Russell Ballestrini
a7671d905c
- Updated total from 6.45M to 13.13M lines based on improved methodology - Enhanced script to properly categorize all C++ file extensions (.cc, .hh, .hpp, .inl, .inc, etc.) - Added translation files as second largest category (3.3M lines, 25% of codebase) - Fixed script duplicates in unknown section by excluding known language extensions - Implemented two-mode script operation (current directory vs download repo) - Updated language breakdown with accurate counts from final analysis - Enhanced insights section with findings about global internationalization effort - Removed methodology and conclusion sections for cleaner post structure - Changed 'rivals' to 'competes with' and removed enterprise software comparison
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8.5 KiB
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231 lines
No EOL
8.5 KiB
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Analyzing the Godot Engine Codebase: Millions of Lines of Code
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===============================================================
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:author: Russell Ballestrini
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:slug: analyzing-godot-engine-codebase-millions-lines-of-code
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:date: 2025-07-28 09:00
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:tags: Code, Research, Open Source, Game Development
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:status: published
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Overview
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--------
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The `Godot engine <https://godotengine.org/>`_ is a powerful, open-source game engine that competes with commercial alternatives like Unity and Unreal. When we set out to analyze its codebase, we discovered it contains approximately **13.13 million lines of code**. This analysis provides insights into the languages used and the distribution of code across different components.
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Findings
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--------
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Using our comprehensive analysis methodology, here's what we discovered about the Godot engine codebase:
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**Total Lines of Code: 13.13 million**
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Language Breakdown
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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1. **C/C++ (8.6M lines - 65%)**
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- Core engine implementation (3.3M .cpp files)
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- Headers and interfaces (2.7M .h files, 576K .hpp, 197K .hh)
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- Performance-critical systems
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- Platform abstraction layers
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- Rendering pipelines
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- Template implementations (.inl, .inc files)
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2. **Translation Files (3.3M lines - 25%)**
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- Multilingual support (.po files)
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- International localization
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- Community translations
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- Massive global reach effort
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3. **XML (326K lines - 2.5%)**
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- Project configuration files
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- Build system definitions
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- Documentation markup
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4. **Asset Files (240K lines)**
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- Binary assets (.pack files with 227K lines)
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- Font files (.woff2 with 22K lines)
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- Platform-specific resources
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5. **C# (110K lines)**
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- C# language bindings
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- .NET integration layer
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- C# API surface
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6. **Java (95K lines)**
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- Android platform support
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- Android-specific features
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- JNI bridge code
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7. **GLSL (71K lines)**
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- Shader programs
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- Rendering effects
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- GPU compute kernels
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8. **Objective-C/C++ (57K lines)**
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- iOS platform support (.mm files)
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- macOS integration
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- Apple-specific features
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9. **Python (27K lines)**
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- Build scripts
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- Code generation tools
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- Development utilities
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10. **GDScript (24K lines)**
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- Example projects
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- Test scripts
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- Documentation samples
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Reproducing These Results
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-------------------------
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To reproduce this analysis, save and run this script:
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.. code-block:: bash
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#!/bin/bash
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# analyze_codebase.sh - Count lines of code by language
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# Usage:
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# ./analyze_codebase.sh # Analyze current directory
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# ./analyze_codebase.sh <git-url> # Download and analyze repo
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# Example: ./analyze_codebase.sh https://github.com/godotengine/godot.git
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if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
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# No arguments - analyze current directory
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echo "Analyzing current directory: $(pwd)"
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ANALYSIS_DIR="."
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else
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# Git URL provided - clone and analyze
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REPO_URL="$1"
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REPO_NAME=$(basename "$REPO_URL" .git)
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ANALYSIS_DIR="${REPO_NAME}-analysis"
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echo "Cloning $REPO_NAME from $REPO_URL..."
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git clone --depth 1 "$REPO_URL" "$ANALYSIS_DIR"
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cd "$ANALYSIS_DIR"
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fi
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echo -e "\n=== CODEBASE ANALYSIS ==="
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# Count total lines
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echo -e "\nCounting total lines..."
