A Horse Ran Down I-95 and Now It’s The Most Philadelphia Video Game Ever

The Philadelphia Inquirer commemorated the horse that recently got loose on I-95 in 8-bit glory with a side-scrolling game on their website.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wasted no time uploading the game to its site, launching Horse 95 just two days after the animal was spotted along the interstate after escaping Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club. Horse 95 allows players to step into the hoofs of the recently storied steed, testing how far along the freeway they can make it before reaching the game over screen. The game was developed by Inquirer staff Dain Saint, Sam Morris, Jasen Lo, and Charmaine Runes.

According to Horse 95’s intro, the real horse’s commute ended in Port Richmond, roughly five miles from its starting point at the Strawberry Mansion nonprofit. Horse 95 players receive a progress report of how far they made it along the horse’s route with both a mile marker and a prompt about the location in which their own journey came to an end. Scores for the side-scroller can be copied for participants to share on social media.

Fortunately, the horse that the game is based on was not harmed during its escape and encountered very few obstacles, as it was spotted in the early, pre-commute hours of the morning. However, Horse 95’s simple gameplay presents hurdles in the form of traffic cones that the player must leap over using the space bar. Jumping is also utilized to fuel up with Wawa coffee, which players need to collect to retain their horsepower.

The inclusion of the regional convenience store chain gives Horse 95 an added layer of Philadelphian excellence. And, though the game has no accompanying music, Wawa may have already provided Horse 95’s perfect anthem in the delightfully hokey ditty “I-95” off their promotional Hoagiefest soundtrack. In addition to Wawa coffee, Philadelphia has a storied history with urban horse riding (though not necessarily along 1-95 itself) as honored in films such as Netflix’s Concrete Cowboy.

It’s not too often that a ripped-from-the-headlines story makes ideal side-scroller fodder, but The Inquirer certainly struck on a uniquely Philadelphian opportunity with the equestrian escape earlier this week. It would behoof interested commuters to gallop over to the game’s site if they want to test how far they can make it down I-95 themselves.