Game review
Centibug
7.7 / 10
- Developer
- Frank Force
- Publisher
- Frank Force
- Released
- 1 January 2026
- Platforms
- phone, desktop
- Genre
- arcade,shooter
- Monetisation
- free
- Players
- false
The short version
A genuinely faithful, well-built Centipede clone - the centipede really splits into independent chains when a body segment is destroyed, mushrooms take visible multi-hit damage, and a mid-field spider roams the play area - confirmed working with real mouse-follow-and-click control on desktop and real touch-drag-and-hold control on phone.
Biggest strengths
- Confirmed genuinely functional on both platforms - the ship follows the mouse position on desktop and a real finger drag on phone, both verified by reading the game's own live position values, and holding fire (click or touch-hold) was confirmed to genuinely destroy centipede segments via a real score increase tracked directly from the game's internal score variable, not just a screenshot
- A mechanically faithful centipede - destroying a body segment genuinely splits the chain into independent pieces that continue marching separately, confirmed by watching the live segment count drop and multiple chains appear on screen as shots landed
- Mushrooms take real, visible multi-hit damage - several changed colour (moving through cap-damage states) during testing rather than vanishing in one hit, adding real tactical texture to the mushroom field
Biggest weaknesses
- Aiming requires the ship to be positioned directly under a target before firing, which took deliberate, precise positioning in testing to land a confirmed hit - a natural consequence of Centipede's original design rather than a flaw, but still worth knowing going in
- Sound wasn't deeply evaluated beyond confirming no load errors
- A faithful clone of a screen that's over 40 years old, so the appeal is squarely in how well the formula is executed rather than anything new
Who it's for: Fans of classic fixed-shooter arcade games who want a faithful, mechanically deep take on Centipede, on either desktop or phone.
Our recommendation: play
7.7 / 10
Opening
Centibug is a genuinely faithful, mechanically deep take on Centipede: a segmented bug winds down through a field of mushrooms toward the player's ship, splitting into independent chains whenever a body segment is destroyed, while a roaming spider adds a second threat.
Real controls, confirmed on both platforms
Testing used real dispatched input and read the game's own internal state directly rather than relying on assumption. On desktop, the ship instantly follows the mouse cursor's position and holding the mouse button fires on a cooldown - confirmed by moving the mouse to a specific spot and reading the ship's own position value back, then tracking the live centipede segment array to aim shots precisely and watching the score climb from 0 to 60 as six segments were destroyed in sequence. On phone, a real touch drag moved the ship (confirmed by the same direct position read going from x=21 to x=7.3 to match the drag), and holding the touch down fired and scored a real hit.
A mechanically faithful centipede
Destroying a body segment doesn't just remove it - the chain genuinely splits into two independently-marching pieces, confirmed by watching the live segment count drop from 14 to 8 while multiple separate centipede chains appeared on screen at once, each continuing to weave through the mushroom field on its own path.
Damageable mushrooms and a roaming spider
Mushrooms visibly changed colour during testing - moving through damage states rather than disappearing after a single hit - adding real tactical texture to deciding where to clear a path. A spider was also observed roaming the mid-field independently of the centipede, a second real threat rather than a decoration.
A complete presentation
The game correctly enforces a landscape orientation lock on phone, showing a legible "Please Rotate Your Device" prompt with a rotating-phone icon rather than leaving a portrait player stuck with a broken layout.
Final Verdict
A genuinely faithful, well-executed Centipede clone with real mechanical depth - segment splitting, multi-hit mushrooms, and an independent spider threat - confirmed working with real, distinct control schemes on both desktop and phone.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Confirmed genuinely functional on both platforms - the ship follows the mouse position on desktop and a real finger drag on phone, both verified by reading the game's own live position values, and holding fire (click or touch-hold) was confirmed to genuinely destroy centipede segments via a real score increase tracked directly from the game's internal score variable, not just a screenshot
- A mechanically faithful centipede - destroying a body segment genuinely splits the chain into independent pieces that continue marching separately, confirmed by watching the live segment count drop and multiple chains appear on screen as shots landed
- Mushrooms take real, visible multi-hit damage - several changed colour (moving through cap-damage states) during testing rather than vanishing in one hit, adding real tactical texture to the mushroom field
- Correctly enforces a landscape orientation lock on phone, showing a clear "Please Rotate Your Device" prompt rather than handing a portrait user a broken layout
- A roaming spider enemy adds a second real threat on top of the centipede, seen wandering the mid-field independent of the main chain
Cons
- Aiming requires the ship to be positioned directly under a target before firing, which took deliberate, precise positioning in testing to land a confirmed hit - a natural consequence of Centipede's original design rather than a flaw, but still worth knowing going in
- Sound wasn't deeply evaluated beyond confirming no load errors
- A faithful clone of a screen that's over 40 years old, so the appeal is squarely in how well the formula is executed rather than anything new