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What is Killed By A Pixel?
Killed By A Pixel is the personal project hub of a solo developer who builds small, self-contained experiments: tiny competition games, a browser-based sky atlas, a long-gestating open-world game, and a habit tracker. The through-line is constraint-driven making — fitting a finished game into 13 KB, or 1 KB of JavaScript — alongside tools meant to run without signups or servers.
What you'll find there
- Tiny games. The JS13K entries (four in one year, each inside a 13 KB zip) and Skydreams, a 3D racer built within a 1 KB JavaScript limit for JS1024. These are short, replayable experiments rather than long campaigns.
- Cosmodial Sky Atlas. A browser sky atlas: you give it your location and it draws the current sky overhead. No app store, no account, no server component.
- Piroot. An open-world adventure with physics-based movement, in development for over a decade, with a 10–20 minute demo available on Steam.
- Lentando. A private habit tracker aimed at changing addictive habits by tracking progress and spotting patterns.
- LittleJS. An open-source JavaScript game engine the author maintains, plus an annual game jam built around it.
Who it's for
If you make small games, the competition write-ups and the engine are the most directly useful part — they show what actually fits in a kilobyte budget. If you just want to play, the tiny games and the Piroot demo are the entry points. For a general audience, the sky atlas and habit tracker are the least technical things on the site.
A practical next step
Pick by intent rather than browsing: want something to play in five minutes, start with the JS13K games; want to see the sky from where you're sitting, open the atlas; want to build your own small game, look at LittleJS and the jam results.
The trade-off to expect throughout: extreme size limits buy ingenuity and fast load times, but not depth or polish — the author describes Piroot as the biggest and most polished release, which tells you the small games are deliberately rough-edged.
What games has the developer released on Steam?
The site's own posts point to one clearly released Steam title: Piroot, whose demo is described as available on Steam after more than 10 years of development, an open-world adventure with physics-based movement and a short 10–20 minute demo. The other games mentioned — the four JS13K 2026 entries, Skydreams (a 1K JavaScript racing experiment), and the browser-based Cosmodial Sky Atlas — are web or competition projects, not Steam releases.
If you want to judge whether Piroot is worth your time, start with the free demo: 10–20 minutes is enough to test whether the physics-based movement feels fun to you, since that is the game's stated distinguishing feature. If movement feels awkward in the first few minutes, the full game is unlikely to change your mind; if it clicks, the open-world structure is the part the demo can only hint at.
The developer also maintains the open-source LittleJS engine and runs its annual game jam, so their broader output leans toward small, technically constrained experiments. Piroot stands out as the most polished, long-gestation project in that mix.
For related browsing, the developer's own site is Killed By A Pixel.
How can I play the JS13K games or other browser-based projects?
Most of the browser-based projects on Killed By A Pixel run directly in a web page—no install, no account. The exception is Piroot, which is distributed through Steam as a downloadable demo.
Where to start by project type
- JS13K games (four entries): These are self-contained JavaScript games, each shipped as a 13 KB zip. The site's project posts are the entry point; from there you play in the browser or download the zip and open it locally. Because they are tiny experiments, expect short, single-mechanic sessions rather than long campaigns.
- Skydreams (JS1024): A 1 KB JavaScript 3D endless racer. Play it in the browser; it is a size-constrained demo of what fits in 1 KB, so treat it as a curiosity and a quick arcade run.
- Cosmodial Sky Atlas: Runs entirely in the browser with no signup and no server component. You tell it your location and it renders the current sky above you. Useful if you want a quick, private sky view without installing an astronomy app.
- Lentando: A habit-tracking app focused on changing addictive habits. This is a tool rather than a game, so open it when you want to log progress and review patterns.
- Piroot: Not a browser project. The demo is on Steam, described as a 10–20 minute open-world experience with physics-based movement.
A practical way to decide
| If you want… | Play |
|---|---|
| A two-minute break, no install | JS13K entries or Skydreams |
| A real-world utility in the browser | Cosmodial Sky Atlas |
| Ongoing habit tracking | Lentando |
| A longer, more polished game session | Piroot demo (Steam) |
Next step: open the JS13K post on the site, pick one of the four games, and try it in the browser first. If a zip download is offered and the browser version stutters, download it and open the HTML file locally—that avoids any network or embedding quirks. If you specifically want Piroot, go to Steam rather than looking for a browser build.
What is LittleJS and how can I use it to make games?
LittleJS is a lightweight, open-source JavaScript game engine created by Frank Force, the developer behind the site Killed By A Pixel. It is built for making small, fast browser games with plain JavaScript and a canvas, without needing a large framework or a build pipeline. The engine is known for staying tiny while still offering the essentials: rendering, input, audio, particles, and simple physics helpers.
On Killed By A Pixel, the engine is tied to a game jam and to small experimental games, including entries that fit into 13 KB or even 1 KB. That context is useful: LittleJS is often chosen when size and speed matter, not when you need a full 3D engine or a visual editor.
