pen platformer
Pen Platformer: A Unique Drawing Engine Adventure
Dive into Pen Platformer, a distinctive online platformer where the entire visual experience—from the player character and platforms to level text—is rendered using a sophisticated pen drawing engine, not traditional sprites. Created by @BirdNani, this project began as an exploration of the pen tool's capabilities and evolved into a full-featured game with 9 handcrafted levels.
Core Gameplay & Controls
Navigate your character through a series of challenging obstacle courses. Use the arrow keys for basic movement: left and right to run, and up to jump. A key mechanic is the wall jump; hold the jump button while running into a wall to propel yourself upwards. This skill is essential for mastering later stages.
Level Elements & Hazards
The world is drawn with color-coded interactive elements:
- Green Platforms: Standard ground you can walk and jump on.
- Red Lava: Touching it will instantly reset your character to the start of the level.
- Yellow Jump Pads: Launch you high into the air for reaching distant platforms.
- Light Blue Ice: Causes your character to slide, adding a slippery challenge to navigation.
- Purple Gravity Switchers: Alter the physics, flipping your perspective to navigate ceilings and unconventional paths.
Technical Innovation & Notes
This game stands out for its technical foundation. It was built using a custom pen engine developed by the creator, moving away from Scratch's common "if touching color" logic for more robust collision detection. The developer notes this was a learning project, acknowledging a known glitch where characters may occasionally stick and glide up walls. They are actively working on a refined detection system for a future version. All visual elements are generated in real-time by the pen, with only the thumbnail being a static image. The project gained significant community traction, reaching Top Loved and Top Remixed status on its original platform with over 10,000 views.
Enjoy a pure platforming challenge built from code and creativity. Explore each of the 9 possible levels, master the wall-jump, and experience game design from the ground up.
