Introduction

In this exciting tutorial, you and your child will build an action-packed Black Panther game. We will guide you through customising the standard cat character to look like the superhero Black Panther and his nemesis, Killmonger. The aim of the game is to help the hero dodge falling rocks dropped by the villain and jump up to collect the Heart-Shaped Herb. This ScratchJr project is a fantastic introduction to coding logic, including using message blocks for a controller and handling interactions between different characters. It’s a fun way to bring a movie favourite to life using ScratchJr.

The Video Embed

What You Need

• ScratchJr App: Installed on an iPad or Android tablet.
• Characters:
  • Black Panther: Created by editing the cat character (add silver accessories).
  • Killmonger: Created by editing the cat character (add gold accessories).
  • Rocks: To act as the falling traps.
  • Flower: The Heart-Shaped Herb power-up.
  • Controller Buttons: Three separate characters (Left, Right, and Jump).
• Background: A jungle scene with a high branch or tree for Killmonger to stand on.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Designing the Characters

First, open the paint editor to customise your characters. Take the standard ScratchJr cat and use the paint bucket and brush tools to turn him into Black Panther (black with silver details). Do the same for Killmonger, but give him gold details to distinguish him as the villain. You will also need to draw or select a rock and a special flower.

Step 2: Creating the Controller

To move Black Panther, we will create an on-screen controller using three separate button characters: a Left Arrow, a Right Arrow, and a Jump button.

• Left Button: Add code to Start on Tap and then Send Orange Message.
• Right Button: Add code to Start on Tap and then Send Red Message.
• Jump Button: Add code to Start on Tap and then Send Purple Message. [Insert screenshot of the button code here]

Step 3: Coding Black Panther’s Movement

Now, program Black Panther to react to the controller. You will need three separate scripts:

• Start on Orange Message connects to a Move Left block.
• Start on Red Message connects to a Move Right block.
• Start on Purple Message connects to a Jump block.

Step 4: The Villain and Falling Rocks

Place Killmonger up on a tree branch. His code should make him patrol back and forth. Place the rocks next to him. The rocks need to fall when Killmonger touches them.

• Use a Start on Bump block (triggering when Kilmonger touches the rock).
• Add a Turn block (to make it tumble) and a Move Down block.
• Crucially, end the script with a Stop block. This ensures the rock stops spinning and moving once it hits the ground.[Insert screenshot of the rock code here]

Step 5: The Power-Up Flower

The flower is the winning objective.

• Start the flower with a Hide block so it isn’t visible immediately.
• Add a Wait block set to 99 (approx. 10 seconds) followed by a Show block.
• When Black Panther touches the flower, you can trigger a “Win” scene where he grows large and says “I am the King!”.

Troubleshooting/Tips

• Rocks keeping spinning on the floor? Ensure you have placed the Stop block (the red block with a hand) at the very end of the rock’s script. This tells the code to finish completely once the movement is done.
• Black Panther not moving? Double-check that the colour of the Send Message block on your button matches the Start on Message block on Black Panther (e.g., Red matches Red).

If you are interested in doing more coding with your children and pupils, please check out the other ScratchJr tutorials I have created.