How to make an 8-bit Platform Adventure game — retro game maker
Run, jump over pits, grab coins, stomp slimes and reach the flag — a classic 8-bit platformer you can change. Play it first, then open it in the Retro 8-bit Studio and change it until it is your own game.
🎮 Controls: ← → run · Z or ↑ jump · 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 = 1.5
How fast the robot runs
var JUMP = 3.6
How high the robot jumps
var GRAVITY = 0.2
How hard it falls back down
var LIVES = 3
Tries before GAME OVER
var COIN_POINTS = 10
Points for one coin
var STOMP_POINTS = 50
Points for jumping on a slime
var SKY = 10
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 platform adventure game
Try them in order. The studio ticks each one off when your change works.
F1 Code: a faster robot — change var SPEED = 1.5 to 2.5, then Ctrl+R to play.
F1 Code: a higher jump — var JUMP = 3.6 → 4.5.
F1 Code: a new sky — var SKY = 10 → 1 (any colour 0 to 15).
F1 Code: your own title — change "PLATFORM ADVENTURE" to your game's name (CAPITALS look best).
F3 Map: pick the coin tile and paint more coins into the level.
F2 Sprites: give the robot new colours (sprite 256).
F4 Sounds: make your own jump sound — pick sound 0, 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.
