How to play
Everything you need to make it to dawn: how to jump, what to jump over, how to score points, who you'll meet on the rooftops, how to get across the monuments and how to spend your gold fish.
Controls
The cat runs on his own, faster and faster: you decide when to jump. It's played with one hand, on the keyboard, with the mouse or with your finger.
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Jump
The cat leaps off the roof. On a phone you can tap anywhere in the game, or the JUMP! button.
SpaceUp arrowWTap or click
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Double jump
Do it again in mid-air for a second jump. You need it for wide gaps, scaffolding and high-flying birds.
SpaceUp arrowWTap in mid-air
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Dive
In mid-air the cat drops down in a flash. Use it to catch low mice and to rob tourists, gladiators and trattoria hosts.
Down arrowSSwipe down
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Land and jump again
You can land on solid obstacles: a jump from up there goes higher than one from the roof.
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Pause
The game also pauses by itself if you switch window or tab.
PEscPause button
What to jump over
There are four kinds of things to watch out for on the rooftops of Rome. Each one is handled differently.
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Gaps between rooftops
Always jump them. Fall in and you lose a heart, and the cat starts again on the next roof.
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Solid obstacles
Crates, bins, pots: jump over them, or land on top and jump again. Bumping into their side costs a heart.
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Still hazards
Spikes, thorns, steam and fire: jump over them without touching. You can't stand on them.
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People and animals
It depends on who: some hit you, some bounce you up and some are there to be robbed with a dive. They're all below.
Hearts and hits
You start with three hearts, and three is also the most you can have. When they run out, the run is over.
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What costs a heart
Bumping into the side of an obstacle or a person, touching a hazard, getting pecked by a bird, falling into a gap.
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After a hit
The combo drops back to x1 and the cat flashes: for a moment nothing can hurt him. On the last heart, time slows down.
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Heart treat
Gives you a heart back. It appears a while after you lose one, often on scaffolding. With full hearts it's worth 250 points.
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Bowl
“INVINCIBLE FOR 6 SECONDS!”: meanwhile you can rob without diving and chase birds off just by touching them.
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The cats' gift
At the Pantheon the cats of Largo Argentina give a heart to anyone who runs past them.
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End of the run
At zero hearts the cat sits down dazed, with stars over his head, or if he fell, floats back up from the gap as a ghost. Then the summary: score, mice, distance and top combo.
Points
Points come from prey, from things you steal and from birds you chase off, plus 5 points for every second of running. Prey points are multiplied by the combo.
- 100
Mouse. Every ten mice you go up a level: “LEVEL 2!”, 500 extra points.
- 250
Pigeon.
- 300
Sparrow, or bat at Castel Sant'Angelo. “FLOCK!” if you catch all three: 500 more.
- 400
Parakeet, at Trinità dei Monti. “PARAKEETS!” if you catch the pair: 300 more.
- 300
Seagull chased off or crow squashed.
- 300
Phone snatched from a tourist.
- 150
The gladiator's panino (sandwich) or the trattoria host's supplì (fried rice ball).
- 100
First bounce on the tour guide's umbrella.
- 300
Microphone snatched from the politician, or a scooter stopped with a dive in the Dead of Night.
- 200
Trevi coin: “COIN 1/3”. With the third a wish comes true, worth another 500.
- 1,000
Your first landing inside the Pantheon, after dropping through the oculus, the big hole in the top of the dome.
- 2,000
The first dawn over Rome of the run; 1,000 for the ones after.
Combos and bonuses
Prey caught in a row (mice, pigeons, sparrows, bats and parakeets) push the multiplier up. After three seconds without prey it drops a step; a hit resets it.
- COMBO X2!
After 5 prey in a row. Then x3 at 10, x4 at 15 and x5, the maximum, at 20.
- CLOSE CALL!
Clear a hazard by a whisker, without touching it: 200 points.
- SCAFFOLD CLEARED!
Catch all three mice on a scaffold: 300 points.
- PERFECT LANDING!
