A pixelated spider spins a web between a radish and a carrot in order to chomp on some flies.

8 Legs to Love

Sole developer / Jun 2017

Overview

Spin a web, catch bugs, eat 'em for points! The player controls a spider that spins a physics-y web to catch bugs that fly in from the background.

The title screen of 8 Legs to Love, written in cursive font with a pixelated spider dangling underneath.

A pixelated spider spins a web beneath a bridge to capture bugs.

A pixelated spider swings from a web built around a construction site while an exploding bug destroys part of the web.

A pixelated spider spins a web between the moon and the earth itself, catching massive bugs in outer space.

Development

8 Legs to Love was developed over the course of six months in my free time, much of it on the subway (when I was able to get a seat, at least).

The strands of web are just chains of points that pull towards each other. Strands can snap if pulled too far apart, which uses a modified Hooke's law to get it feeling nice and webby.

The levels in the game are constructed using 8x8 tiles, but each tile is given an 8-bit mask that controls which portions of its pixels are solid/climbable.

The game was originally intended to be a pseudo dating game, hence the title. Between levels, you'd be approached by a suitor and have the choice of chatting with them or eating them. Sadly that wouldn't all fit in a single PICO-8 cart, but the name remains.