Here is our Astro Arcade: i.e., the three games we developed with Scratch for the exhibition Time Machines at the “Palazzo Esposizioni” in Roma from November 25, 2023 until March 24, 2024.

We will publish a guide describing how we realized them so you can discover some valuable tricks in developing similar games. The three arcades are free and accessible; you can remix them with Scratch ?

Asteronoids

Destroy dangerous asteroids with the help of friendly comets

(by Rino Bandiera e Barbara Olmi)

In this game, you will have fun with asteroids, minor celestial bodies of the Solar System, and remnants of the formation of planets, which, according to their composition, are classified as TYPE C (the most common, with a high carbon content), TYPE S (stony composition, mainly silicates) and TYPE M (the rarest ones, which contain metals, such as iron and nickel). There will also be comets, which are minor objects, coming from the remotest regions of the Solar Systems. They are made of dust and ice, whose sublimation during the passage near the Sun produces two tails: a (blue) tail made of ionized atoms in a direction opposite to the Sun and one made of dust, deflected in the direction of motion.

How to play

Destroy as many asteroids as possible, but be careful: different asteroids require a different number of shots to be destroyed: type C 1 shot; type S 2 shots; type M 3 shots. You will see comets passing randomly: if they are hit, you will receive, as a bonus, a red ball. The loss of the bonus ball will not make you lose a life. You will gain one point for every asteroid you destroy, one life if you manage to destroy them all! The game ends when you lose your last life; earn your place in the top 5!

If you want to play Asteronoid click here!

Planetris

Compose the puzzle and discover a planet

(by Rino Bandiera e Barbara Olmi)

The goal of this game is to “discover” various objects of the Solar System. You must adequately arrange the multiple tiles (the correct position is indicated each time by a red silhouette) so that each tile will make a portion of the planet (or Sun or Moon) visible. But you will have to hurry because each time a countdown starts. Moreover, you will have to watch out for passing asteroids. You can read a short note about that celestial object when a planet is discovered.

How to play

The game starts with 100 credits and 0 points. For each correctly placed tile, you will gain several points equal to the seconds left. In any case, be careful! You will lose five credits if you get hit by a meteorite or go out of time. Tiles should be carefully arranged: each wrongly placed tile will cost you ten credits. However, each discovered planet will be worth 20 credits. The game will become more and more complex and will be over when your credit pool runs out. Gain a place in the top 5!

If you want to play Planetris, click here!

AstroPacman

Guide Pacman among the stars and celestial bodies of the galaxy

(by Maura Sandri, Rino Bandiera e Barbara Olmi)

In this game, you will have fun leading Pacman among the stars of the galaxy. You’ll have to be careful with asteroids, minor bodies wandering in planetary systems like ours, whose size can range up to hundreds of kilometers in diameter. You will have to fear black holes, whose gravitational field is so dense that it does not even leave room for light. Stellar explosions may occur within the galaxy, called Supernovae, whose radiation may briefly exceed that of the whole galaxy. What is left behind after a blast is a series of beautiful envelopes of gas and dust: Supernova remnants. Not all stars explode in Supernovae: only those with a mass greater than 8 Solar masses. The Supernova remnants detected in our galaxy signal that such events occur – on average – about three times every hundred years.

How to play

Visit all the stars of the galaxy to move to the next level while paying attention to asteroids: if an asteroid hits you, you lose a life. Pay attention to the black hole, too: if you pass too close to its horizon of events, you cannot escape, and the game will be irremediably over. Stellar explosions and Supernova remnants will appear randomly: if you can reach them, the black hole, for a few seconds, will transform itself into a wormhole, which will bring you to another part of the galaxy, giving you another life. The game ends when you lose your last life or fall into a black hole. Gain your place in the top 5!

If you want to play AstroPacman, click here!