SKILL.md

Performance Notes

Take your time to do this thoroughly

Quality is more important than speed

Do not skip validation steps

Add Assets

Replace basic geometric shapes (circles, rectangles) with pixel art sprites for all game entities. Every character, enemy, item, and projectile gets a recognizable visual identity — all generated as code, no external image files needed.

Instructions

Analyze the game at $ARGUMENTS (or the current directory if no path given).

First, load the game-assets skill to get the full pixel art system, archetypes, and integration patterns.

Step 1: Audit

Read package.json to identify the engine (Phaser or Three.js — this skill is Phaser-focused)

Read src/core/Constants.js to understand entity types, colors, and sizes

Read all entity files (src/entities/*.js) and find every generateTexture(), fillCircle(), fillRect(), or fillEllipse() call that creates an entity sprite

Read scene files to check for inline shape drawing used as game entities

List every entity that currently uses geometric shapes

Step 2: Plan

Present a table of sprites to create:

Entity

Archetype

Grid

Frames

Description

Player (personality)

Personality

32x48

1-4

Caricature of [name], scale 4

Player (generic)

Humanoid

16x16

...

Enemy X

Flying

16x16

...

Pickup

Item

8x8

...

If the game features a real person or named personality, default to the Personality archetype for the player character. This uses a 32x48 grid at scale 4 (128x192px rendered, ~35% of canvas height) — large enough to recognize the personality at a glance.

Choose the palette that best matches the game's existing color scheme:

DARK — gothic, horror, dark fantasy

BRIGHT — arcade, platformer, casual

RETRO — NES-style, muted tones

Grid sizes range from 8x8 (tiny pickups) through 16x16 (standard entities) to 32x48 (personality characters). Named characters always use the Personality archetype to ensure the meme hook — recognizing the person — lands immediately.

Step 3: Implement

Create src/core/PixelRenderer.js — the renderPixelArt() and renderSpriteSheet() utility functions

Create src/sprites/palette.js — the shared color palette

Create sprite data files in src/sprites/:

player.js — player idle + walk frames

enemies.js — all enemy type sprites and frames

items.js — pickups, gems, hearts, etc.

projectiles.js — bullets, fireballs, bolts (if applicable)

Update each entity constructor:

Replace fillCircle() / generateTexture() with renderPixelArt() or renderSpriteSheet()

Add Phaser animations for entities with multiple frames

Adjust physics body dimensions if sprite size changed (setCircle() or setSize())

For static items (gems, pickups), add a bob tween if not already present

Step 4: Verify

Run npm run build to confirm no errors

Check that collision detection still works (physics bodies may need size adjustments)

List all files created and modified

Remind the user to run the game and check visuals

Suggest running /game-creator:qa-game to update visual regression snapshots since all entities look different now

Example Usage

Standard game

/add-assets examples/asteroid-dodge

Result: Audits all entities using geometric shapes → creates src/sprites/ with player, asteroids, and gem pixel art → replaces fillCircle()/fillRect() with renderPixelArt() → collision bounds adjusted.

Personality game (from tweet)

/add-assets examples/nick-land-dodger

Result: Detects named personality → uses 32x48 Personality archetype at scale 4 → recognizable caricature as player character → enemies and items get themed pixel art.

Troubleshooting

Sprites appear but are wrong size

Cause: Pixel art dimensions don't match original hitbox.

Fix: Keep sprite dimensions close to the original fillRect/fillCircle size. Adjust collision bounds if needed.

Sprites don't appear

Cause: Canvas texture not created before first render frame.

Fix: Generate textures in scene preload() or create(), not in update().

Next Step

Tell the user:

Your game entities now have pixel art sprites instead of geometric shapes! Each character, enemy, and item has a distinct visual identity.

Files created:

src/core/PixelRenderer.js — rendering engine

src/sprites/palette.js — shared color palette

src/sprites/player.js, enemies.js, items.js — sprite data

Run the game to see the new visuals. If you have Playwright tests, run /game-creator:qa-game to update the visual regression snapshots.

add-assets