I’ve been browsing PICO-8 projects lately and I think the limitations are probably the part I find most interesting.
With such a small canvas and limited tools, every choice seems more deliberate — how movement feels, which colours are used, or how much can be communicated with just a few pixels.
I’m still very new to this side of game development, but it’s been fun seeing how much personality people manage to fit into such small projects.
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Rocket up, collect and try not to crash!
Your goal is to get as high a score you can with out crashing!
However... there is a mechanic that allows you to get MORE items from crashing. So long as you meet quota!
Strategically crash to get the highest score you can!
You can find more specific instructions in-game!
This game was originally made in <24hrs for the Stop Killing Games Community Jam 2026 but unfortunately refused to submit in time.
Now I update it here periodically for fun.
Enjoy!
Known Bugs:
This section is updated as issues are found and fixed!
FDV = Fixed in Development Version
No known bugs! For now...
Changelog:
Alpha 2.1 Fixes & Minor Changes
- The setter now runs based on whether SETTER_RUNNING is true or false rather than if SETTER_RUNTIME is greater than 0
- The X button no longer starts the game from the instruction menu
- Fixed the values of the squares being inconsistant with the in-game documentation
- Added variables to make tweaking the square values easier in the future
- Moved the version number below the title
- Added some extra decor to the menu
- The fire is now animated at the correct FPS once again
- Added variety
Alpha 2:
This is the first set of patches and fixes since the first public version.
This update also served to re-familiarize me with the code. It's a mess.
You can find the older versions on my itch.io profile of the same name (soon).
Since this program was originally written in a single day for a jam this code was a nightmare to touch up.
Expect more updates in the future!
The Goal is at least 1 new alpha release every month.
No promises!
Below are the changes I made in the order I made them.
- Added input delay for death menu to prevent reviving too fast
- Changed generator dialog to "GENERATING ITEMS" instead of "GENERATING TILES"
- Stars reach the edge of the map
- Added fuel limit
- Added unique variables for fuel, starting fuel, and the NEW fuel limit
- Only squares will now contribute to collection goal
- Game version is now shown in the start menu
- Changed menu dialog for the item setter for clarity
- The left and right edges of the map now correctly behave as walls (BUG 01)
- Cleaned up the code a bit (just a bit)
- Fixed the 2 misspellings of "SQUARE" on page 2 of instructions
- Tweaked the values of the squares in relation to their color to be consistent with my older projects, gas has been left the same
- Adjusted instructions to be consistent with new changes
- Changed death screen generator notification
- Changed notification text to green
- Added background to notification
- The notification now blinks and blerps to get your attention!
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I don't know enough about Pico-8 to know how to move forwards with this.
This game has been running fine until today when I added a section of code. Now, the game won't run at all, but gives errors like this:
syntax error line 1178 (tab 0)
::turn_right::
<goto turn_right> at line 1097 (tab 0) jumps into the scope of local '(for compound)'There's nothing wrong with the code there or anywhere near there, and certainly no scope jumping.
What's really curious is that the error changes if I start commenting out code. For example, comment out everything in the ::move_seeker:: section. Now the error returned is "Unclosed function" at the line where enemy_move() starts - which again is a spurious error.
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FLAIL RAIL
An intense single-cart physics roguelike where you control an overclocked kinetic flail held together by sketchy jumper wires and sheer vibes.
📜 STORY
You are a test probe dropped onto a breadboard from hell. Swarms of parasitic circuit bugs and high-voltage bosses are flooding the arena. Swing your Verletphysics cord, parry bullets, bounce off pinball bumpers, and stack 18 overclocked mods before the magic smoke escapes.
🎮 CONTROLS
* Mouse: Swing flail & aim
* Hold Left Click: Reel cord in (build tension charge)
* [b]Release Left Click
Nose
A tile-based platform puzzle speedrunner.
Inspired by SpiderPig's game from mygamebuilder
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I've brought Sharkle (from the game Night in the Woods) into the land of Picotron!~
Sharkle sits there on your desktop and keeps you company!
----------=-=- Controls -=-=----------
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Left-click -- Hear what Sharkle has to say!
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Left-click & Drag -- Move Sharkle to a comfy spot!
- Right-click -- Customize Sharkle's palette and speed!
V2 Update:
- Cursor and timing fixes
- Added info and cart icon
V3 Update:
- Dithered transparency is now functional!
