WOW! Just a `git clone`, download and unpack the .zip with the assets (end of the blog post), type `make` and it compiles on Linux without warnings into `wipegame`, run it and it works first time!
You need a joypad/joystick, I was surprised that I could plug it in after the game had started and it picked it up, insted of having to restart the game as I remember being the case with other games on Linux years ago.
It is the Apollo Joypad (re-release of the SpeedLink Xeox Pro, http://www.apollo-computer.com/peripherals.php#Joypads) that I bought because it is compatible with the Vampire Amiga V4+ which means it has a very standard protocol, and it is set to DirectInput mode: it has a physical switch between Xinput and DirectInput mode.
I guess any proper DirectInput joypad would work just the same.
You need a joypad/joystick, I was surprised that I could plug it in after the game had started and it picked it up, insted of having to restart the game as I remember being the case with other games on Linux years ago.