How to Make a Platformer on Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Introduction

Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of game development? Creating a platformer game on Scratch isn’t just fun—it’s a fantastic way to learn coding, spark your creativity, and sharpen your problem-solving skills. But what exactly is a platformer game? Think of classics like Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog—games where you guide a character to jump between platforms, dodge obstacles, and collect items.

Scratch, with its simple drag-and-drop coding, makes it super easy for anyone—especially beginners, kids, and educators—to bring their game ideas to life. Whether you’re a young dreamer building your first video game or a teacher looking for a fun way to introduce programming, this guide has got you covered.

So, are you ready to jump, run, and create something amazing? Let’s get started

Getting Started with Scratch

Before we dive into creating our platformer, let’s familiarize ourselves with the Scratch interface. Scratch is a visual programming language that uses blocks, sprites, and backdrops to create interactive stories, games, and animations.

Understanding the Scratch Interface

1. Sprites: These are the characters or objects in your game. You can choose from Scratch’s library, draw your own, or upload images
2. Backdrops: These are the backgrounds of your game scenes
3. Blocks: These are the code pieces that control the behavior of sprites and the game environment. They’re color-coded and categorized based on their functions (e.g., Motion, Looks, Sound)
4. Scripts Area: This is where you’ll drag and connect blocks to create your game logic
5. Stage: This is where you’ll see your game in action as you code

To get started, you can either download Scratch from scratch.mit.edu or use the online editor directly on the website.

Figure 1: The Scratch workspace

Setting Up Your Platformer

Now that we’re familiar with Scratch, let’s set up the basic elements of our platformer game.

Step 1: Choose or Create a Sprite for the Player Character

1. Click on the “Choose a Sprite” button at the bottom right of the screen.
2. You can select a pre-made sprite from the library or create your own using the paint editor.
3. For beginners, a simple shape like a square or circle works well.

Figure 2: Choosing a sprite for your player character

Step 2: Design or Import a Backdrop for the Game Environment

1. Click on the Stage pane in the bottom-right corner.
2. Go to the Backdrops tab and either choose a pre-made backdrop or create your own.
3. Consider the theme of your game – is it set in space, a forest, or an underwater world?

Figure 3: Designing a backdrop for your game

Step 3: Add Hitbox Around the Sprite

In Scratch platformer games, a hitbox is an invisible area around a sprite (typically the player or an object) that detects collisions or interactions with other sprites or the environment. The hitbox defines the boundaries of where a sprite can be “hit” or touch other elements in the game, such as platforms, enemies, or obstacles.

The hitbox helps manage collisions more accurately, especially in platformers, where precise movement and interaction with the environment are essential. Instead of using the entire sprite’s costume (which might have irregular shapes), a hitbox usually consists of a rectangular or square boundary that simplifies collision detection. This makes movement, jumping, and other physics-related interactions smoother and more reliable.

In Scratch, hitboxes are often implemented by creating an additional, invisible sprite or by using specific parts of the player’s costume that determine when collisions occur (e.g., checking if the player is touching a platform). Developers may adjust the size and shape of the hitbox for more accurate or forgiving gameplay mechanics.

 Step 4: Add Platforms Using Sprites or Backdrops

1. Create a new sprite for your platform. A simple rectangle works well.
2. Position your platforms around the stage where you want your character to jump.
3. You can duplicate this sprite to create multiple platforms.

Figure 4: Adding platforms to your game

Add them as costumes:

 Step 5: Add Thumbnails

In a Scratch-based platformer game, a thumbnail refers to the small preview image that represents the game on Scratch’s project page. It is the first visual element that users see when browsing or searching for projects, so it plays an important role in attracting players’ attention.

Typically, the thumbnail showcases a key aspect of the game, such as the main character, a level design, or a special feature that highlights the gameplay. Scratch creators can design the thumbnail using custom graphics, screenshots from the game, or visual elements that give users an idea of what the game is about.

In Scratch, you can set a thumbnail for your project by taking a screenshot of the game’s display area or creating a custom image that will represent the project when it is shared on the Scratch platform.

Fig 5: Add thumbnails

Coding the Basics

Now that we have our game elements in place, let’s bring our platformer to life with some basic coding!

Step 1: Add Movement Controls (Left, Right, and Jump)

We’ll use the arrow keys to control our character’s movement. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Click on your player sprite to select it.
2. In the Scripts area, add a “when green flag clicked” block.
3. Use “if…then” blocks to check for key presses:
   • For left movement: “if key [left arrow] pressed, change x by -5”
   • For right movement: “if key [right arrow] pressed, change x by 5”

Figure 5: Coding movement controls

Step 2: Add Collision Detection for Platforms using Hitbox

To ensure our character stands on platforms instead of falling through them, we need to implement collision detection:

1. Initial settings for x, and y coordinates and x, and y velocities.Set them to zero.
2. Create functions(make blocks) to:
   1. Check if it falls off the screen
   2. Check if it touches Lava
   3. Check if the sprite reached the next level
   4. Control the movement in right and left directions, using speed and drag
   5. Control the movement in up/down directions using height and fall speed

Figure 6: Adding collision detection

Step 3: Code the platforms

Figure 7: Level Changes

Step 4: Code the thumbnail

Figure 8: Effects for Thumbnail

Advanced Features (Optional)

Ready to take your platformer to the next level? Let’s add some advanced features!

Step 1: Add Enemies and Obstacles

1. Create a new sprite for your enemy.
2. Use a “forever” loop to make the enemy move back and forth:

Step 2: Create a Scoring System

1. Create a variable called “Score”.
2. Increase the score when the player collects items or defeats enemies:

Step 3: Design Multiple Levels

1. Create different backdrops for each level.
2. Use broadcast messages to switch between levels:

Customizing Your Platformer

Now it’s time to let your creativity shine! Here are some ideas to make your platformer unique:

1. Change the Theme: Set your game in space, underwater, or in candy land!
2. Add Power-ups: Create special items that give your character temporary abilities.
3. Unique Animations: Give your character different costumes for running, jumping, and idle states.

Remember, the key to great game design is iteration. Keep refining and adding new features to make your game even more engaging!

Testing and Debugging

Testing is crucial to ensure your game works as intended. Here are some tips:

1. Play through your game multiple times, trying different scenarios.
2. Ask friends or family to play and provide feedback.
3. Check for common issues like:
   • Character getting stuck on platforms
   • Gravity not working correctly
   • Enemies moving through walls

If you find bugs, don’t worry! Debugging is a normal part of game development. Check your scripts carefully and make adjustments as needed.

Sharing Your Game

Once you’re happy with your game, it’s time to share it with the world!

1. Click the “Share” button at the top of the Scratch editor.
2. Add instructions and credits in the project page.
3. Use relevant tags like “platformer” or “game” to help others find your creation.

Sharing your game allows other Scratchers to play, comment, and even remix your project. It’s a great way to get feedback and inspiration for future improvements.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve learned how to make a platformer on Scratch. By following this guide, you’ve not only created a fun game but also learned important programming concepts like loops, conditionals, and event handling. These skills will serve you well as you continue your coding journey.Remember, game development is a creative process, and there’s always room for improvement and new ideas. Keep experimenting, learning, and most importantly, having fun with Scratch!

Additional Resources

• Scratch Tutorials
• Scratch Forums
• Scratch Wiki

FAQs

Happy coding, young game developers! Your next great idea could be just a few blocks away./