Pyxel Game Development

What is Pyxel?

Pyxel is a retro game engine for Python with deliberate limitations that spark creativity:

• 16 colors (fixed palette)
• 256x256 px image banks (3 banks)
• 4 audio channels with chiptune sounds
• Built-in editors for sprites, tilemaps, sounds, and music
• Screen sizes typically 128x128, 160x120, or 256x256

Setup

The pyxel-mcp MCP server must be installed for this skill to work. Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pyxel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["pyxel-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or install directly: pip install pyxel-mcp

Workflow

Follow this cycle for every Pyxel project:

1. Write code — Create or modify the .py file
2. Validate — Use validate_script to catch syntax errors and anti-patterns
3. Run and verify — Use run_and_capture to screenshot the game
4. Inspect details — Use inspect/render tools as needed
5. Fix and iterate — Adjust based on visual/audio feedback, then re-verify

Quick Start Pattern

import pyxel

class App:
    def __init__(self):
        pyxel.init(160, 120, title="My Game")
        # Set up sprites, sounds, state here
        pyxel.run(self.update, self.draw)

    def update(self):
        if pyxel.btnp(pyxel.KEY_Q):
            pyxel.quit()
        # Game logic here

    def draw(self):
        pyxel.cls(0)
        # Draw everything here

App()

Reference

Call pyxel_info to locate type stubs and example files. The MCP server's built-in instructions cover drawing, audio, tilemaps, sprites, and game patterns in detail.