Fireworks

Tools

Used

• Pico-8
• Visual Studio Code

Focus

Systems

• Particle behavior
• Palette cycling
• Loop timing

What:

A small visual sketch simulating fireworks displays. Tiny creatures consume the ground, traverse the changing ground and launch new fireworks which return to the terrain.

Why:

To explore motion, timing, color blending, and way-finding within Pico-8’s tight limitations. I wanted something visually satisfying to loop endlessly without interaction. It also served as an experiment in how to make simple movement feel complex and organic.

How:

Each firework follows a short life cycle:

• Consume: Creatures eat the landscape, changing it
• Launch: A single particle shoots upward with random speed and direction.
• Burst: At its peak, it spawns multiple child particles that spread radially with randomized velocities.
• Fade: Particles fade and fall using gravity and color cycling to create soft trails.
• Restore: The cycle is repeated as the fallen particles are added back to the landscape.

Behind the scenes:

• Position and velocity are stored in lightweight arrays for speed and memory efficiency.
• Color transitions are handled using Pico-8’s palette cycling to simulate glow and decay.
• Update logic ensures new fireworks trigger just as old ones fade, creating a seamless loop.
• Timing randomness keeps each display feeling spontaneous.