Pixelbox.js

There's no denying the fact that nowadays most of the top-tier games out there are "eye wateringly" beautiful and undeniably a lot more complex than most games from ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.

Whether it's for the nostalgia they manage to induce or their sheer simplicity that reminds people that games don't necessarily have to be complex to be fun, 2D games or the so-called pixel art games still hold a spot in most gamers' hearts.

If you ever dreamed about creating your very own 2D game, then you might want to check out Pixelbox.js.

In short terms, Pixelbox.js is a 2D game creation engine. To be more precise, the app is a combination of a simple JavaScript library and a game editor.

The app is designed to be straightforward and remarkably accessible even for users who are not particularly familiar with the whole gaming development process.

Towards achieving this end, the app practically takes care of everything for you. You can initialize a new project with just a few mouse clicks, and all the required files are automatically created, no need for knowledge about boilerplate code and similar underpinnings.

The app's editor allows you to create every aspect of your games including the graphics, the levels, the music, and even the sound effects. You can draw sprites on the screen, and start the game instantly to see the results.

Another great aspect of Pixelbox.js is the fact that it also acts as a testing environment. The app can help you start a local server, build your code, and preload all the game assets. You can test your game within the app's editor, or in a web-browser of your choosing.

Levels can be created easily with the help of the integrated tile editor, and music and sounds can be developed using the two built-in editors called PataTracker and Bleeper.

If building a 2D pixel art game without having to deal with all the not-so-user-friendly HTML5 development environment is something that you're after, then this utility fits the bill perfectly.