Threads

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  https://www.reddit.com/r/threades_dev/

Inspiration

We were inspired by the main idea behind Reddit: threads, comments, and upvotes. Reddit conversations grow like branches, where one post can turn into many connected replies. We wanted to turn that idea into a game mechanic, so the “threads” became ropes the player can swing from, and upvotes became collectibles.

The idea was: what if climbing through Reddit threads felt like climbing a mountain?

What it does

Threads is a retro-style rope-swinging platformer where the player moves through an endless “Comment Mountain.” The player runs, jumps, catches comment threads, swings across gaps, climbs ropes, avoids spam obstacles, and collects karma/upvotes.

Each thread can only be used once, so the player has to time their jumps carefully and keep moving forward.

The score is based on distance, karma, and upvotes:

[ Score = Distance + Karma + Upvotes ]

How we built it

We built the project using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Canvas. The game runs directly in the browser. The gameplay includes platform movement, automatic rope catching, rope swinging physics, climbing controls, one-time rope usage, collectibles, obstacles, and procedural world generation. The original game code was developed as a browser-based THREAD SWING prototype.

We designed the world around internet-style visuals: comment threads as ropes, spam as obstacles, and karma/upvotes as rewards.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was making the rope swinging feel fair. If the rope was too hard to catch, the game felt frustrating. If it was too easy, it lost challenge.

Another challenge was obstacle placement. At first, spam obstacles blocked the player too much, especially when placed in the air between ropes. We learned that obstacles should challenge the player without completely stopping progress.

Procedural generation was also difficult because the world had to keep generating forward while still feeling playable and reachable.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that the game feels unique because it turns Reddit’s thread system into an actual gameplay mechanic. We also added smooth rope swinging, climbing, auto-catching, one-time thread usage, and endless level generation.

We are especially proud that the game is playable directly in the browser and combines a fun internet-inspired theme with physics-based platforming.

What we learned

We learned that good game design is not just about adding more obstacles. It is about balance, flow, timing, and giving the player enough space to recover.

We also learned how important small gameplay details are, like rope catch range, movement smoothness, jump timing, and where obstacles are placed. Even small changes can make the game feel much better.

What's next for Threads

Next, we want to add better animations, more character sprites, sound effects, power-ups, new obstacle types, and different themed areas of Comment Mountain. We also want to improve the procedural generation so each run feels more different, with easier and harder paths for players to choose from.

Built With

• robot
• running
• swinging