Building "Gravity Flip & Color Lock" with Amazon Q CLI
Spent this weekend building this simple yet creative game using amazon q cli!
Published May 25, 2025
Today I want to share my experience creating a unique platformer game called "Gravity Flip & Color Lock" with the assistance of Amazon Q. This project showcases how AI can help developers rapidly prototype and enhance game concepts.
The Concept
I started with a simple idea: a platformer where the player can flip gravity and interact with color-changing platforms. What began as a basic concept evolved into a feature-rich game with particle effects, collectibles, and power-ups.
Key Game Mechanics
The game revolves around two core mechanics:
Gravity Flipping: Players can switch between walking on the floor or ceiling, opening up vertical navigation possibilities.
Color Locking: Platforms cycle through different colors (red, green, blue, yellow, and purple). Players can lock a specific color, making only platforms of that color solid while others become passable.
These mechanics create interesting puzzles where timing and spatial awareness are crucial.
Development Process with Amazon Q
Amazon Q proved invaluable throughout the development process:
Initial Prototype: We started with a minimal implementation of player movement, gravity flipping, and basic platforms.
Iterative Enhancement: With each iteration, we added new features like:
- Animated color transitions for platforms
- Particle effects for movement and abilities
- Collectible coins and power-ups
- Moving platforms for dynamic level design
- Dash ability for more movement options
Polish and UI: Amazon Q helped implement clean UI elements, including: Start and game over screens, In-game HUD showing score and power status, Visual feedback for player actions
Technical Highlights
The game uses Pygame and features several interesting technical implementations:
- Smooth color transitions using interpolation
- Particle system for visual effects
- Collision detection that accounts for gravity direction
- Platform solidity based on color state
- Moving platforms with sine-wave movement patterns
Lessons Learned
This project taught me several valuable lessons:
- Rapid Prototyping: With AI assistance, I could quickly test and refine game mechanics.
- Incremental Development: Adding features one at a time allowed for better testing and integration.
- Visual Feedback: Small visual effects like particles and color transitions greatly enhance game feel.
- UI Importance: Clear instructions and feedback make the game more accessible to players.
Try It Yourself!
The complete source code is available on my GitHub repository. Feel free to try it out, modify it, or use it as inspiration for your own game projects!
This project demonstrates how tools like Amazon Q can help developers bring their creative ideas to life more efficiently, allowing for faster iteration and experimentation in game development.
#AmazonQCLI #gamedev
