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Bit Pilot

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Bit Pilot
A pixel art illustration of a moon
App icon
Developer(s)Zach Gage
Publisher(s)Zach Gage
Composer(s)Sabrepulse
Platform(s)iOS
ReleaseMarch 4, 2010
Genre(s)Bullet hell, action
Mode(s)Single-player

Bit Pilot is a 2010 bullet hell action game created by the American indie developer Zach Gage. In the game, the player controls a spaceship and must continuously dodge incoming asteroids and lasers for as long as possible. Released on March 4, 2010, for iOS, the game was praised for its graphics and soundtrack but faced mixed opinions for its gameplay and controls.

Gameplay

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Pixelated asteroids crowd the screen. A dot representing the player's rocket is near the center.
In Bit Pilot, the player must maneuver a ship to dodge incoming asteroids and lasers.

In Bit Pilot, the player controls a spaceship and must avoid incoming lasers and asteroids.[1][2] The player can control the speed and direction of the spaceship by swiping on the screen.[3][4] As the game progresses, the asteroids gradually increase in size.[1][5] When the player comes in contact with an obstacle, they lose one surrounding shield from their spaceship; hitting an asteroid without any shields or touching a laser triggers a game over.[6] Pill-shaped power-ups occasionally spawn and give the player bonus points or an additional shield.[1] Gaining enough points will unlock new modes, music, and themes.[6]

The game has two modes of gameplay: Super Massive and Tunnels. In Super Massive mode, asteroids are smaller and faster,[7] but power-ups spawn more frequently and increase the player's size when collected.[1][8] while in Tunnels mode, the player must evade larger asteroids.[8] Additionally, the player may select one of two difficulty modes—Easy or Normal—that change the number of asteroids in the game.[9]

Development and release

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Bit Pilot was developed by Zach Gage, a New York City-based indie developer. While developing the game, Gage optimized the asteroids' collision checking.[10] Bit Pilot's soundtrack was composed by Sabrepulse, and the leaderboards were run by OpenFeint.[6] The game was released for iOS on March 4, 2010.[4] In June 2011, Game Center support and two game modes—Super Massive and Tunnels—were added.[8] Bit Pilot was showcased at the Austin Film Festival in September 2011 and the Hayden Planetarium in January 2012.[11][12]

Reception

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On Metacritic, Bit Pilot has a "generally favorable" score of 78 based on nine critics.[13]

Bit Pilot's gameplay had received mixed opinions. Most reviewers praised the game as exciting and noticed its likeness to retro video games.[5][6][9][15][16] However, critics felt that including rewards after collecting enough points did not add to the game's replay value,[6][14] and others commented on its lack of variety.[9][17]

The game's controls had mixed opinions. Although some reviewers thought the swiping mechanic was unique and precise,[4][6][14] others criticized how the controls were unresponsive and complicated to learn.[4][6] Chris Reed of Slide to Play stated that he preferred for Bit Pilot to have a single movement stick,[15] while Andrew Hayward of GamesRadar+ described them as "the most responsive [they had] experienced to date".[7]

Critics praised Bit Pilot's graphics and soundtrack;[2][4][6][17] some felt that they complemented the game's retro theme,[4][9][17] while a reviewer from The A.V. Club stated the graphics "[belied] the atrocious challenge at hand".[5] Reed praised unlocking soundtracks as a reward, writing that they were "far more pleasing" than a leaderboard ranking.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d McWhertor, Michael (August 4, 2011). "In Bit Pilot, You Actually Are Going In To an Asteroid Field". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Schramm, Mike (July 27, 2011). "TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Bit Pilot". Engadget. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Orland, Kyle (October 11, 2013). "Valve video shows Steam Controller working with a variety of games". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Flodine, Dave (March 9, 2010). "Bit Pilot Review". AppSpy. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Fischer, Russ; Heisler, Steve; Jones, Scott; Nelson, Samantha; Teti, John; Wolinsky, David (March 29, 2010). "Sawbuck Gamer: March 29, 2010". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fanguy, Jason (March 8, 2010). "Bit Pilot". 148Apps. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hayward, Andrew (October 1, 2011). "iPad reviews of the week: Katamari Amore, Monsters Ate My Condo, Bit Pilot, Sprinkle". GamesRadar+. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Nicholson, Brad (June 15, 2011). "New Update To Bit Pilot Yields New Modes, New Levels, And Other New Stuff". TouchArcade. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e Erickson, Tracy (March 25, 2010). "Bit Pilot". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "From Snake to Snak: Indie developer Zach Gage on creating for Playdate". Game Developer. April 20, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (September 12, 2011). "Austin Film Festival To Showcase 20+ Indie Games". Game Developer. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Rose, Janus (January 24, 2012). "Babycastles is Turning the Hayden Planetarium into a Giant Videogame". Vice. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Bit Pilot". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Bit Pilot review". Edge. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Reed, Chris (April 15, 2010). "Bit Pilot review". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Orland, Kyle (January 7, 2013). "Get your game on: The Ultimate Smartphone Guide, part IV". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Vanhemert, Kyle (November 8, 2011). "Bit Pilot". Wired. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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