Leo's Red Carpet Rampage: How Long Can You Last?

C.S. Jones Last updated: April 10, 2024 · 2 min read

Have you ever wanted to relive 20 years of an actor’s frustration in 16-bit?

For those who haven’t heard it through popcultural osmosis, Leonardo DiCaprio’s been nominated for an Oscar four times, but never won, despite picking up tons of almost every other award Hollywood has to offer. It’s spawned countless memes, a website, and now… A game.

In Leo’s Red Carpet Rampage, you run down the red carpet, jumping over hordes of paparazzi and collecting boatloads of BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Emmy in pursuit of the ultimate award.

There are a few mini-games, all involving the same two buttons you use to run, including one where you have to cry hard enough to deserve the prize…

One based on The Wolf of Wall Street’s quaalude overdose scene…

And one where you search for a black nominee. (Hint: don’t beat yourself up if you can’t find one.)

The attention to detail is what makes the game succeed–and succeed it has, currently averaging a thousand plays per minute. It’s crammed with more pop cultural references than you’d imagine possible in such a small space, with both copious references to Leo’s various movies and sections pitting you against pixelated Oscar competitors Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, and Eddie Redmayne, all dressed as the characters they’re nominated for, while an unkillable Lady Gaga rampages across your path like the Yeti from Ski Free.

They’ve even included a special Easter Egg unlockable only by Leo himself, should he reach out to the studio. And all of this for a game made in only three weeks. What could have been a lazy cash-in ended up a genuinely fun game.

This is typical of its creators, London animation studio The Line, who often go above and beyond, taking what could be simple ads and concepts to a whole new level. Take a look at this ad for Freeview Play, where they created a whole dystopian world to advertise a Live TV service.

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About the Author

C.S. Jones

C.S. Jones is a freelance writer, artist, and photographer.\r\n\r\nIn the past, he co-founded an art gallery and worked at a product photography studio. These days, he does photo tutorials (and gigs), online copy, and content marketing for a living. He also writes about webcomics at Webcomicry.com…

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