No. It's an original homage inspired by the 1981 shooter, with its own art and name — nothing copyrighted is copied.

Can I play it myself?

Right now it runs in self-playing attract mode, like an arcade demo screen. A keyboard-playable mode may be added later.

Does it need a connection?

No. It's computed entirely on your device, so it runs fully offline.

Why does the centipede split?

Hitting a middle segment turns it into a mushroom, breaking the chain into two independent halves — just like the original.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Why does hitting a segment split the centipede?

Shooting a middle segment removes it, so the body becomes two separate pieces, each continuing on its own as a shorter centipede.

Why do the mushrooms matter?

They change the enemy's path: each one forces a turn and a step down, so a crowded screen makes the centipede descend faster, while a clear field gives the player more room.

What did the original use for controls?

A trackball, which the player used to move along the bottom of the screen while firing darts at the centipede.

Bug Blaster Screensaver

Bug Blaster is a self-playing arcade screensaver inspired by the 1981 mushroom-field shooter. A centipede snakes down and splits where it's hit while a spider skitters and a blaster strafes. It's a free, original homage, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Bug Blaster screensaver works

Bug Blaster is an original tribute to the mushroom-field shooter — original art and name throughout.

A centipede snakes down through a field of mushrooms, dropping a row and reversing whenever it hits one or the edge.

A self-playing blaster strafes the base and fires upward; each hit turns a segment into a mushroom and splits the centipede in two.

A spider skitters along the bottom eating mushrooms, and a flea drops new ones — clear the centipede and a faster one descends.

How a mushroom field became a game

The arcade game behind this screensaver is Atari's Centipede, released in August 1981 and designed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey. Logg supervised and handled the design, while Bailey wrote about half the programming. It is a shoot-em-up built around a player confined to the bottom of the screen and a long segmented enemy descending through obstacles. The original used a trackball rather than a joystick to move the player along the bottom of the screen.

The mushrooms are what give the design its depth. They are not only scenery: a centipede that hits one drops to the next row and reverses, and a crowded screen makes it descend faster. Shooting a segment leaves a mushroom behind, and shooting a middle segment splits the centipede, so the player's own success reshapes the playfield.

A cast of smaller pests adds variety. In the original, spiders zig-zag across the play area eating mushrooms, fleas drop vertically and can leave mushroom trails, and scorpions turn the mushrooms they touch into poison mushrooms. Bug Blaster uses its own artwork and names but follows the same logic, and because the blaster plays itself, you can watch the field fill and the centipede fragment into shorter, independently moving pieces.

A worked example

The centipede winds down between pink mushrooms; the blaster slides under its head and fires, the chain splits in two and keeps coming, a purple spider bounces across the base, and a flea drops fresh mushrooms into the field.

Settings & tips

It runs in attract mode — the blaster aims and fires on its own.
Shooting a middle segment splits the centipede into two shorter ones.
Mushrooms reshape the centipede's path as it descends.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Centipede?: No. It's an original homage inspired by the 1981 shooter, with its own art and name — nothing copyrighted is copied.
Can I play it myself?: Right now it runs in self-playing attract mode, like an arcade demo screen. A keyboard-playable mode may be added later.
Does it need a connection?: No. It's computed entirely on your device, so it runs fully offline.
Why does the centipede split?: Hitting a middle segment turns it into a mushroom, breaking the chain into two independent halves — just like the original.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Why does hitting a segment split the centipede?: Shooting a middle segment removes it, so the body becomes two separate pieces, each continuing on its own as a shorter centipede.
Why do the mushrooms matter?: They change the enemy's path: each one forces a turn and a step down, so a crowded screen makes the centipede descend faster, while a clear field gives the player more room.
What did the original use for controls?: A trackball, which the player used to move along the bottom of the screen while firing darts at the centipede.

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