- Sharkle will now appear in the bottom corner of whatever tab you currently have open (not in the middle of the desktop like before)
V4 Update:
- Clicks will now properly pass through Sharkle's invisible window
- Small performance improvement using batched spr() call
- Dithered translucency will no longer cause unpredictable results over apps with custom palettes
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Fly by science and by feel in this space gravity physics adventure!
Complete missions as you advance your spaceflight skills.
Flight Controls
x: thrust; increase translational velocity in the rocket's current angle
left: increase angular velocity; rotate counter-clockwise faster or clockwise slower
right: decrease angular velocity; rotate clockwise faster or counter-clockwise slower
z: display alternate stats (for select missions)
pause: menu option to restart mission
Flight Telemetry Gauges
x: distance to the right of the center of Earth, negative is to the left
y: distance above the center of Earth, negative is down
θ: your rocket's current angle; radians/pi
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Instructions:
Use the arrow keys to navigate the maze. You must walk over each red checkpoint before progressing to the next level, which is triggered by the blue tile. Each checkpoint will also give you more steps, displayed in the top left corner. If you run out of steps before completing the level you lose.
About:
My main goal with this game was to better understand tiles and collisions. I also wanted to add some music and try making a game with levels.
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Hi!! it used to be when i did podnet:// in the file browser and then clicked into my user, i could put files in there and see em. Right now when I go in there i dont see any of the carts ive put in there before, and if i drag a new one in then it still just looks empty. Same thing if i try to create a new folder in there. Is something up with podnet?
I did update my picotron to 0.3.0d cause I was on C or B, to see if that would fix anything, but it doesnt seem like it.
Cheers!
- semaphore
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I've been playing around with PICO-8 to explore what it might be like to use for computer game art and philosophy. Here's my latest:
NHS Manager
A tiny art-game about public healthcare in modern Britain.
"This was the first time I addressed a contemporary political issue in an art-game. I thought it would be interesting to make a simple simulator about being a manager of an NHS hospital. I used to play games like Theme Hospital and Sim City. They always had a sharp satirical edge, something that was lost as the genre developed in the 2000s. Given the pressures on the NHS today, I wanted to go back to that. Like many people in Britain, I've received fantastic care from the NHS. But there's also times when I've been let down. And I've lived through all the rounds of 'reforms'. I even worked as a healthcare assistant for a bit, back at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital when I was first swapping PICO-8 carts. This game is both a love letter to and a playful satire of an institution that we need more than ever."
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You're a horse and you're learning morse. Another 'game in an evening'.
Press x to jump. Learn some horse morse I guess. Coming soon, more morse, more horse! More... Sauce?
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Welcome to PORKSOULS!
As a lone piggy adventurer, your goal is to reach the highest floor in the Pork Tower to obtain the most delicious treasure of all the porky products, the Bacon Strip of Power.
Crawl your way through 8 dungeon floors cloaked in darkness, delicious foods hidden in vases and tombstones, and dangerous monsters crawling around. Find the next staircase and reach the top of the tower!
CONTROLS
Press the Arrow Keys to navigate, interact with objects and attack monsters
Press the X Key to activate your inventory and observe items and press C to exit.
Arm yourself with kitchenware items and protections to fight back against stronger monsters on the upper floors
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Welcome to my game - OURO!! First release, feedback very welcome.
Controls
Arrows to turn · Z or X to start · Please post your biggest size!
About
Three rival snakes share your arena. They have names, they want the same food you do, and only one of you is getting out.
Made in PICO-8 by Banxie Games.
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hello! im not sure if this will show up on anyones feed but if it does i have bought all 3 of lexaloffles games around 1 or 2 years ago but i needed to make a new account and since i bought them directly from this website and nowhere else i was wondering if anyone could help and or if i just need to rebuy?
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As Facebook is wont to do, it showed me a "memory" today of what can probably be considered my PICO-8 Anniversary - 10 years today!
The PocketCHIP didn't last but the PICO-8 certainly did! I know I haven't released anything new in a while...life and all, but I'm always getting inspiration and jotting down ideas. Honestly, I can't even lurk on Blue Sky anymore because I see so much motivating stuff that it'll totally de-rail the projects I actually need to get finished! Curse you, all!
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To those that helped me get started both in code and concepts, THANK YOU.
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To all of those that have played my games and shared feedback, THANK YOU.
- To @zep maybe most of all...THANK YOU for making a platform that is as fun to create on as it is to play on.
I guess some of my games can be considered "classics" now after 10 years and they might be buried under piles of much better-looking and technically marvelous games, but I take pride in the fact that they largely still hold up even though they were early games in timeline.
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