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TOTAL=$(find . -type f -not -path "./.git/*" \
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-exec cat {} + 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
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echo "Total lines in repository: $(printf "%'d" $TOTAL)"
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# Count by major languages
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echo -e "\nLines of code by language:"
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echo "=========================="
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# Define extensions and their labels
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declare -A languages=(
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["cpp"]="C++ source"
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["h"]="C/C++ headers"
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["c"]="C source"
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["cc"]="C++ source"
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["cxx"]="C++ source"
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["hpp"]="C++ headers"
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["hh"]="C++ headers"
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["hxx"]="C++ headers"
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["inl"]="C++ inline"
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["inc"]="Include files"
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["ipp"]="C++ inline"
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["ixx"]="C++ modules"
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["tcc"]="Template impl"
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["tpp"]="Template impl"
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["cs"]="C#"
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["java"]="Java"
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["py"]="Python"
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["gd"]="GDScript"
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["js"]="JavaScript"
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["glsl"]="GLSL shaders"
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["xml"]="XML"
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)
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# Get all extensions in the codebase
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all_extensions=$(find . -type f -name "*.*" -not -path "./.git/*" | \
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sed 's/.*\.//' | sort -u)
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# Count known languages
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declare -A counted_extensions
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for ext in "${!languages[@]}"; do
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count=$(find . -name "*.$ext" -type f -not -path "./.git/*" \
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-exec cat {} + 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
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if [ $count -gt 0 ]; then
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printf "%-15s %'10d lines\n" "${languages[$ext]}:" $count
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counted_extensions[$ext]=1
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fi
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done | sort -k2 -nr
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# Count unknown extensions
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echo -e "\nUnknown file types:"
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echo "==================="
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unknown_total=0
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for ext in $all_extensions; do
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if [[ ! ${counted_extensions[$ext]} ]] && [[ ! ${languages[$ext]} ]]; then
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count=$(find . -name "*.$ext" -type f -not -path "./.git/*" \
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-exec cat {} + 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
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if [ $count -gt 0 ]; then
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printf "%-15s %'10d lines\n" "*.$ext files:" $count
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unknown_total=$((unknown_total + count))
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fi
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fi
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done | sort -k2 -nr
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if [ $unknown_total -gt 0 ]; then
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echo "----------------------------------------"
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printf "%-15s %'10d lines\n" "Unknown total:" $unknown_total
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fi
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echo -e "\nTop 10 file types by count:"
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find . -type f -name "*.*" -not -path "./.git/*" | sed 's/.*\.//' | \
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sort | uniq -c | sort -nr | head -10
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Insights
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--------
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The Godot engine's codebase reveals several fascinating patterns:
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1. **C++ Dominance**: The engine remains fundamentally a C++ project, with 8.6M lines (65%) in C/C++. This reflects the performance requirements of a modern game engine, with sophisticated template usage and inline optimizations.
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2. **Global Reach**: The most surprising finding is **3.3M lines of translation files** (25% of the codebase!). This represents one of the most comprehensive internationalization efforts in open-source software, with community translations spanning dozens of languages.
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3. **Multi-Platform Architecture**: Significant code for Java (95K - Android), Objective-C++ (57K - Apple platforms), and C# (110K - .NET) demonstrates true cross-platform commitment at enterprise scale.
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4. **Third-Party Integration**: The massive 1.66M lines of C code likely comes from integrated third-party libraries (physics engines, audio codecs, image processing, compression libraries, etc.).
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5. **Advanced Rendering**: 71K lines of GLSL shader code (doubled from our initial count) indicates extremely sophisticated rendering capabilities rivaling commercial engines.
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6. **Developer Accessibility**: Native support for GDScript (24K), C# (110K), and Python (27K) bindings shows strong commitment to developer accessibility across skill levels.
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7. **Asset Pipeline**: 240K lines dedicated to asset files (.pack, .woff2, binary resources) reveals a comprehensive content pipeline system.
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8. **Professional Tooling**: Extensive build systems, IDE integration files, and development utilities show this is production-grade software infrastructure.
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Real-World Godot in Action
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--------------------------
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While the Godot engine itself contains millions of lines of code, games built with it can be surprisingly concise. Our own game, **Piano Roll Man**, demonstrates this efficiency with just **10,500 lines of GDScript** - proving you don't need massive codebases to create engaging experiences.
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.. image:: https://make-post-sell-files.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/f2ce0b94-6723-11f0-a787-02dfe05770ee/f0b24565-6745-11f0-9f8a-02dfe05770ee/thumbnail1?ts=1753702865665
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:width: 600px
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:alt: Piano Roll Man gameplay
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:target: https://shop.gumyum.com/p/f0b24565-6745-11f0-9f8a-02dfe05770ee/piano-roll-man
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Piano Roll Man is a unique music-based game that lets you load any MIDI file from the internet and play through it as a level. With a full level editor and the ability to share levels by simply sharing MIDI files, it showcases Godot's flexibility in creating innovative gameplay mechanics.
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`Get Piano Roll Man now for just $6 during alpha! <https://shop.gumyum.com/p/f0b24565-6745-11f0-9f8a-02dfe05770ee/piano-roll-man>`_ (Price increases to $12 in beta and $18 at release) Available for Linux, Windows, and Mac - your purchase includes all future releases as we shape the game together with our alpha community. |