Save Pip

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  Save Pip

Inspiration

Reddit games live in the feed, which means they have to earn attention fast. I wanted to make something a person could understand while half-scrolling: one screen, one tap, instant result.

That became Save Pip: a tiny rescue puzzle where Pip is always in trouble, and the player gets one simple question: what should I tap?

What it does

Save Pip gives players three quick rescue scenes per round.

Each scene has a tiny objective, three tappable objects, and one object that saves Pip. Tap the right object and Pip gets to safety. Tap the wrong one and you get a short funny failure, then you can try again immediately.

First-tap saves earn stars. Three stars make a perfect rescue.

How we built it

Save Pip is built with Devvit Web and vanilla TypeScript.

The game uses hand-drawn inline SVG, CSS animations, the Web Animations API, and small WebAudio effects. The server creates game posts and result posts, while the game logic runs client-side.

The rescue engine has 106 patterns: 100 catalog patterns plus 6 original hand-animated scenes. Each pattern has a unique rescue verb, a short objective line, three objects, one solution, and two funny failures.

Challenges we ran into

The hardest part was keeping the game simple without making it too obvious.

Early versions felt like a quiz. Then the game became more visual and direct. Later, feedback showed that some scenes were cute but not immediately clear, so I added tiny objective lines like “Cross the bridge” or “Dry the path.”

Another challenge was replayability. If players could memorize the three answers, the game would be done. So the rescue pool grew into many small patterns where the same object can help in one scene and fail in another.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m proud that Save Pip became understandable without onboarding.

The game now has a clear loop: tap, see what happens, retry, save Pip, chase a perfect run.

I’m also proud of the rescue catalog. Each pattern is meant to feel different, not just look different. Wrong answers are not punishments. They are part of the fun.

What we learned

I learned that tiny games need strong clarity. The objective should be obvious, but the solution can still take a small moment of thought.

I also learned that feedback from real players is the fastest way to find what is confusing. A scene that makes sense in code may not read clearly in the feed.

The best feedback was that “one tap with an instant result” is the right size for a Reddit game.

What's next for Save Pip

Next, I want to keep polishing scene readability and object clarity.

I also want to add lightweight community features, like sharing perfect runs or challenge seeds, without making the game depend on community participation.

The goal is to keep Save Pip small, fast, and replayable: a tiny game you can play whenever it appears in your feed.

Built With

• css
• devvit-web
• html
• javascript
• localstorage
• node.js
• reddit
• svg
• typescript
• vite
• vitest
• web-animations-api
• webaudio