Indie smash hit VVVVVV is now open source

It’s hard to believe that gamers have shifting gravity to dodge spike in the Indie game VVVVV for a decade, but January 10 marked the tenth anniversary of the popular platformer. To celebrate, the developer behind the game has released VVVVVV’s source code on GitHub.

VVVVVV began its life as an Adobe Flash game back in 2010. After gaining modest popularity for its brutal gameplay, the title was ported to PCs using C++ and later adapted to multiple platforms. VVVVVV’s gameplay centers around platforming through a world riddled with spikes. Rather than jumping, though, players must flip gravity and fall down (or up) while dodging insta-kill skewers.

Terry Cavanagh, the original designer of the game, released both the C++ and mobile version source codes on GitHub. Announcing the release on his blog, Cavanagh detailed some of the difficulties he encountered with porting the game, particularly with the C++ port. Considering the game was first created in Adobe Flash, Cavanagh essentially duct-taped the game together in the pursuit of “getting something on the screen” rather than “implementing it properly.” While the game is certainly stable, playable, and enjoyable, it’s quite entertaining to see the developer’s take on the creation of what he says is his most important game.

Have you played VVVVVV? What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments.