The printing presses are running at full speed. A father stands in the bread line with his wages in hand, and while he waits, the price goes up again. That is how Bitcoin Blitz begins, an arcade game by Noderunner Brinkie. And I have become a little addicted to it.
What is Bitcoin Blitz?
Bitcoin Blitz is a vertical arcade shooter, the kind you remember from the arcade. You fly upward through a world broken by money that is printed without end. Along the way you shoot down the machines that keep the "fiat empire" standing. Fiat is money that the government issues and can create at will, like the euro and the dollar.
What you get:
- 21 levels, 20 with a fixed route and one secret level
- 21 boss fights, each with its own attacks and multiple phases
- 21 characters you can get to know
- Local co-op: two players on the same screen
- A free demo that runs right in your browser
The full game is finished. The demo is the first part, and a Steam release is on its way.
A story you'll recognize
Many games have a bit of story as an excuse to start shooting. Not Bitcoin Blitz. The story is told in three acts, and anyone who thinks about money a little will recognize a lot of it.
Wages are worth nothing anymore. On the city screens, families smile at a full table and the crisis is called a "recovery". Anyone who points at the empty shelves gets written down.
Then a bridge collapses and the city starts to run. The towers where the money is printed keep glowing. The homes beneath them fall apart. From that bridge comes a signal: a route around the patrols. A few strangers pick it up. They become the Noderunners.
I won't give away more. You can read the story yourself on the story page, and it's worth it.
The bosses have names that sound familiar
This is where the humor of the game lies. Here you fight:
- The Tax Extractor, who charges a toll at the coast on everyone trying to flee
- The Data Broker, who sells every private signal from a server ring in orbit
- The Money Printer, who builds walls of banknotes in the Fiat Pyramid
- The Dollar Revenant, who floods the battlefield with "liquidity" and sends debt orbs after you
- The Big Boss of International Settlements, the final boss. I'll leave it to you to guess who that's supposed to be.
Every boss calls for a different approach. Just shooting stops working after a few levels. You learn when to use your shield, when to drop a bomb and when to trust your co-pilot.
Choose your pilot
Every pilot has their own story and their own reason to fight back. Indra is a pirate captain who refuses to let the coast become a cage. Mona slips unseen through the surveillance grid, with privacy as her weapon. Bunny came from a street kitchen and kept feeding people when food became a privilege.
Take a good look at the names on the roster. If you spend time in the Dutch bitcoin community, some of them will sound familiar. There is also a hacker in the game, Eppo, who intercepts the empire's messages "underground in the Netherlands".
The full list is on the characters page.
Built by the community
Bitcoin Blitz doesn't come from a big studio. Brinkie builds it in public, together with the Noderunners community. Through Geyser you can support the project. That's also where "hero slots" are released: spots on the pilot roster.
The sponsor list has some familiar names. One of them is Lightning Piggy, the piggy bank you'll find in our shop. Nice to see.
Even better: on the real arcade cabinet
There are two real Bitcoin Blitz arcade cabinets. Two people play at once on each cabinet, each with a joystick on the left and three buttons on the right. The motto: "Insert sats. Start the run."
Play for the jackpot
You can always play for free. But pay with Lightning and you buy credits, and then you're playing for the high score and the jackpot.
Every paid session makes the jackpot bigger. The more people give it a go, the more there is to win. So "Insert sats" is meant literally here.
Already enjoying the demo in your browser? On the cabinet it's even better. You stand shoulder to shoulder with your co-pilot while people around you watch.
You can't buy these cabinets and you won't find them in an arcade. You'll come across them at bitcoin meetups. Want them at your meetup? Send Brinkie a message on X and ask if he can stop by. Who knows.
How to play the demo
All you need is a browser. Go to the demo page and click "Open in browser".
| Player 1 | Player 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys | W A S D |
| Shoot | Space or Ctrl | G |
| Shield | Shift | F |
| Bomb | Alt | H |
A regular gamepad works too. Player 2 can join on the same screen.
My tip: play it as a duo. With your partner, your kid or that friend you've been trying to orange-pill for years. It's an easier way in than an hour-long talk about inflation.
How does it end?
There are two endings. If your pilot goes down, the presses start again and the next generation inherits the same debt. If you defeat the fiat bosses, the vaults open and the survivors build something new.
Which ending you get depends on how well you can dodge.
Play the free Bitcoin Blitz demo
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitcoin Blitz free?
Yes, you can play for free. The demo runs in your browser and the full game is coming to Steam. Want to compete for the high score and the jackpot? Then you pay for credits with Lightning.
Do I need bitcoin to play?
No, you can play for free without bitcoin. Only if you want to play for the jackpot do you pay in sats over Lightning. For that you need a Lightning wallet.
Can I play with two players?
Yes. Bitcoin Blitz is made for local co-op: two players on one screen, with keyboard or controller.
Who made Bitcoin Blitz?
Noderunner Brinkie (@onthebrinkie on X), together with the Noderunnerscommunity.
Where can I play on the arcade cabinet?
The two cabinets travel to bitcoin meetups. Want them at your meetup? Ask Brinkie if he can stop by.
Is it suitable for kids?
It's a shooter with explosions, but no blood. The story deals with poverty, war and fleeing. Take a look yourself to see if it suits your child's age.
Images: Bitcoin Blitz / Noderunners, used with permission.
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