Land on a new roof right next to its edge: 150 points.
- CLIMB!
Climb up from below onto a ledge, terrace or bridge of the upper level: 150 points.
Power-ups to collect
Besides the heart treat and the bowl, there are three more helpers on the rooftops. Grab them by running through them.
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Catnip
From the second neighbourhood on. For a few seconds prey are worth double, and nearby mice run straight into the cat's mouth.
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Ball of yarn
Also from the second neighbourhood. It gives you a third jump in mid-air, good until your next landing: an icon at the top and a red thread behind the cat remind you.
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The Trevi coins
Only at the Trevi Fountain, in groups of three. Grab them all and the cat tosses the last one into the fountain and a wish comes true: “WISH: HEART!” if you're missing one, otherwise a “SHIELD!”, invincible as with the bowl, or a “FRENZY!”, with prey worth double and fuller music.
Still obstacles: climb on them
Solid obstacles don't move and don't hurt from above: jump over them, or land on top and jump again even higher. Bumping into their side costs a heart (“OUCH!”).
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Crate
The first one you meet: perfect for practising landing and jumping again.
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Stack of crates
One crate on top of another: taller than a single crate.
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Bin
A rubbish bin, lid and all.
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Barrier
Yellow, with two flashing lamps.
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Potted plant
The greenery from somebody's terrace.
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Brick planter
Narrow and tall, with flowers on top.
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Air conditioner
Long and flat: an easy place to land.
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Demijohn
A big bottle for the house wine.
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Stack of tiles
Spare roof tiles, piled up on the roof.
These are Testaccio's obstacles. In every neighbourhood they change their look but are handled the same way: tables and wine crates in Trastevere, benches and painters' easels at Trinità dei Monti, stone shells and carved faces at Trevi, café crates and skylights at the Pantheon, broken columns and column tops at the Colosseum, cannonballs and barrels at Castel Sant'Angelo, stone bases and pilgrims' barriers at St. Peter's.
Still hazards: jump over them
They always carry a warning sign: spikes, steam or fire. You can't land on them: touching them, from above or from the side, costs a heart. The first time one appears the game warns you with a “WATCH OUT…”.
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WATCH OUT: PIGEON SPIKES!
Pigeon spikes
They prick: “SPIKY!”. In other neighbourhoods they wear a disguise:
SpikesTrevi Fountain
Building-site metal rodsColosseum
Railing spearheadsSt. Peter's
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WATCH OUT: PRICKLY PEAR!Prickly pear
Prickly too. At Trinità dei Monti it becomes:
Thorny rose bushTrinità dei Monti
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WATCH OUT: STEAM!Steam vent
It's hot: “TOO HOT!”. In the neighbourhoods it turns into fire:
Hot coals grillTrastevere
Chestnut roasterPantheon
TorchCastel Sant'Angelo
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WATCH OUT: CHIMNEY!
Red-hot chimney
Sits on the ledges, terraces and bridges of the upper level, from Trinità dei Monti onwards: glowing mouth, sparks and smoke. It's hot. The chimneys on top of the roofs, on the other hand, are just scenery.
Bounces and lines
Trastevere and Trevi have things of their own to run and bounce on. In the Dead of Night they turn up now and then in every neighbourhood.
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TrastevereCafé awning
Land on it and you bounce up high, with your double jump still to use. Run along and you pass underneath. The first time the game tells you: “JUMP ON THE AWNING!”.
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TrastevereLaundry line
A line strung over a gap, hung with sheets and shirts: jump onto it and run along the line, which sags under your paws. Don't jump and you fall into the gap. The first time: “RUN ON THE LINE!”.
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Trevi FountainWater jets
Jets that switch on and off to a beat: land on a jet while it's on and you bounce. When it's off it isn't there, and you're back on the roof.
Moving obstacles: who moves and who strikes
These move, attack or strike to a beat. Take them the wrong way and they cost a heart.
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The seagull
Dangerous From Trastevere onwards
A red “!” at the top right and a screech, then the dive. Jump it, or land on its back to chase it off.
