Astro*Cat

Astrocat is an isometric Q*bert-style web game made with Phaser that includes an in-browser level editor: design, test, and play your pyramids in seconds.

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ASTROCAT: From Law Books to Level Editors

Inspiration

I’m a lawyer, not a programmer. I started coding to challenge myself—and to honor my cat Lenteja, who always sat with me as I worked. I grew up loving Q*bert’s diagonal-hop puzzles and wondered: what if you could remake that experience, but let the Reddit community design and share their own levels, too? Thus, Astro*Cat was born a tribute to arcade nostalgia and my cat.

What I Built

Astro*Cat is a Q*bert-inspired isometric puzzle game where you guide a space cat across colorful cubes. The key feature is a drag-and-drop level editor: anyone can design a level, test if it’s beatable, and publish it straight to Reddit. Players browse, play, and compete on leaderboards right inside Reddit on mobile or desktop.

How I Built It & What I Learned

  • Tools: Phaser 3, TypeScript, Express.js, and Redis.
  • Learning by doing: I started as a total beginner, using YouTube, Discord, and Stack Overflow for help plus AI tools like Copilot.
  • The breakthrough was using Kiro’s spec-driven workflow. After a disastrous first week of rewriting code, I shifted to structured planning: writing clear requirements, mapping out architecture, and breaking the work into small tasks. Kiro’s system helped me get unstuck and actually finish.

Biggest takeaways:

  • You can build ambitious things even with zero experience, if you plan.
  • AI speeds things up, but planning prevents disasters.
  • Community play and user-generated content make even classic games feel new again.

Challenges Faced

  • Learning to code from scratch while racing a deadline.
  • Isometric math and movement: Making jumps smooth and intuitive was harder than it looked.
  • Validating player-made levels: Before letting users share puzzles, I had to learn pathfinding algorithms to verify they’re winnable.
  • Responsive glitches: Making the game work on every screen size and inside Reddit posts took lots of trial and error.

What I’m Most Proud Of

  • I shipped a working community game with a level editor, Reddit integration, and real-time leaderboards, having started as a complete beginner.
  • The game is dedicated to Lenteja my cat and my companion.
  • Early feedback from players has been heartwarming and proved that anyone can build real, creative things with enough structure and motivation.

Open Source: github.com/pichichi7/astrocat-phaser
Try the game: Linked in my subreddit post!

This submission is for the Kiro Award my story and video explain how Kiro’s workflow enabled me, a non-programmer, to actually finish my first real game.

Built With

  • custom-ui-components-backend-framework:-express.js-(restful-api-service)-platforms:-devvit-web-(reddit?s-developer-platform)
  • github-copilot-cloud-&-hosting:-reddit-developer-platform-(cloud-backend-via-devvit
  • javascript-frontend-framework:-phaser-3-(for-2d-isometric-game-engine)
  • languages:-typescript
  • no-external-cloud-service-needed)-apis:-devvit-context-api-(for-reddit-integration)
  • obs
  • postman-(api-testing)
  • reddit-interactive-posts-databases:-redis-(for-storing-levels-and-real-time-leaderboards)-ai-coding-assistant:-kiro-ide-(for-spec-driven-development-and-code-generation)
  • redis-api-for-backend-data-persistence-other-tools:-piskel-(for-pixel-art/assets)
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