crossing

You are the black cat at the goblin market at dusk. Dash across goblins' paths to jinx them, cross closer for bigger pratfalls, and set off chains of rolling pumpkins, marbles, pies and barrels.

Black Cat Crossing is a black cat game about an old superstition, played for laughs. Every goblin at the market knows that bad luck follows when a black cat crosses your path, and you are the black cat. Goblins stroll through the market square along cobbled lanes, and each one shows a dotted path ribbon of where it will walk next. Dash across a ribbon and that goblin is jinxed. Cross at the far end and their hat blows off (hic!). Cross a step ahead of them and they slip and drop what they carry (WHOOPS!). Cross right at their toes for a CATASTROPHE: a pratfall that launches their load and topples anyone close behind. Pumpkins roll, marbles scatter, pies fly and splat into puddles, and barrels bowl through a whole line of goblins, and every goblin that walks into the mess is jinxed too. Three in a row is a jinx chain. Some townsfolk have rules of their own. Never cross Lucky Lou's horseshoe path, or the bad luck bounces back to you. Cross the Witch's path of hearts for an extra life. Jinx the Mirror Seller to start a Bad Luck Storm that makes every jinx bigger. Dash under the Ladder Carrier's ladder for an automatic catastrophe. Look out for the Dog, which chases you when you get close. Bump into a goblin and you lose one of your 9 lives. Your score is simply the number of goblins you jinxed, and your rank climbs from Whisker Rookie to Ninth-Life Legend. The Daily Town sends the same goblins at the same times for everyone on a given day, so friends can race the same walkers, and Practice gives you a fresh town every run. Every October the square becomes a Halloween night market with costumed goblins and jack-o'-lanterns. No goblin is ever hurt: they flop, sit down and walk off grumpy under a little rain cloud, and when your last life is gone the cat curls up for a nap. On Goblin Arcade your daily bests, streak and lifetime count save automatically.

By Goblin Originals

How to play

Drag to dash (touch) or move the mouse / WASD or arrow keys · P pause · M sound

Drag anywhere and the black cat sprints to your finger, offset a little above it so your thumb never hides the cat. With a mouse, the cat follows the cursor. WASD or the arrow keys also work.

Every goblin shows a dotted path ribbon for where it will walk next. Dash across the ribbon to jinx that goblin. Small dots at the far end give a hic! (the hat flies off), round dots give a WHOOPS! (they drop their load), and the stars right at their toes give a CATASTROPHE! (they flop, launch their load and topple anyone close behind).

Spilled pumpkins, marbles, pie puddles and barrels jinx every goblin that walks into them, and those goblins spill too. Three or more in a row makes a jinx chain.

Do not bump into goblins: each bump costs one of your 9 lives. Avoid Lucky Lou's horseshoe path, cross the Witch's hearts for a life, and outrun the Dog. Stay busy, because a bored cat dozes off and loses a life. The run ends on your last life (or at dawn), and your score is the number of goblins jinxed.

Tips

Closer is riskier but pays more. A hic! spills nothing, while a CATASTROPHE launches the load down the lane and knocks over the goblin walking behind.

Goblins walking in a line are the best targets: a catastrophe on the leader topples the whole line.

Jinx the Mirror Seller when the square is crowded. During the 7-second Bad Luck Storm every jinx is one step bigger.

When the Dog barks, run. It is a little slower than you and turns wide, so a sharp sidestep or a lap around the fountain shakes it. If it chases you through a crowd, it knocks goblins over for you.

A gate's lantern lights up a second before a goblin walks in, so never rest in a gateway.

Is there a game where you play as a black cat?

Yes. In Black Cat Crossing you play a black cat in a goblin market town, dashing across goblins' paths to jinx them. It is free in your browser, with no download or account, on a phone or a computer.

How do you get a bigger jinx?

Cross closer to their feet. Crossing a goblin's path at the far end only knocks its hat off, crossing a step ahead makes it slip and drop what it carries, and crossing right at its toes causes a catastrophe that launches its load and topples the goblin behind it.

Is it the same town for everyone?

Yes, in the Daily Town. Everyone who plays on the same day (UTC date) gets the same goblins at the same times, so scores are directly comparable, and you can play it as many times as you like. Practice gives you a different town every run.

Are black cats really bad luck?

No, it's only a superstition. In some places black cats are considered good luck.

Do the goblins get hurt?

No: they slip, flop and walk off grumpy. The cat never gets hurt either. When its last life is gone, it curls up for a nap.

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