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The centurion
Dangerous Colosseum
Raises his sword to a beat: jump him while it's down. With the sword up he hurts even from above.
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The Swiss Guard
Dangerous St. Peter's
Like the centurion, with a halberd (an axe blade on a long pole) and a slightly slower beat.
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The model
Dangerous Trinità dei Monti
Waits at the end of the roof, then walks toward you and strikes a pose: jump her, by a whisker if you dare.
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The scooter kid
Dangerous In the Dead of Night, in every district except Testaccio
Only in the Dead of Night. First the headlight beam and the bell, then he rides along the roof at speed: jump him. From the side he runs you over, from above you bounce, and a dive stops him: 300 points.
Rob them with a dive
Four characters have something worth stealing. From the side they hit you and from above you just bounce: to steal, you need a dive, or the bowl.
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The selfie tourists
Rob them Trinità dei Monti, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's
Pop up out of nowhere with a selfie stick. Dive on them to snatch the phone: 300 points.
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The gladiator
Rob him Colosseum
Eats his panino next to his sword. Dive to snatch it: 150 points, and he chases you or runs off.
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The trattoria host
Rob him Trastevere
Invites customers in next to the tables. Dive to snatch his supplì: 150 points.
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The politician
Rob him Trevi Fountain, Pantheon
Waves from the upper-level terraces at the Pantheon and Trevi, between two bodyguards. Dive to snatch his microphone: 300 points.
Harmless people and animals
They're part of the scenery: they won't hurt you, and some even lend a paw. Only the politician's bodyguards, the guide and her group should be taken from above, not from the side.
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The bodyguards
Solid Trevi Fountain, Pantheon
Two bodyguards either side of the politician, solid as crates: land on them and jump again. From the side they give you a “SHOVE!”.
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The cats of Largo Argentina
Friends Pantheon
Run past them along the roof: they give you a heart, or 250 points if your hearts are full.
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The tour guide
Trampoline St. Peter's
Her yellow umbrella is a trampoline with three mice above it. Just don't bump into her side.
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The tour group
Bumpable Trinità dei Monti, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's
Background almost everywhere. At St. Peter's it follows the guide and stands on the roof: bounce off from above, get shoved from the side.
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The lady with the rug
Harmless Testaccio, Trastevere
Beats her rug from the window: lots of dust, no harm.
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The black cat
Harmless In every neighbourhood
Sleeps on top of the roof: wake him and he grumbles or runs off.
Prey
Caught by running through them, and caught in a row they push the combo up.
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The mouse
Prey In every neighbourhood
On every roof, over the gaps, on scaffolding and on the upper level. Ten mice make a level.
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The pigeon
Prey In every neighbourhood
Perched on the roof, it takes off as you come: catch it in the air.
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The sparrows
Prey Every neighbourhood except Castel Sant'Angelo
In flocks of three, up high: you need the double jump.
Levels and neighbourhoods
The run is a journey across Rome: the more mice you catch, the further you go, and the further you go, the faster you run.
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Levels
Every ten mice you go up a level: “LEVEL 2!”. The number sits at the top, next to your hearts. It lasts for the run, and the next game starts again from the first.
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Neighbourhoods
Every four levels you move to a new neighbourhood, with its own marble sign, like the real ones in Rome: Testaccio, Trastevere, Trinità dei Monti, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo and St. Peter's.
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Harder and harder
As you level up the cat runs faster and new faces arrive: pigeons and sparrows, the bowl, the seagull from Trastevere on, then catnip and the ball of yarn.
Monument runs
Every neighbourhood ends with a special stretch drawn on a real monument: you run over it, through it or alongside it. In the Dead of Night they all come back, with a few more battlements (the stone teeth along the top of the walls).
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Aurelian Walls
Leaving Testaccio, with the Pyramid behind you: battlements to jump to a rhythm, the gap in the wall and the tower.
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Santa Maria in Trastevere
From the porch with its statues to the church roof. Climb onto the bell tower's ledge and the bell rings: “CLIMB!”.
