Airborne Aviator
React Native arcade game
A retro-style arcade flying game, written entirely in React Native, where you steer a plane through obstacles. A past project.
Airborne Aviator is a retro-style arcade flying game set in the sky. Players test their quick reflexes as they steer a plane through obstacles. I, Berke Özyaşar, built the game entirely with React Native, without any game engine. The game is no longer on Google Play; this page describes it as a past project.
Why a game in React Native
React Native is mostly associated with business apps. I built Airborne Aviator to show that the framework can also deliver a smooth, responsive gaming experience. The project also became a starting point for my later game experiments. Not using a game engine meant tackling the game loop, touch controls and performance directly, and that experience has served me well in both games and animation-heavy apps.
Game highlights
- Dynamic arcade gameplay with retro-style action
- A flying experience with active controls
- Missions and challenges that sharpen your reflexes
- Minimalist graphics with an accompanying soundtrack
- Simple, intuitive controls for players of every level
Technical approach
The most important thing in an arcade game is that players feel no lag between their touch and the movement on screen. Achieving this with React Native meant keeping the movement of the plane and obstacles, and the collision checks, as lightweight as possible. The minimalist graphics both supported the retro feel and helped performance.
I later built other games with React Native too: MetroVerse, a metro simulation set in procedurally generated cities, and Block Forge, an against-the-clock puzzle game. If you are planning a mobile project with React Native, take a look at the mobile app development page.