What you get with LittleJS
- A small core: You can include it with a script tag and start drawing sprites, shapes, and text.
- Game loop and input: It handles the update-and-render cycle and keyboard, mouse, and touch input.
- Audio and particles: Sound effects and simple particle effects are part of the package.
- Physics helpers: Basic collision and movement utilities are available, though it is not a full rigid-body physics engine.
- Open source: The code is on GitHub, so you can read it, modify it, and ship it in your own projects.
How to start making a game
A practical first step is to build a single-screen game, such as a shooter or a platformer, rather than an open-world project. The engine works well when you keep the scope small.
- Set up a page: Create an HTML file, add a canvas, and load the LittleJS script.
- Draw something: Render a sprite or a colored rectangle in the game loop.
- Add input: Move that object with the arrow keys or touch.
- Add a goal: Introduce a score, a timer, or an enemy to make it a game.
- Iterate in the browser: Refresh the page to test changes; no complex build step is required.
If you learn best from examples, the games on Killed By A Pixel show what the engine can do at extreme size limits. The LittleJS GitHub repository, which you can find from the site, contains documentation and sample projects. For general JavaScript questions while you work, MDN Web Docs is a reliable reference.
When LittleJS fits, and when it does not
| Situation | LittleJS is a good fit | Consider something else |
|---|---|---|
| Small 2D browser game | Yes | — |
| Game jam with a size limit | Yes | — |
| Quick prototype | Yes | — |
| Large 3D world | No | A 3D engine such as Three.js |
| Built-in visual editor | No | An editor-based engine |
| Complex physics simulation | Limited | A dedicated physics library |
The main trade-off is control versus convenience. LittleJS gives you a small, readable codebase and fast load times, but you write more of the game structure yourself. If you want a drag-and-drop editor or advanced 3D, it will feel minimal. If you want to understand every part of your game and keep it small, it is a strong choice.
A useful next step: open the LittleJS examples, copy the simplest one, and change one thing at a time—such as the player speed or the sprite image—until you understand the loop. Then try a 48-hour game jam, where the engine's small size and quick setup give you more time for the actual game.
What is the Cosmodial Sky Atlas and how does it work?
Cosmodial Sky Atlas is a browser-based sky viewer from Killed By A Pixel. It draws the live sky above your current location, showing what is actually overhead right now. The site describes it as running entirely in the browser with no app store, no signup and no servers involved.
How it works in practice
- You tell it where you are.
- It renders the sky for that position and the current time.
- Everything happens locally in the browser rather than on a remote service.
Why that matters
The no-signup, no-server approach keeps it lightweight and private: there is no account to create and no location data sent to a backend. It also means you can open it on a phone or laptop without installing anything, which suits quick, casual use.
Trade-offs to expect
A browser sky atlas is convenient for a fast look at the current sky, but it is not a substitute for a full planetarium application. If you need deep catalogues, observation planning or telescope control, a dedicated tool will usually serve you better. For "what is above me right now," the friction is close to zero.
Try this next
Open the atlas while you are outside, enter your location, and compare the rendered sky against what you can see with the naked eye. Then check it again an hour later to watch the sky shift — that is the quickest way to judge whether its accuracy and interface fit how you like to observe.
How does Lentando help track and change habits?
Lentando is a private habit tracker built to help people change addictive habits. Based on the site's own description, it works through three connected functions: tracking progress, understanding patterns, and gently shifting toward healthier routines. The emphasis is on gradual change and self-awareness rather than streaks or strict enforcement.
H3 How that plays out in practice
- Tracking progress gives you a record of what you actually did, which is the raw material for any change.
- Understanding patterns is where that record becomes useful — seeing when urges or slips cluster (time of day, situations, mood) tells you what to change.
- Gently shifting toward healthier routines suggests the app nudges rather than punishes, which matters for addictive behaviors where shame tends to backfire.
H3 The privacy angle
The site presents Lentando as private, which is a meaningful design choice for this use case. People tracking addiction, drinking, smoking or compulsive habits are often reluctant to have that data tied to an account or synced to a server. A habit tracker that keeps data local removes a real barrier to honest logging — and honest logging is the whole point.
H3 A concrete scenario
Suppose someone wants to cut down on late-night phone scrolling. Tracking alone shows "I scrolled 40 minutes." Pattern review might show it happens almost exclusively after 11pm on days with no evening plan. The shift is then small and specific: leave the phone charging in another room, or schedule something at 10:30. That is the difference between a tracker that only counts and one that helps you change.
H3 Trade-offs to weigh
Gentle, pattern-based approaches suit behaviors you want to reduce gradually. They are less suited if you need hard accountability, clinical support, or a program with medical oversight. Also consider whether the app's privacy claim matches how you want to use it — a private tool is only private if the data stays where you expect.
If you want to judge it for yourself, the practical next step is to install it and log one week of a single habit before changing anything. The pattern view after seven days will tell you more about whether the approach fits you than any feature list.
Frank Force's other work, including his games and the open-source LittleJS engine, is documented at Killed By A Pixel.
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