Space Invaders: Google-Style Easter Egg
👇 Scroll down to find the Easter egg
Quick Facts
A recreation of the classic arcade game Space Invaders, featuring Google's logo as a protective barrier.
elgooG
2019
Available on elgooG
Interact with the Easter Egg
Creation Background
Concept Overview
Space Invaders is a legendary arcade game that first appeared in 1978, created by Tomohiro Nishikado. It quickly became a global phenomenon, captivating players with its simple yet addictive gameplay. The objective is to shoot down waves of descending aliens with a laser cannon, preventing them from reaching the bottom of the screen. The game's pixelated graphics and distinctive sound effects have made it an enduring icon of early video game history. The game was so popular, it's even credited with helping turn video games into a global industry!
Inspiration and Development
We created the Google Space Invaders Easter egg as a tribute to this timeless classic. We aimed to integrate the fun and excitement of Space Invaders with the familiar Google brand, delivering an immersive and nostalgic experience for our users. By incorporating the Google logo into the gameplay, we wanted to bring a unique twist to a beloved game, offering both joy and a surprising element.
The core of the game's mechanics is based on the fantastic open-source work of N. Landsteiner (www.masswerk.at), a talented developer who also contributed to other projects on our site, including the Google Terminal Easter egg. We greatly appreciate the open source community.
The Easter Egg Experience
Main Features
The Google Space Invaders Easter egg presents a retro-styled visual experience, mirroring the look and feel of the original arcade game. The key difference, and the heart of this Easter egg, is the use of the Google logo letters (G, o, o, g, l, e) as a defensive barrier. These letters act as shields, positioned between your laser cannon and the descending alien invaders. This unusual placement changes the typical gameplay strategy in a fun and unexpected way, as you're protecting the Google brand while also protecting Earth.
How It Works
To experience this Easter egg, scroll to the top of this page and click the button to enter the dedicated Space Invaders page. Once inside, you will control a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen, just like in the original game. The gameplay has been optimized to work well on various devices.
Steps to Interact with the Easter Egg
- Click on the button at the top of this page.
- Use the left and right arrow keys (← →) or the 'A' and 'D' keys on your keyboard to move your laser cannon horizontally. On mobile devices, touch and drag your cannon left or right.
- Press the spacebar to fire your laser cannon at the invading aliens. On mobile, tap the screen to shoot.
- Each wave of aliens becomes faster and more challenging.
- The Google letters act as your shield; they will take damage, but they will also block enemy fire.
This Easter egg, while not an official Google creation, takes inspiration from the spirit of Google's many playful Easter eggs. Official Easter eggs, like "Zerg Rush" (where search results are attacked by "O" characters), "Atari Breakout" (which turned image search results into the classic Breakout game), and "Google Zipper" (which featured a giant zipper on the Google homepage), all share a common goal: to surprise and delight users with unexpected interactive experiences. The "Atari Breakout" Easter Egg, for example, transformed image search results into a playable version of the classic Breakout game, a clever homage to [Atari]. "Zerg Rush" was inspired by the video game *Starcraft.*.
Conclusion
The Google Space Invaders Easter egg is a testament to the enduring appeal of classic arcade games and the creativity that can be sparked by combining them with modern brands. We at elgooG strive to preserve and enhance these interactive experiences, bringing joy to users of all ages. We invite you to explore our other Easter eggs and rediscover the fun and playful side of the web! Although it's not an official Easter egg, the inspiration and final result align perfectly with the style of Google's official creations: blending fun into the search experience, delivering a surprisingly immersive game, paying homage to the classics, and sparking a bit of nostalgia.