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The Spanish Steps
The open space in front of the church, four flights of steps to race down for a speed boost, and then the square.
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Palazzo Poli
The ledge above the Trevi Fountain, among statues and the coat of arms, with the basin in the foreground: this is where the three wishing coins are.
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The Pantheon dome
You run across the dome. Fall through the oculus and you lose no hearts: you land inside, in the beam of light, on a row of mice. You leave through the portico with a jump.
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The Colosseum ruins
On the ring the slabs crack and collapse right after you land: get across by hopping from slab to slab, without stopping.
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Passetto di Borgo
From Castel Sant'Angelo a long walkway runs along the top of the wall, with battlements one after another.
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St. Peter's colonnade
The colonnade, with its row of statues up on top, leads straight to the dawn rooftop.
Dawn over St. Peter's
Eight neighbourhoods, four levels each, from Testaccio to St. Peter's: make it to the end and you'll see the sun come up.
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The dawn rooftop
A long, clear roof full of pigeons. At the end a cat is waiting: Rosso sits down next to her and the sun rises behind the dome. “DAWN OVER ROME”: 2,000 points the first time, 1,000 after that.
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The keepsake photo
The game takes a polaroid of the two cats with your final score and puts it in the “Album”. SAVE downloads the “Greetings from Rome!” postcard, with your cat on the stamp; SHARE sends it to whoever you like.
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Dead of night
“The next night…” you start again from Testaccio, darker: the seagull in every neighbourhood, crows in pairs, a quicker centurion and Swiss Guard, and scooters zooming across the rooftops.
The journey across Italy
From the menu, “Travel” opens the map of Italy with the night train. Each city will be a run of its own, with its own neighbourhoods and finish; above the map is your journey total, the sum of your best score in every city.
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Rome
The first stop: from Testaccio all the way to dawn at St. Peter's.
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Civita di Bagnoregio
Coming soon: the village on a rocky hilltop, surrounded by crumbling clay hills.
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Florence
Coming soon, on the northern line.
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Naples
Coming soon, on the southern line.
Daily challenge, achievements and leaderboard
To measure yourself against others, and against yourself, one run after another.
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Daily challenge
The menu has a button with today's date: one route for everyone, worldwide, always in Rome. Play as often as you like; your best counts. The day changes at midnight GMT.
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Achievements
Missions has an Achievements tab: dozens of challenges, from first times (“Your first seagull”) to long-term goals (“Rooftop marathoner”). Each has its own medal, some in three levels (bronze, silver and gold), and a reward in gold fish and stars.
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Leaderboard
“TOP CATS”: the ten best scores, with each player's three-letter name and cat. The Today tab is the daily challenge leaderboard.
Gold fish, shop and missions
Between one run and the next: what you earn on the rooftops, how you spend it and why it pays to come back every day.
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Gold fish
The game's currency. Every mouse is worth one; birds, seagulls shooed away, dive thefts and distance run earn you more. At the end of the run your loot goes into your piggy bank. Once the day's catch is full, each run pays only a third until tomorrow.
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The cat shop
Nine cats: Rosso, Notte, Fumo, Crema, Soriano, Arlecchino, Zaffiro, Romeo and Cesare. You buy them with gold fish, and some only unlock at the right rank. Then you choose who to run with: their face shows up next to your hearts, too.
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Daily missions
Three missions a day, one easy, one medium and one hard, new at midnight: catch mice, steal a supplì from the trattoria host, shoo away seagulls, reach the Trevi Fountain. You can swap one. Each pays gold fish and stars; collect all three and the daily chest opens. Finished ones are marked DONE!, the Completed tab keeps your history, and forgotten rewards are collected for you the next day.
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Stars and ranks
Stars raise your rank: from Stray Kitten to Trastevere Cat, Colosseum Cat and up to King of the Rooftops, then Emperor of the Rooftops. Every rank brings gold fish, unlocks new cats in the shop and makes the missions a little tougher.
Coming soon!