A fast-paced, feature-rich Galaga clone built entirely for the terminal using raw ANSI escape codes in C.

Built using Grok4 with love.

• Classic Galaga Gameplay - Enemy formations, dive attacks, and capture mechanics
• 10 Unique Powerups - From dual shots to ally drones
• Combo System - Chain kills for massive score multipliers (up to 4x!)
• Special Weapon - Charge up devastating spread attacks
• Bonus Stages - Test your skills for extra points
• Health System - Multiple hits before losing a life
• God Mode - For testing and fun
• Beautiful Terminal Graphics - Full color support with smooth 30 FPS gameplay
• Cross-Terminal Compatible - Works on any modern terminal emulator

• GCC or compatible C compiler
• CMake 3.10+
• POSIX-compliant system (Linux, macOS, WSL)
• Terminal with 256-color support
• Minimum 80x24 terminal size

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

./build/galaga

• WASD or Arrow Keys - Move your ship
• Space - Shoot
• Q or ESC - Quit game

• G - Toggle God Mode (invincibility)
• B - Use Bomb (if available - clears screen)
• X - Fire Special Weapon (when fully charged)

• Start with 3 lives
• Each life has 3 health points
• Lose health when hit by enemies or bullets
• Brief invincibility after taking damage

Build combos by destroying enemies in quick succession:

• 3+ kills → 2x score multiplier
• 5+ kills → 4x score multiplier
• Combo timer resets with each kill
• Miss for 2 seconds and combo breaks

• Charges automatically over time
• When full, press X to unleash
• Fires 5 super-piercing mega lasers in a spread pattern
• Deals massive damage to enemy formations

• Enemies get faster and more aggressive each wave
• Every 3rd wave is a bonus stage
• Increasing difficulty keeps the challenge fresh

Destroy enemies to drop powerups. Collect them to gain temporary abilities!

• Multiple powerups can be active simultaneously!
• Same powerup extends duration
• Combine effects for devastating combos

• 🐝 Bee (Green) - Basic enemy, 100 points
• 🦋 Butterfly (Yellow) - Faster, aggressive dives, 150 points
• 👑 Boss (Red) - Can capture your ship, 300 points

• Formation Movement - Enemies move in synchronized patterns
• Dive Attacks - Individual enemies break formation to attack
• Capture Beam - Boss enemies can capture your ship (shoot them to escape!)
• Return Flight - Diving enemies return to formation

• Bee: 100 points
• Butterfly: 150 points
• Boss: 300 points
• Bonus Stage Enemies: 500 points
• Score multipliers from combos!

1. Build Combos - Focus fire on tight enemy groups for big multipliers
2. Save Bombs - Use them when surrounded or in emergency
3. Charge Specials - Perfect for clearing tough formations
4. Stack Powerups - Multiple active powerups = unstoppable
5. Watch Dive Patterns - Learn to predict enemy attacks
6. Prioritize Bosses - They're worth the most points and drop better powerups
7. Stay Mobile - Keep moving to avoid enemy bullet patterns

• Language: C (GNU C99)
• Rendering: Raw ANSI escape codes with double buffering
• Frame Rate: 30 FPS with fixed timestep
• Input: Non-blocking keyboard input with key decay timers
• Colors: 256-color ANSI palette

• Modular design with separate systems:
  • Terminal rendering and buffer management
  • Input handling with simultaneous key support
  • Entity management (player, enemies, bullets, powerups)
  • Collision detection (AABB)
  • Enemy AI (formations, dives, capture logic)
  • Game state management
  • Bonus stage system

Built using modern C best practices:

• Elimination of magic numbers
• Descriptive constants and enums
• Clean separation of concerns
• POSIX compliance for portability

• Requires terminal with proper ANSI support
• Best experience on 80x24 terminal or larger
• Some terminal emulators may have slight rendering differences

This is a personal project created for learning and entertainment.

Inspired by the classic Namco arcade game Galaga (1981).

Enjoy the game! Press SPACE to start! 🚀