*simple.* - minimalist, one-bit satisfaction

Arcade Game Design
,
#1

simple.: A minimalist, one-bit, game about… nothing really.

https://makecode.com/_Lysakycyiij7

Instructions:
First watch the intro. Then…

  1. Observe the symbol in the top left, it shows what type of ball is coming up.
  2. Press A to select it.
  3. Use the arrows to position the ball anywhere on the white playfield the arrow by the cursor shows which direction it will go.
  4. Press A to set it moving.
  5. Repeat until one of the balls hits another.

I took a massive amount of inspiration from the mobile game okay? , the minimalism, simple information design, music created from the gameplay, and just the general vibe. I can take credit for the concept :grin: . The text sprite extension was very useful, for creating a consistent look, although I thought it would be nice if you could customise the built in lives and score graphics.

11 Likes
#2

I LOVE this!

The music, art, and gameplay are top notch!

2 Likes
#3

I got 5

3 Likes
#4

So fun! Love the sound effects!

3 Likes
#5

I love this! I got 7. Plays on meowbit.

2 Likes
#6

Simple yet fun! Love it!

2 Likes
#7

Thank you all for the lovely comments :blush:! It’s been a while since I last used makecode, but this was so fun (and easy) to make that I think I might start playing around with it again, maybe this time with python mode.

3 Likes
#8

Game review and rating:

– [ Artstyle ] –
☐ A kindergartener drew it
☐ Down bad
:ballot_box_with_check: Average
☐ Good
☐ Amazing

– [ Gameplay ] –
☐ I’d rather watch grass grow
☐ Not very amusing
☐ Alright
:ballot_box_with_check: Enjoyable
☐ Exquisitely masterful (it rocks)

– [ Story ] –
:ballot_box_with_check: There’s no story
☐ So cliché
☐ Admireable
☐ Amazing
☐ You forget you have a life

– [ Performance ] –
☐ Doesn’t run
☐ Seconds per frame
☐ Stitched screenshots
☐ Partially smooth
:ballot_box_with_check: Flawless

– [ Bugs ] –
☐ Fallout 76
☐ Constant crashes
☐ Lots of bugs, little crashing
:ballot_box_with_check: Mostly smooth actually
☐ Properly debugged :point_right::smiley: :point_right:

– [ Length ] –
:ballot_box_with_check: Flappy bird (3 seconds)
☐ Average runner game (a few minutes)
☐ Minecraft if you git gud (~20 minutes)
☐ Fledged RPG game (20 minutes - 1 hour)
☐ How is this MakeCode??? (1+ hour(s))

– [ Difficulty ] –
☐ Cookie clicker
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn, hard to master
:ballot_box_with_check: Challenging
☐ Dark Souls

– [ Replayability ] –
☐ One-time experience
☐ For collectibles
☐ Every once in a while
☐ For sure
:ballot_box_with_check: It’s meant to be replayed

– [ Overall ] –
Rating - :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: [4.5/5]
Review - “simple.” is a strategic replayable game where the player is tasked with placing moving balls on a canvas with the goal of placing as many as possible without them colliding. Every turn, the direction of the next ball is randomly decided. The balls can move vertically, horizontally and diagonally. For each placed ball, the player gains a point. This game is well made with great performance and interesting gameplay, whilst keeping a minimalist one-bit (two colors only) color scheme. Getting a big highscore is difficult as the game exponentially gets harder the more balls you place down. Truly a game worth trying out and possibly downloading to hardware to enjoy as a passtime.

1 Like
#9

Happy B-day!

1 Like