A couple of weeks ago, I visited a retro arcade packed with classic cabinets from the ‘70s and ‘80s—Space Invaders, Centipede, Joust, you name it. Growing up, one of my favorite memories was playing Galaga every Friday at a diner while visiting my grandparents, so I’ve always had a soft spot for old arcade games.
After that arcade trip, I left with a thought:
"I should try making one of these myself."
I’d been meaning to learn Pygame for years, so this felt like the perfect excuse. At first, I considered tackling one of my absolute favorites Defender, but after realizing how complex the scrolling mechanics were for my first attempt, I pivoted to something simpler—(yet another 😅) Asteroids clone.
A couple dozen hours later, I’ve got Planetoids—a fast-paced, glitchy, take on the classic. It’s a full-on retro space shooter with juicy explosions, ricocheting lasers, power-ups, and plenty of chaotic moments.
If you want to check it out, it’s up on PyPI (pip install planetoids-game) and available on GitHub.
Thanks so much for reading and if you liked my content, be sure to check out some of my other work or connect with me on social media or my personal website 😄
Chris Greening - Software Developer
Hey! My name's Chris Greening and I'm a software developer from the New York metro area with a diverse range of engineering experience - beam me a message and let's build something great!
christophergreening.com
Cheers!
