Introduction

Flappy Coins is a fun, fast-paced mobile game inspired by the classic mechanics of Flappy Bird, but with a fresh twist—players control bouncing cryptocurrency tokens like XRP instead of a bird. The objective is simple yet addictive: tap to fly through tight gaps between pipes and see how far you can go.

I built this game using Flutter, Google’s powerful UI toolkit for building cross-platform applications. The game runs smoothly on both Android and iOS, with pixel-perfect graphics and arcade-style gameplay that brings nostalgia and novelty together.

Game Features

Here’s what makes Flappy Coins special:

Crypto-Themed Characters: Choose from a lineup of iconic tokens such as XRP, BTC, ETH, and more.
One-Tap Gameplay: Classic tap-to-fly mechanics that are easy to learn but hard to master.
Retro Graphics: Clean, colorful sprites designed in a minimalist pixel art style.
Score Tracking: Real-time display of current and high scores to keep players competitive.
Smooth Performance: Built with Flutter’s optimized rendering for a high FPS experience across devices.

Planned updates include:

Global leaderboard integration (Firebase or Supabase)
Unlockable skins and sound effects for each coin
Power-ups like invincibility and coin magnets
Blockchain integration for NFT-style collectibles (non-monetized)

Why Flutter?

Flutter was a natural choice for this project due to:

Cross-Platform Efficiency: One codebase for both Android and iOS.
Hot Reload: Rapid development and testing cycles.
Strong Community Support: Tons of plugins and examples for building games and animations.
Smooth Animation Handling: Ideal for the tight timing loops that arcade games demand.

Development Challenges

Some of the most interesting challenges included:

Fine-tuning the gravity and bounce physics to feel just right
Ensuring assets like pipe spacing and hitboxes matched the visual boundaries
Optimizing performance on low-end devices without dropping frames
Managing sound playback with minimal latency for a responsive experience

What I Learned

This project deepened my understanding of:

Flutter’s game loop capabilities using AnimationController and CustomPainter
Handling collision detection and state changes in real-time
Packaging and testing apps on mobile devices
The balance between minimalistic design and engaging gameplay

Conclusion

Flappy Coins was a creative and technical challenge that gave me insight into mobile game development, UI responsiveness, and real-time interaction. It's the first of many playful side projects I’m planning as I expand my skills in both software engineering and design.

I’m currently working on polishing the game for a public release via GitHub or the Play Store. Stay tuned!