The Great Reset – A Satirical Game using Vanilla Javascript
THE GREAT RESET is a satirical take on a conspiracy theory that throws you headfirst into an epic battle against the monstrous minions of the global elite. Armed with your trusty mouse (or finger on touchscreen devices), defend humanity from the overwhelming insect invasion in this wacky, fast-paced arcade shooter! Remember, Klaus Schwab is watching you.
Eat ze Bugs and you’ll be happy!
* Play Anywhere, Anytime: Enjoy THE GREAT RESET seamlessly on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone.
* Endless Squashing: Dodge and blast waves of creepy crawlies in increasingly difficult endless encounters.
* Mobile Optimized: Experience adjusts enemy speeds and difficulty for smooth bug-squashing on the go.
With intuitive controls and a pick-up-and-play design, it’s perfect for short bursts of gaming fun – anywhere, anytime! Fight back against the creepy crawly menace and expose the truth… one squashed bug at a time!
Link to the game: THE GREAT RESET
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THE GREAT RESET: Eat Ze Bugs! – Development Journey
Idea & Inspiration
Arcade shooters hold a nostalgic place in my heart, and I always wanted to create one myself. Then, the idea for a satirical take on the «Great Reset» conspiracy theory emerged. This wacky concept, where you blast bugs, signifying that you’re eating them for protein, felt like a perfect blend of humor and classic arcade action.
Development Process
Knowing I wanted a fast-paced, accessible game, I opted for a 2D development environment. This allowed me to focus on core game-play mechanics like enemy variety, strategic shooting, and responsive controls. The art style leans towards a colorful, cartoony look that keeps things lighthearted.
The core game-play pillars were straightforward: shoot, and survive waves of increasingly difficult bugs. However, I wanted to add some depth. Different enemy types with unique behaviors were implemented to keep players on their toes. At first, there was just one level, but with some difficulty, I managed to implement an endless game with increasing difficulty. Balancing the difficulty for both mobile and desktop play was also a focus, with adjustments made to enemy speed and attack patterns.
Learning Curve
This project was a great way to experiment with game design and refine programming skills. Creating a game that’s fun and engaging on multiple devices required careful planning and testing. The process also involved learning new tricks for animation and visual effects, making those pesky bugs come to life! Sprite animation and optimization of the sprites to use less storage really had me in a fix. However, implementing levels after having created the whole game without levels, was the most challenging.
One of the biggest hurdles was balancing the difficulty. You want the game to be challenging but not so frustrating that new players get discouraged. Finding that sweet spot took a lot of play-testing and tweaking enemy speeds, attack patterns, and the overall pace of the game.
Another learning curve was optimizing the experience for mobile devices. Adjusting enemy movement and touch controls was crucial to ensure smooth, bug-squashing fun on the go.
Facing the Bugs (and Errors)
Let’s be honest, coding in general isn’t always smooth sailing. You miss a semicolon here, make a spelling mistake there and it won’t work. And oh, the different cases in variable names causing errors, that’s the worst! There were days of literal hair-pulling as I debugged code or wrestled with visual glitches. However, these challenges were ultimately rewarding as I found solutions and watched the game come together.
The Final Squish
Seeing the finished product, THE GREAT RESET: Eat Ze Bugs!, was incredibly satisfying. It’s a game that’s easy to pick up and play. Most importantly, it injects a bit of humor into a serious topic and helped me test and expand my skills in Javascript.