Pico Panic was inspired by boundary-pushing games like Dani Bunten's M.U.L.E. The game is meant to be inscrutable from the outside but full of strategy and fun for anyone in on the secret.
Staying under the 64k limit was a massive challenge. I had to rewrite the source code with a functional approach to make all the logic work without going over. Also, A lot of fancy graphics had to be tossed overboard because this game can max out at tracking 40 pieces on the board simultaneously.
Game has its own tutorial, but the controls are as follows:
Cursor mode:
UDLR - move your player cursor
X - enter placement mode
O - switch to the next cursor mode (Cycles between cursor - place defender, cursor - place attacker, and capture mode)
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I’m a low-vision developer who recently fell head-over-heels for Pico-8 and Picotron—honestly, the low-res aesthetic is a game-changer for central vision loss. With fewer pixels and tight constraints, these platforms are some of the most playable and buildable game dev environments I’ve come across.
That said, I’ve been running into some accessibility bumps—especially with the IDE tooltips. The red-on-brick-red color scheme is tough to parse, and jumping my gaze from one side of the screen to the other really adds up in eye strain over long sessions.
Here’s my wishlist:
• Screen reader support: If tooltips and field labels had ARIA tags or other hooks for screen readers, I could fly through tools without as much visual fatigue.
• Retro screen reader mode: Even better? Imagine a built-in reader that sounds like an old-school ’80s computer voice. Bleeps, bloops, the whole vibe. Functional and fun.
I know accessibility work takes time, but even a small tweak—like upping the contrast on tooltips—would go a long way. I’d love to hear if others have worked around this or if it’s on the roadmap.
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Ten days of hyperfocus later, I have a working playtest ready!
The "how to play" section needs a lot of love, but the game is functional. The logic is based on the Andy Looney game Icehouse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjow6EJflw4&t=192s), which is a real time board game played with 3-4 players.
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A new WiP for a 4 player RTS game. It's also my first pico project. yay!
Pyramid Panic – A Game of Tactical Geometry 🚀
Hey PICO‑8 pals! I’m brewing a snappy 3–4‑player skirmish where every pyramid you fling can flip the table. Try it, break it, tell me what hurts!
Quick Pitch
Redirect lasers? Nah—redirect pyramids! Stack attacks, juggle defenses, and overload your rivals before the buzzer.
Controls
Each player drives one cursor with three modes (cycle with ⬅️ / ➡️):
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attack | Plant an 8‑pixel pyramid aimed at any defender. Hitting your own defender scores 0 but still fuels Overcharge. |
| Defend | Keep a defender alive at all times. Lose it and you’ve got 10 s to drop another or you’re out. |
| Capture | Triggered by Overcharge—snatch an attacker pointed at your defender, then redeploy it anywhere. |
Scoring
We recalc right after every placement:
- Attackers earn 1 pt if 2 + attackers point at the same defender of another color.
- Defenders earn 1 pt if facing 0 – 1 attackers.
- Everything else = 0.
Each player totes 6 pieces → 36 pyramids max in a 4‑player frenzy.
Overcharge ⚡
Three or more attackers locking on one defender? That defender Overcharges. Its owner gets an instant Capture move before play rolls on.
Endgame
- 3‑minute round timer, or
- Player 1 may end early by holding both buttons 5 s.
Highest score wins. Tie = sudden‑death; first point steals the crown.
State of the Panic
Alpha build live! I need your hot takes on:
- Attack/defense balance
- Is six pieces each spicy enough?
- Can you always tell which cursor mode you’re in?
Drop feedback, gifs, and victory dances below. Salty taunts encouraged.
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First pico-8 game. My old trig brain is getting a workout from this!
Game mechanics are loosely based on Andy Looney's game Icehouse.
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