Asteroids, the Retro Space Shooter with Modern Twist

Inspiration

I’ve always wanted to create a realistic space shooter, and this project was the perfect starting point. Asteroids seemed like a great foundation, and it was also the simplest game I could build using the Entity-Component-System (ECS) I recently integrated into my game engine. This was a chance to experiment with ECS while bringing my vision to life.

Challenges

The biggest challenge was creating realistic explosions and rocket exhaust using a particle system.

I wanted them to feel dynamic and natural, which required a lot of fine-tuning. After numerous iterations, I finally achieved the effect I wanted. Visuals were another hurdle, as I had to coordinate with artists to ensure the game looked exciting.

Sound design was equally challenging—space is silent, but a game without sound would feel empty. Instead of using retro beeps, I crafted a soundscape inspired by modern space movies to create an immersive atmosphere.

Listen to the sounds

What I'm Proud Of

I’m particularly proud of how the particle effects, sound design, and overall space vibe came together. The vector-style art preserves the retro aesthetic, while the cinematic sound effects and realistic explosions give it a modern feel. This project taught me a lot about ECS, cache-friendly programming, collision detection, and working efficiently as part of a team.

Future Improvements

If I had more time, I would have added comets that explode on impact, destroying nearby asteroids, as well as UFO enemies for extra variety. I also want to refine the asteroid and rocket collisions beyond basic AABB collision detection.

Final Thoughts

This game is my take on a classic, blending old-school visuals with modern effects to create something unique, and I can’t wait to share it with you guys. Let me know what you think once you try it out!

Asteroids 2025 🚀 Modern Thrills Retro Vibes

Finally, if you want to take a look at the source code, check out, the github repository