asteroids

About

This is a from-scratch, browser-based reimplementation of the arcade game Asteroids, built with HTML5 canvas and playable directly on the project's GitHub Pages site. The author describes it as a "reimagining" rather than a strict recreation, aiming to keep the spirit of the original while adding modern game feel.

How it differs from the original

Compared to the original coin-op, this version adds camera shake, bigger explosions, and faster ship movement, plus a temporary damage-blocking shield and more forgiving firing — changes the author says are meant to make the game more generous than a cabinet designed to take your quarters. Like the original, it cycles between a high-score screen and a self-playing "attraction mode" between games, saving high scores to the browser's local storage.

Getting started

The game runs in a browser with keyboard controls (arrow keys or A/D to rotate, up arrow or W to thrust, Ctrl to fire, Space for hyperspace) or touch gestures on mobile (pan to rotate/thrust, pinch out for hyperspace).

Controls

• Hidden extras exist: Z toggles a collision-debug overlay, B toggles a CRT monitor burn-in effect, and G enables god mode.

Media

Additional notes

Trivia

The author had no prior experience with the HTML5 canvas before starting this project and used only two external libraries, howler.js for sound and hammer.js for touch support.