Pisces: Space Journey
"A browser tab becomes a cockpit: one ship, a field of stars, and twelve zodiac paths that turn every run into a different build."
Pisces: Space Journey is a space shooter built with vanilla HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PixiJS. It runs directly in the browser and is hosted on GitHub Pages, making the game easy to open, play, and share without installation or a backend.
The Idea
The idea first took shape in late 2024, and the first beta was coded a couple of months later while still in high school. The project began with a simple goal: build a space shooter that could be played immediately from a browser link. As the game grew, the idea expanded beyond moving through space and firing at enemies. The game needed a system that could give players distinct combat directions instead of a single fixed loadout.
That direction became the zodiac sigil system. Each constellation represents an equipable build path, giving Pisces: Space Journey its own core mechanic while leaving room to grow with new sigils, skills, enemies, and bosses.
Why HTML, JavaScript, and GitHub Pages
Runs in the Browser
Players can open the game directly without downloading or installing anything.
Free Deployment
GitHub Pages provides a free place to host and share the project.
No Backend Required
The game can be delivered as a front end experience without server infrastructure.
PixiJS Rendering
PixiJS acts as the renderer adapter for drawing the game world and visual effects.
The Rookie Mistake
The first two beta versions were each built as one large HTML file. Everything lived together in an index style file: gameplay logic, rendering, effects, balance, and interface behavior. This was a natural starting point for an early project, but it became difficult to optimize and maintain once the game became larger.
January 2025
Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện
MilkyWayprotecter.html and spacestest101.html
The first beta was later abandoned because its visual effects did not feel right.
November 2025
Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện (FX & Balance)
Spaceshooterpro.html
The second beta improved effects and balance, but it still carried the limits of a one file structure.
When every concern lives in one file, a change in one area can make another harder to understand. Performance work becomes less direct, and adding a boss or a new sigil becomes harder than it needs to be. The project eventually required a more deliberate architecture.
From One File to a Real Architecture
In March 2026, the game was refactored into a modular structure. The first Git commit for this stage was titled Code game Space Shooter chia file, meaning the game code was split into files. The project has continued to develop from that point and now has more than 600 commits.
The modular design separates runtime setup, combat simulation, rendering, and static delivery. This makes the game easier to navigate and easier to extend when adding new enemies, bosses, and zodiac builds.
The three files named core.js remain distinct in the codebase: entities/core.js, sigils/core.js, and render/core.js.
The Core Skill System
The zodiac sigil system is the defining mechanic of Pisces: Space Journey. Each sign is an equipable sigil that gives the character its own build direction, drawing on a distinct combat theme instead of decorative naming.
Aries · Gate of Babylon
Landed hits summon piercing blade fans and phantom spear strikes.
Taurus · Yuusha Party
Tank build that banks squad and self-soaked damage into an absorb meter.
Gemini · Shadow Twin
Spawns a phantom twin ship that fires mirrored volleys of piercing plasma.
Cancer · Lunar Aegis
Sentinel-based protection: regenerating shields, evade, and a whirlpool pull-burst.
Leo
Opens each wave with a full-field freeze paired with a damage buff.
Virgo · Forest Guardian
Boosts critical strikes and stacks debuffs for follow-up damage amplification.
Libra · Blood Arrow
Charges Skill A into a bankable release of piercing, exploding arrows.
Scorpio · Resurrection
Grants bonus lives on pick and accelerates the life-gain rate.
Sagittarius · Twin Blades
Boomerang and arc-blade barrages that slow and pull enemies in.
Capricorn · Compound Interest
Each kill compounds a stacking global damage bonus.
Aquarius · Chain Lightning
Area slow and damage-over-time pulse while Skill G is active or charged.
Pisces · Dream Realm
Negates incoming damage for a window, then detonates marked enemies for a delayed burst.
This structure also supports future work. New sigils can be developed as their own build paths, while enemy and boss behavior can remain separated in the combat modules.
What Changed Between the Betas
Beta One
Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện was created in January 2025, while still in high school. Its visual effects did not match the direction the project needed, so the version was left behind.
Beta Two
Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện (FX & Balance) was created in November 2025, improving both effects and balance while still using a single HTML file.
Screenshots
FAQ
Can I play Pisces: Space Journey on mobile?
The game runs in a browser. This case study does not claim a dedicated mobile interface, so the experience may vary by device and browser.
Do I need to download anything?
No. The game is hosted on GitHub Pages and is designed to run directly from a browser link.
What technology does the game use?
The project uses vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with PixiJS used as the rendering adapter.
Can a new sigil be added?
Yes. The modular architecture was created to make expansion easier, including new zodiac sigils, skills, enemies, and bosses.
Where is player data stored?
This case study does not document a specific player data storage implementation.
Is the project still evolving?
Yes. The project has continued to develop since the March 2026 modular refactor and has accumulated more than 600 commits.
Changelog
- Late 2024: The idea for a browser space shooter with a zodiac sigil build system first took shape.
- January 25, 2025: First beta, Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện, created as a single HTML file while still in high school.
- November 2025: Second beta, Space Shooter – Nâng Cấp Toàn Diện (FX & Balance), improves effects and balance.
- March 2026: The game is split into a modular multi file architecture.
- Current: Continued development passes 600 commits, with modular systems for combat, rendering, skills, sigils, audio, input, and offline delivery.