Rink Runner is one of Neopets’ oldest games, and though the art style’s a little funky, it’s great fun and can be a very lucrative way to earn Neopoints quickly once you get the hang of it. When you start a game of Rink Runner, you take control of a cheery little Bruce who skates around an ice rink to try and impress three judges. Using your mouse to control him, you need to collect as many musical notes as possible in the fewest amount of “jumps” you can. Easy, right? But of course, it’s not quite as simple as that.

Each note will change colors the longer they are on the rink (black, green, blue, orange, then red), and eventually disappear. There are 30 notes available in each level, and each one is worth 1 precious point. While it’s important to grab as many notes as possible, make sure you avoid the sharps (notes that look like a hashtag) and flats (the ones that look like a lowercase b) as they will subtract 2 from your points total. At the end of each level, you must meet the minimum score requirement to be able to continue. Naturally, the difficultly increases with each level.

Rink Runner – Level Guide

Level 1
Level 1 is a walk in the park. It’s just you, the ice, and that sweet, sweet melody. You’ll only have one or two flats or sharps to avoid, and the notes won’t disappear at all. The amount of jumps you make won’t make a difference either.
Minimum score requirement: None (though you should get all 30!)
Level 2
Here’s where things get interesting. Not only do the notes disappear and your jump frequency has a bearing on your score, but holes start appearing in the ice (seriously, what kind of competition venue is this? The groundskeepers should all be fired…)! The level’s still fairly straightforward though – it’s fine to skate across the holes, just don’t stop on them.
Minimum score requirement: 21
Level 3
The first really challenging level. The holes get bigger as time goes on, but are still relatively easy to avoid. Just don’t click on the blue sections and you’ll be fine. Skate between the four circles or the edge of the rink, and try to catch multiple notes in each jump.
Minimum score requirement: 22
Level 4
The edge of the rink melts away, leaving you with just the four circles to land on. Once the perimeter has completely disappeared, the circles will slowly start to float around the rink. Make sure you keep track of their path and the speeds they’re travelling at, because you don’t want to click on an ice patch only for it to move mid-jump and leave you in the water! After a few tries, you should get pretty good at following the circle’s travels and get through the level without too much difficulty.
Minimum score requirement: 23
Level 5
This is the first level where the ice circles will start floating around from the very start, but other than that just use the same strategy as before.
Minimum score requirement: 24
Level 6+
Every subsequent level is essentially the same as level 5, except the minimum score requirement increases by 1 from the stage before it. From level 10 onwards, the requirement is capped at 30 (catch all the notes, without getting a single flat or sharp).

Rink Runner Trophy

If you’re aiming to pick up a shiny trophy for your lookup, you’re going to want to get to at least level 10 to be sure of silverware. Also make sure you follow all of the tips and tricks below to maximise your score from the judges.

Rink Runner – Point Predator

If you just want to get the 1,000 NP cap, play until the end of level 4. One point is worth 10 NP, so you need a score of 100 to max out on Neopoints.

Rink Runner Cheats

• Avoid the very edge of the rink, as this is where most notes materialize and it can be all too easy to accidentally pick up a flat or sharp note without even noticing it’s there!
• To get the highest possible total from the judges, you want to make sure your note to jump ratio is as high as possible. Don’t skate short distances, try and cover as much ground as possible with each click. Also try timing your jump so you catch multiple notes as they travel across your path.
• Once the holes starts appearing, don’t skate too close to the edge of the ice patches. Sometimes, Rink Runner can be a bit unforgiving with your proximity to the holes. When the circles start moving, it’s also possible you’ll end up in the water if you aim for their edges and they move away.