What it is
Litterbug is a short arcade action game about piloting a small rocket that constantly drops junk while you try to deliver cargo between planetary orbits. The trash never disappears, so every lap brings you back into the middle of your own mess. It was made for Mini Jame Gam #60 and is currently available as a prototype.
From the developer
In the developer’s own words, from barkhallastudios.itch.io.
Your little rocket drops a piece of junk every second, and two more every time you change orbit.
None of it goes away. It drifts along a little slower than you, so every lap you catch up with your own mess. Fly through the red flags to deliver your cargo, dodge your trash, and get out before the orbits fill up.
How to play
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W / ↑ — climb to a higher orbit
S / ↓ — drop to a lower orbit
Mouse / touch* — click or tap outside your orbit to go up, inside it to go down
Esc / P — pause
Gamepad works too: d-pad or stick to change orbit, Start to pause.
Good to know
- A run takes a few minutes. Your best score and Saturn best are saved. - Photosensitivity: the game has screen flashes, screen shake and hand-drawn lines that flicker eight times a second. You can turn the flashes off and the shake down in Options. - Made for Mini Jame Gam #60 (theme Trash, special object Rocket).
Credits
- Design & programming: Manuel Sánchez — Barkhalla Studios - Music: "Ambient Space Background" by Universfield and "Fields of Dust" by AcidicVoid (Pixabay) - Fonts: Patrick Hand (Patrick Wagesreiter, OFL), Permanent Marker (Font Diner, Apache 2.0), Space Mono (Colophon Foundry, OFL) - Made with Godot Engine - No generative AI involved, just some questions pingponged with ChatGPT
Editor takes
“A few minutes of escalating trash chaos makes for a sharp score-chase loop, though the single orbit-shifting mechanic may not offer enough build variety for long-term runs.”
“As a jam prototype it nails a simple rule and self-made difficulty, but its short run length and minimal systems keep it from feeling like more than a clever sketch.”
How to play
Fly through the red flags to deliver your cargo while avoiding the junk trails left behind by your rocket. Climb or drop between orbits using W/S or arrow keys, or click/tap outside or inside your current orbit. A gamepad also works, with the d-pad or stick used to change orbits and Start to pause.
Tips
- Plan orbit changes carefully: each change drops two extra pieces of junk, so avoid moving between orbits more than necessary.
- Remember that your junk drifts slightly slower than you, so you'll catch up to it on later laps—leave yourself room to pass through.
- Keep an eye ahead on the orbit you're entering, since trash from earlier changes will still be floating there.
- If the flickering lines or screen shake bother you, turn flashes off and reduce shake in the Options menu.
- Runs only last a few minutes, so focus on the red flags rather than trying to clear the orbit of debris.
Questions
Is Litterbug free to play?
Yes, the prototype is available for free on itch.io, playable in the browser or as a Windows download.
Can I play it with a gamepad?
Yes, the game supports gamepads: use the d-pad or stick to change orbit and Start to pause.
Does the game save progress?
Your best score and Saturn best are saved between runs.
How long is a run?
A single run takes only a few minutes.
Does the game have flashing visuals?
Yes, it has screen flashes, screen shake, and flickering hand-drawn lines. These can be reduced in the Options menu.
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