A Tamagotchi-style virtual pet game for the M5Stack Cardputer ADV (ESP32).
Raise your infernal companion through multiple life stages, feed it, play mini-games, manage sleep cycles, survive decay, and maybe… resurrect what should not be resurrected.
- M5Stack Cardputer ADV
- ESP32 (240 MHz)
- SD card (required for assets)
Arrow Keys - Navigate
Enter/G - Confirm
Esc - Menu
Del/Q
GO - Screen Off/On
Shake Your cardputer to wake the screen
Hold GO - Power Menu
/ - Console
Keyz Z-M are hotkeys for all the tabs
(Some mini-games may use alternate input behavior.)
Alternate Navigation - E,A,S,D and O,J,K,L - allows for one handed navigation
src/ (all .cpp and .h files)
assets/ Image Files
docs/ Licensing, Changelog, Contrib
tools/ Asset Manifest Generator and other Dev Tools
Raising Hell runs on the M5Stack Cardputer ADV.
There are three ways to install the game depending on your setup.
This is the easiest way to install Raising Hell directly from the Cardputer.
- Install M5Launcher on your Cardputer if it is not already installed.
- Connect the device to Wi-Fi.
- Open M5Launcher.
- Browse the application list and locate Raising Hell.
- Select the game and choose Install.
After installation:
- Launch the game from the launcher.
- On first boot the game will automatically provision required assets via OTA.
No manual asset downloads are required.
You can install the firmware from a computer using M5Burner.
- M5Burner installed on your computer
- USB connection to the Cardputer ADV
- Connect the Cardputer ADV to your computer via USB.
- Open M5Burner.
- Search for Raising Hell.
- Select the application.
- Click Burn.
- Wait for flashing to complete.
After the first launch:
- The game will download required assets automatically via OTA.
Advanced users can manually flash the firmware using PlatformIO or esptool.
Download the latest firmware binary from the GitHub Releases page:
https://github.com/acpayers-alt/raising-hell-cardputer/releases
Flash the firmware to the device.
Example using PlatformIO:
pio run -t uploadOr using esptool:
esptool.py --chip esp32s3 --port /dev/ttyACM0 write_flash 0x10000 firmware.binAfter booting the firmware:
- The game will automatically provision its asset pack via OTA.
On first launch Raising Hell will:
- Check for required game assets
- Download missing assets automatically
- Store assets on the SD card
This process only occurs once.
Currently supported hardware:
M5Stack Cardputer ADV
The original first-generation Cardputer has not been tested and may not work correctly.
If the game fails to start:
- Ensure an SD card is installed
- Ensure the device has Wi-Fi connectivity for asset provisioning
- Restart the device after flashing
This project is under active architectural cleanup and refactor toward:
- Modular state architecture
- Strict include hygiene
- Removal of legacy globals
- Separation of platform and gameplay logic
- Open-source readiness
Recommended configuration:
Board: M5Cardputer Flash Mode: QIO 80MHz Flash Size: 4MB (32Mb) Partition Scheme: Huge APP (3MB No OTA / 1MB SPIFFS) CPU Frequency: 240MHz (WiFi) Upload Speed: 921600
- Clone the repository.
- Copy the assets folder contents to an SD card.
- Open raising_hell_cpADV.ino in the Arduino IDE.
- Select the board settings listed above.
- Compile and upload.
- Requires SD card
- Designed specifically for Cardputer ADV hardware
- Not optimized for alternate ESP32 boards
Code is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
Assets licensing is described in ASSETS_LICENSE.md.
Aaron Ayers
If you build this, fork it, improve it, or port it — I’d love to see it.
