pixelfx
Pixel art effects written as code, with a Claude Code skill
- Best for
- Pixel art game developers who want ready-made effects they can recolor, export or extend with Claude Code
- Makes
- Pixel art VFX and animations as JavaScript, GIFs, and transparent sprite sheets with Aseprite-style JSON
- Made by
- Patch (patch-gg)
- Where you use it
- Web, CLI
- Engines
- Any engine, Web, Godot, Unity
- Pricing
- Free and open source (MIT) as of November 2026; the skill runs in Claude Code, which needs the user's own Claude plan or API access
- Free plan
- Yes
- Open source
- Yes (MIT)
- Export
- Effects run as dependency-free JavaScript in browser games, or render to transparent PNG sprite sheets with Aseprite-style JSON for engines such as Godot, Unity, GameMaker, Defold, LÖVE and Bevy; MIT license allows commercial use
- Status
- Available
pixelfx is an open-source library of 244 pixel art effects and animations from Patch (patch.gg). Each effect is a small JavaScript file rather than an image, sorted into 21 categories such as fire, explosions, ice, melee, status, UI, pickups and critters, according to the project's README. The project's gallery lets visitors play, recolor and export them. Patch CEO Rehan Sheikh (@rehan_shei) announced it on X on October 30, 2026, with 232 effects at the time.
Browser games (canvas, Phaser, PixiJS, Kaplay, three.js) can run the effects directly, with no dependencies. For other engines, a command-line tool renders effects to a transparent sprite sheet with Aseprite-style JSON, which the README says Godot and Unity Aseprite importers read. A palette option recolors any effect without code changes. Effects with a character carry timing for the wind-up, the freeze on contact and the recovery, and 12 "moves" chain effects into full attacks.
The bundled Claude Code skill helps an agent find, use and export effects, and make new ones in a loop: draft (several when the brief is open), render a contact sheet, study the frames, fix the biggest problem, repeat, then run a checker for loop seams, out-of-canvas drawing and slow frames. The README credits the method and some code to Hugo Duprez of Sprite Fusion; the repo's notices say the acting code adapts Hollow Crown, an MIT-licensed browser RPG by GitHub user rehan-remade. It's free under MIT; the skill needs Claude Code. AIGamer has not tested pixelfx.
Limitation: Glow is baked into exported sprite sheets as color with alpha, which reads well over dark scenes; for bright scenes the skill's own instructions say to render a recolored version or keep the effect on a dark layer
FAQ
Is pixelfx free?
Yes. The code and effects are MIT-licensed and can be used in commercial games, per the repo's README and LICENSE. The bundled Patch Pixel font is excluded. The skill runs in Claude Code, which needs your own Claude plan or API access.
Can I use pixelfx effects in Godot or Unity?
Yes, as sprite sheets. `node tools/render.mjs <effect> --sheet` writes a transparent PNG and Aseprite-style JSON that the README says Godot and Unity Aseprite importers read. The JavaScript code itself runs only in browser games.
How many effects does pixelfx have?
244 across 21 categories as of November 7, 2026, according to the README. When Patch CEO Rehan Sheikh announced it on X on October 30, 2026, he gave the count as 232.
What does the pixelfx Claude Code skill do?
It teaches Claude Code to search, use, recolor and export the library's effects, and to make new ones by drafting, rendering contact sheets, looking at the frames and refining, then running a checker. It installs as a plugin with `/plugin marketplace add patch-gg/pixelfx`.
Sources
Compiled by AIGamer from pixelfx's own pages and the sources below, checked 7 November 2026. We haven't tested pixelfx hands-on.
- pixelfx (patch-gg): GitHub repository and README
- pixelfx (patch-gg): Claude Code skill (SKILL.md)
- pixelfx (patch-gg): License
- pixelfx (patch-gg): Notices
- pixelfx: Gallery
- Rehan Sheikh (@rehan_shei) on X: Launch post, October 30, 2026
- Sprite Fusion (Hugo Duprez): How to make (good) pixel art effects with Claude
- Hollow Crown (rehan-remade): GitHub repository
- Patch: Official site
Image: pixelfx (patch-gg)
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