
DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2026
TAGS: WEB, PEDAGOGY, ACTION, GAME FEEL
CONTRIBUTIONS: CORE ENGINE, UI/UX.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Original repository here. Michael John revived the project in 2025 and updated it to its current state linked above. Lead was Michael John, additional contributors include Eddie Melcer, Jonathan Leland, and Weiqiang Chen.
Juice Rocks is a web-based exploration of the concept of "Game Feel" (introduced by Steve Swink) in the context of a Asteroids-esque play environment. Game Feel (also known as "juice") refers to the often-unperceived effects we layer onto engines and systems to make games feel punchy and visceral. The system lets you change particle effects, screen shake, time dilation, score movement, and more to make what is usually perceived as a simple retro game into an exciting and embodied experience.
It acts as a type of playground for exploration as well - if you are attempting to integrate your own sense of game feel/juice in your system, you can play around with different combinations of juice in order to see what the visual impacts are (before, say, implemented an overly-complicated particle system that we then immediately strip down. We've all been there.)
Use the menu on the left to change elements of game juice and get the desired interaction pattern you want between the ship, asteroids, and weapons. The settings should be self-explanatory, but experimentation is the most rewarding thing you can do with this system.