How to make an 8-bit Jungle Commando game — retro game maker
Run, jump and shoot in 8 directions through the jungle — guard-bots, drones and a tank-bot boss. Play it first, then open it in the Retro 8-bit Studio and change it until it is your own game.
🎮 Controls: ← → move · ↑ ↓ aim · Z jump · X shoot · press Z on the title screen to start
The numbers that make the game
At the top of the 8-bit (TIC-80) code are the settings — change one, run the game, and feel the difference.
This is how game designers balance a game.
var SPEED = 1.4
How fast the commando runs
var JUMP = 3.6
How high the commando jumps
var GRAVITY = 0.2
How hard it falls back down
var LIVES = 3
Tries before GAME OVER
var BULLET_SPEED = 4
How fast your shots fly
var FIRE_DELAY = 10
Frames between shots (smaller = faster shooting)
var ENEMY_HP = 2
Hits a guard-bot can take
var BOSS_HP = 24
Hits the tank-bot can take
var JUNGLE = 7
Background colour (0 to 15)
var SOUND = true
False = a quiet game (F4 changes the sounds)
var MUSIC = true
False = no title tune (F5 changes the music)
7 ways to change the jungle commando game
Try them in order. The studio ticks each one off when your change works.
F1 Code: more tries — change var LIVES = 3 to 9, then Ctrl+R to play.
F1 Code: super-fast shooting — var FIRE_DELAY = 10 → 4.
F1 Code: a different tank-bot — var BOSS_HP = 24 → 60 (tougher) or 8 (easier).
F1 Code: a night mission — var JUNGLE = 7 → 0.
F3 Map: paint more guard-bots (the walker tile) into the jungle.
F2 Sprites: give the commando new colours (sprite 256).
F4 Sounds: make your own shooting sound — pick sound 4, draw new volume or pitch bars.
How it works on TalentJR
Play the gameFind out what feels too easy or too hard — that is what you will change.
Open it in the studioRetro 8-bit Studio runs a real 8-bit computer (TIC-80): F1 code, F2 sprites, F3 map, F4 sounds.
Change one thing at a timeA number first, then a new rule, then your own art and title.
Save and shareSign in to keep your game, then share a talentjr.in/play/… link on WhatsApp — friends can play it and make their own version.
