---
title: 'Rototo: Space Survival'
teaser: A behind-the-scenes look at thoughtbot's first published mobile game.
tags: news,ios,android,game,rototo
author: Jack Nutting
published_on: 2015-04-09
---

You are a circle. A circle with a core, and a curved shield, floating in space.
Enemies come to attack you, and you rotate your shield to fend off their
attacks. If three enemy attacks slip past your shield, the game is over.

This. Is. Rototo.

<a href="http://playroto.to"><img src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/rototo-space-survival/playstore-teaser.png"
width=512 height=250 alt="Rototo Teaser"></a>

Rototo is a minimalistic 2D space survival game. We'd like to call it a "space
shooter", but you don't actually do any shooting, so maybe it's a bouncer, or a
blocker.

The basic idea behind the game is best formulated by its mastermind
Reda Lemeden:

> We wanted to create a game that takes the action of classics like Pong or
> Breakout, and places it in a circular setting. It is the embodiment of what we
> stand for. Who we are.

Rototo is simple enough to understand in seconds, and challenging enough to keep
you coming back for hours. Mike Burns hails Rototo as

> 2015's top game to be played in the bathroom.

We decided early on to use [Unity3D](https://unity3d.com) for the development of
Rototo. Unity3D provides a huge amount of functionality right from the start,
and also lets us easily deploy on multiple platforms. Unity3D is built around
Mono, the open-source implementation of Microsoft's .NET framework.

Even though most of us on the team aren't normally using C# on a daily basis, we
had no problems adjusting. Unity3D's included class libraries provide quality
APIs for lots of what we need to do, so ultimately the language that our code is
compiled from doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

Several of us on the Rototo team have dabbled or even worked in game development
in the past, but this is thoughtbot's first official foray into the world of
mobile gaming. We're excited to explore this new direction and see what
comes of it. If things go well, we hope to have time to follow up with an
ingenious new twist on the classic "Inopportune Llama" genre. Rototo's lead
developer Calle Erlandsson sums it up like this:

> Llamas are made out of the softest of materials, dreams.

But that is another story. For now, you can buy Rototo on the [iOS App
Store](https://itunes.apple.com/app/rototo-space-survival/id977646008) or
[Google
Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thoughtbot.rototo).

Ask your doctor if [Rototo](http://playroto.to) is right for you.