Centipede Attack 2D

Centipede Attack 2D is a fixed-screen, top-down arcade shooter developed by independent studio RetroByte Games and released for PC and mobile platforms in 2018. The game is a direct homage to the 1981 classic Centipede, updating the core concept with modern visual effects and a persistent progression system. The player controls a small, triangular cannon at the bottom of a vertically scrolling play area. The primary antagonist is a segmented centipede that descends from the top of the screen, moving in a serpentine pattern. Each segment of the centipede is an independent hitbox; destroying a middle segment splits the creature into two separate, shorter centipedes that continue their descent. The environment is populated with static, destructible mushrooms that block movement and deflect the centipede’s path. Additional enemy types include spiders that move diagonally, fleas that drop from the top, and scorpions that poison mushrooms, causing the centipede to dive directly toward the player. The game features a single-player campaign with 50 levels, each increasing in enemy density and speed. A scoring system awards points per segment destroyed, with bonus multipliers for consecutive kills. The game does not include a multiplayer mode. Visuals are rendered in a pixel-art style with a limited color palette, and the audio consists of synthesized sound effects and a looping chiptune soundtrack.

The player controls the cannon using a mouse or touch input. On PC, moving the mouse moves the cannon horizontally across the bottom of the screen. On mobile, dragging a finger across the touchscreen moves the cannon to the corresponding position. The cannon fires a single, rapid projectile by holding the left mouse button or by keeping a finger pressed on the screen. There is no manual reload; firing is continuous as long as the input is held. The cannon cannot move vertically. The centipede moves one segment per frame, descending one row when it hits a mushroom or the screen edge. The player must aim ahead of the centipede’s head to destroy segments. Destroying a segment causes the centipede to split, creating two independent heads that continue downward. The player has a limited number of lives, displayed as icons at the top of the screen. Contact with any enemy or a poisoned mushroom results in the loss of a life and a brief invulnerability period. The game ends when all lives are lost. Between levels, the player can spend earned points in a shop to upgrade the cannon’s fire rate, projectile speed, or starting lives. The pause function is activated by pressing the Escape key on PC or a dedicated pause button on mobile. The game does not support keyboard-only controls for movement.