Build iOS Games with Sprite Kit

Chapter 3Explosions and Particle Effects

Our game is developing nicely. We have single-finger game control, projectiles, enemies to avoid, and power-ups to collect. But a game’s mechanics aren’t the only things that make it fun. Many 2D games today add flair and polish in the form of particle effects. We, too, can give players a delightful experience with these special effects to catch their eye and stimulate their palate.

Sprite Kit makes it easy to implement many kinds of particle effects. We’ll explore two different techniques based on the kind of feel we want to evoke in our game. You’re going to learn the basics of particle emitting by rolling your own parallax star-field background that gives the illusion of zooming quickly through ...