The experiment
The original Apricots is a fast little side-view plane game (roots back to 1991 on the Amiga): fly, shoot enemy planes, bomb ground targets, dodge anti-aircraft fire. We reverse-engineered its C++/SDL source into a precise spec, then asked each model to build a single, self-contained browser game — everything procedural, no art or audio assets.
Two tracks, same brief for each:
- 2D — faithful port: reproduce the original's feel on an HTML5 canvas (the 16-direction flight model, stalls, runway takeoff/landing, the scoring economy).
- 3D — reimagining: re-cast the same game as a low-poly Three.js flight-combat arena.
2D — Faithful Port
Sonnet 5 · 2D
Play ↗
Tip: each build opens in a new tab. Use the number keys to pick a plane on the runway, arrows to fly, and hold up to accelerate.
How they were checked
Every build was loaded in a headless browser and passed the automated bar: zero console errors, self-contained, and a clean render. Each was then scored for fidelity against the reverse-engineered spec of the original game.
✓ Runs clean
✓ No console errors
✓ Self-contained
✓ Procedural art & audio
The 2D builds are faithful ports; the 3D builds trade pixel-exactness for a low-poly re-staging of the same combat loop. Judge the flight feel, the density of the world, and how much of the original's spirit survives.