Flying Hippo Game in Scratch: Score Points by Touching Balls! Complete Guide for Kids & Beginners

Introduction – Flying Hippo Game in Scratch

Welcome to this Scratch game tutorial for kids—a fun and engaging Flying game in Scratch that teaches you how to make a Scratch game step by step. Whether you’re new to Scratch or eager to create your first game, this guide offers a beginner-friendly approach to create sprite animation in Scratch, Scratch animation tutorial, and Scratch coding for kids.

Let’s build an adorable hippo that flies, flaps its wings, dodges obstacles, and collects magical balls to score points—all while enjoying lively Scratch cloud animation, Scratch building animation, and Scratch game with sound.

Project Overview: What You’ll Build & Why It’s Super Fun

A Flying sprite game featuring a hippo gliding through a starry backdrop.
Movement controls: Fly in all directions (up, down, left, right).
Animated sprites: Hippo flaps wings; clouds and buildings move continuously.
Scoring system: Collect magical balls to earn points (Scratch game with scoring).
Soundtrack: Ambient “Emotional Piano” music loops, enhancing immersion.
Visual appeal boosted by changing backgrounds, sprites, and animations.

Watch the Game Demo

Embed the official YouTube tutorial to follow along:

YouTube video: Create a Flying Sprite Game in Scratch
A clear and lively walk-through covering all steps—from animation to scoring to sound.

Step‑by‑Step Scratch Coding – Flying Hippo Game in Scratch

Start Coding the Game

1. Setup: Backdrop & Hippo Sprite

Open Scratch and start a new project.
Delete the default cat sprite.
Choose a backdrop—search for “Stars” (as seen at 02:09 – Choosing the Perfect Backdrop) to set the scene.
Add the Hippo sprite.

Watch this in video – Choosing the Perfect Backdrop: Stars

2. Hippo Animation & Movement

Welcome Message

when green flag clicked
go to front layer
say [Time to fly!] for 2 seconds

Watch this in video – Hippo Says “Time to Fly!”

Wing Flapping Animation

when green flag clicked
forever
  wait 0.1 seconds
  next costume
end

Watch this in video – Animating the Hippo: Flap Wings

Movement Controls

when [right arrow] key pressed
change x by 30

when [left arrow] key pressed
change x by -30

when [up arrow] key pressed
change y by 30

when [down arrow] key pressed
change y by -30

Watch this in video – Adding Flying Movement Controls

Bonus: Smooth motion

when green flag clicked
repeat 32
  change x by -15
end

3. Scoring System: Magical Balls

Watch this in video – Creating the Scoring System

Create variable Score.
Set initial score at start:

when green flag clicked
set [Score v] to 0

Add ball-catching logic

when green flag clicked
forever
  if <touching [ball v]?> then
    change [Score v] by 1
    // hide or reposition ball as needed
  end
end

4. Enriching the Environment: Clouds & Buildings

Clouds Animation

when green flag clicked
forever
  go to x: 250 y: (pick random 1 to 180)
  next costume
  repeat 50
    change x by -10
  end
end

Watch this in video – Adding Cloud Sprite for Game Environment

Buildings Animation

when green flag clicked
forever
  go to x: 250
  next costume
  repeat 100
    change x by -5
  end
end

Watch this in video – Adding Buildings Sprite for Game Depth

5. Immersive Sound: Background Music

Click Stage, go to Sounds, remove the default “Pop” sound.
Add “Emotional Piano” track, adjust volume.
Use:

when green flag clicked
play sound [Emotional Piano v] until done

Add repeat logic if desired

Watch this in video – Enhancing Game With Background Music

6. Final Demo & Scoring Mechanics

Run the code and see:

Hippo flapping and responsive to arrow keys – Flying Hippo in Action
Clouds and buildings move continuously—depth in the scene.
Score increases as hippo touches magical balls
Full immersive experience with visuals and sound.

7. Enhancement Ideas & Extra Features

Here’s how to take this Scratch beginner game tutorial further:

Enhancement Feature	Description
Game Over & Win Conditions	Show “Game Over” when score hits a threshold or a timer ends.
Lives / Health Bar	Add variables like Lives; deduct on misses or collisions.
Power-Ups & Boosts	Include special balls that boost speed or grant bonus points.
Obstacles	Add moving obstacles (e.g., flying birds) to avoid.
Levels & Difficulty Scaling	Increase speed of clouds/buildings with each level.
Sound Effects	Add sound for collecting balls or for hits.
Mobile Optimization	Ensure controls and screen fit well on tablets

Conclusion: Your Flying Hippo Adventure Awaits!

Congratulations! You’ve just explored a Scratch tutorial step by step: animating, coding, scoring, and creating a stylish flying game for kids.

This easy Scratch coding tutorial empowers you to build a flying game in Scratch with engaging visuals, intuitive controls, sound, and interactive gameplay. It’s perfect as a Scratch project for beginners and a great foundation for deeper game development. Add enhancements, share it, and encourage remixing within the Scratch community.

Call to Action

Don’t forget to check out the full video tutorial by Kodex Academy here: Create a Flying Sprite Game in Scratch | Score Points by Touching Balls! (Kodex Academy Games)
Like, comment & share the video
Visit kodexacademy.com
subscribe to the Kodex Academy YouTube channel for deeper Scratch content.

Happy coding with Kodex Academy! 🚀

Learn More with Kodex Academy

At Kodex Academy, we’re passionate about helping students learn coding in creative ways. This project teaches more than Scratch—it empowers young minds to build tools that work in the real world.

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