Not every project needs to solve a work problem. DAX HQ is my small family arcade project: a browser game that grew into an app for iPhone and iPad. The idea is simple enough to pick up quickly—move an energy saber around a core, deflect incoming plasma, and try to keep the run alive.
DAX HQ 2.0 is now available on the App Store. It has no ads or in-app purchases, and the core gameplay works offline.
A little defense game with room to grow
The fun comes from turning defense into an attack. You can parry enemy arcs, send fire back at bosses, and learn when to make a deliberate outward swipe. It is about reading what is coming and getting the timing right.
Version 2.0 gives that loop a longer journey: 12 stages across Orbital Foundry, Solar Drift, and Void Crown. Each chapter brings its own arena, attack patterns, and boss. Checkpoints at the start of chapters two and three give you a place to return without starting the whole campaign over.
Repair relays let you recover from a close call, while combos charge Overdrive. Outside the campaign, there is an endless score chase, a Daily Challenge, and a no-fail Training Room. Junior, Arcade, and Master settings let you choose the pace.
Making the next run feel better
The update was as much about feel as adding stages. Early rounds move faster, new directional attacks reward intentional movement, and the touch controls address unintended zoom. The arenas and bosses have new artwork, with richer combat effects and music that changes with the chapter.
Calm Mode reduces shake, flashes, and particles. Sound and music have separate controls, and optional touch assist helps on smaller screens. Local progress tracks achievements, ranks, trails, and boss cards; optional Game Center leaderboards and achievements add a score chase beyond your own device.
Built with web tools, taken onto a phone
The game still has browser roots: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript provide the shared game, with Capacitor packaging it for iOS. The native app adds Game Center and haptics on supported iPhones.
As with my other projects, I provide the direction, playtesting, and judgment, with AI tools doing much of the engineering. A game makes that feedback loop especially tangible: a feature can work exactly as written and still need another pass before it feels fun to play.
DAX HQ gives me a place to work on that feeling—and a reason to play another round.