Alien Run
Alien Run is a retro 80s arcade-style 2D space game where you pilot an alien in a spaceship through a dangerous galaxy. This was my first ever game!
The Goal
Collect as many stars as possible to rack up points and climb through increasingly difficult levels — but watch out for the astronaut who is always hunting you down.
How It Works
- You control the alien ship using WASD or arrow keys (or a virtual joystick on mobile)
- Two types of stars appear in the arena:
- 4-spike golden stars — worth 10 points, rarer
- 5-spike cyan stars — worth 5 points, more common
- An astronaut chases you around the screen. If it catches you, the game is over
Difficulty Progression
As you collect stars and advance through levels, the game gets harder:
- The astronaut moves faster and becomes more aggressive
- More astronauts can appear at once
- The background changes to reflect the danger — starting with calm deep blue space, shifting through purple nebulas, into red danger zones, and eventually a chaotic rainbow with lightning effects at the highest levels
Scoring
Your score is tracked live, and a high score is saved so you can try to beat your personal best each run.
Visual Style
Everything is rendered in a pixelated retro terminal aesthetic — glowing green UI text, pixel-art sprites, and an animated starfield background that evolves as you progress.