Step into the past with the future of dating - A fully functional GameBoy-themed dating app with an authentic retro experience
🌟 What Is It?
GameBoy Dating App is a nostalgic twist on modern dating. Imagine Tinder, but inside a fully functional GameBoy interface — pixelated profiles, tactile D-pad navigation, crunchy button sounds, and a heart-based liking system. All wrapped in authentic 8-bit vibes.
🧩 Key Features
🎮 GameBoy Interface
- Exact GameBoy design: D-pad, A/B buttons, screen glow
- Fully interactive UI mimicking a handheld console
🧡 Heart-Based Matching
- Start with 10 hearts per session
- Like = 0.5 ❤️, Superlike = 1 ❤️
- Adds strategic and gamified behavior to swiping
🖼️ Retro Image Processing
- Uploaded photos are transformed into pixelated 8-bit avatars
- Uses only 8 basic RGB colors: red, green, blue, black, white, yellow, cyan, magenta
🔊 Sound & Feedback
- Every click and move plays authentic GameBoy sounds
- Haptic and visual feedback just like an old-school console
📸 Profile Gallery
- Swipe through user images like a slideshow
- View bios with ↓ and toggle profile info on demand
| Layer | Stack | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | Flutter (Android, Web, iOS) + Custom GameBoy UI |
Built with Flutter for true cross-platform support. The GameBoy interface is fully recreated with custom widgets, retro typography, D-pad controls, and smooth animations. |
| Backend | Node.js + Express.js |
Handles user authentication, profile management, image uploads, and match logic. Cleanly structured with RESTful APIs. |
| Auth & Database | Supabase (PostgreSQL + JWT Auth) |
Supabase provides scalable authentication and database services. Stores user profiles, image URLs, and matches, all secured with JWT tokens. |
| Image Pixelation | sharp (Node.js image processing library) |
Converts uploaded profile photos into pixelated retro-style images with reduced resolution and a strict 8-color RGB palette. Uses nearest-neighbor scaling to maintain crisp pixels. |
| Hosting & Deployment | Railway (backend server), Supabase (database & file storage) |
The backend is deployed on Railway. Supabase handles real-time database and file storage. |
🔧 Local Setup (Dev Only)
- Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/rudradogra/Gameboy_app.git
- Backend Setup
cd server
npm install
npm run dev
- Frontend (Flutter)
cd ..
flutter pub get
flutter run
This project is licensed under the MIT License – see the LICENSE file for details.
Built with ❤️ and nostalgia for a new generation of retro lovers