ShmupShifter by TerraCottaFrog
NOTE - A bugfix update was released that addressed unplayable control layout for people with certain keyboards.
NOW WITH IMPROVED JAM VERSION!!!
ShmupShifter is a 3 stage manic shooter developed in 48 hours for the Ludum Dare 35 compo, based on the theme "Shapeshift."
Fight 6 enemy types and three boss fights as you make you way through space. Use your powers of transformation to gain an upper hand, firing on enemies from all sides.
Featuring real shoot-em-up difficulty, ShmupShifter will surely satisfy your shmup appetite.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Use the arrow or wasd keys to move.
- Use Z, X, and C to fire, and change ship (J,K,L also work. Y can replace Z)
Z type ship:
Red, medium speed, forward spread
X type ship:
Green, fast speed, backward spread
Z type ship:
purple, slow speed, side shot
Enemies don't kill you. Bullets do. Score by destroying enemies.
Use the different ships to your advantage!
NOW WITH IMPROVED JAM VERSION!!!
ShmupShifter is a 3 stage manic shooter developed in 48 hours for the Ludum Dare 35 compo, based on the theme "Shapeshift."
Fight 6 enemy types and three boss fights as you make you way through space. Use your powers of transformation to gain an upper hand, firing on enemies from all sides.
Featuring real shoot-em-up difficulty, ShmupShifter will surely satisfy your shmup appetite.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Use the arrow or wasd keys to move.
- Use Z, X, and C to fire, and change ship (J,K,L also work. Y can replace Z)
Z type ship:
Red, medium speed, forward spread
X type ship:
Green, fast speed, backward spread
Z type ship:
purple, slow speed, side shot
Enemies don't kill you. Bullets do. Score by destroying enemies.
Use the different ships to your advantage!
| Windows (Submission) | https://terracottafrog.itch.io/shmupshifter |
| Windows (72 hour jam version) | https://terracottafrog.itch.io/shmupshifter |
| Source (GameMaker, itch.io) | https://terracottafrog.itch.io/shmupshifter |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-35/?action=preview&uid=55226 |
Ratings
| Coolness | 64% | 3 |
| Overall | 3.76 | 99 |
| Audio | 3.36 | 172 |
| Fun | 3.91 | 52 |
| Graphics | 3.74 | 154 |
| Humor | 2.45 | 377 |
| Innovation | 2.79 | 671 |
| Theme | 3.68 | 256 |
I liked the tip: "Try approaching from a different direction", but I was disappointed that the boss shot at me no matter where I was. It seems like the concept of "you can shoot in different directions" was leaned into a bit more. It seems like there's a bit of that, but it really still heavily favors shooting upwards. The tall vertical screen also reinforces that, and there weren't many enemies (that I got to) that really forced you to go into the other 2 forms. It seemed like those were just novelties, except when bad guys were down at the very bottom.
Nice job!
Nice big bright pixels!
Technically, the keyboard fix would count as a bugfix according to LD rules right? So you could add it to your regular release if I'm not mistaken.
I didn't make it past the first boss, but everything up until then was done pretty much perfectly, Nothing terribly new or innovative, but what was there worked well <3
I would encourage you to keep working on it. A bit of polish (e.g. boss energy bars), more content, powerups and so on and you have a game that you could sell on itch.io for a few bucks.
The visuals are quite unique and it's fast paced and fun. Great job again.
Solid game! I only barely got past the first boss, but I love how different enemies seemed to have vulnerabilities/exploits based on the forms. Good use of theme and mechanic!
1. particles didn't make it so hard to see everything
and
2. having more accurate hitboxes. I wasn't even sure where I was supposed to be exactly to stay alive, there were multiple times that I went over enemy shots that I thought would kill me but ended up doing nothing instead, making the whole thing feel less tight as a result
The unsippable attention screen makes you skip main menu if you spam enter trying attention screen to end
And i haven't even played the post compo version. YET...
Didn't really understand the benefits of the different ship types, there weren't many scenarios I had to shoot downwards and shooting at the sides didn't have much of an effect.
But as a huge fan of shmups, this was very satisfying. :3
Other than that, nice job :)
I'm amazed at how good it feels and plays. Super snappy, super nervous, feels so satisfying! Good job!
1. The elongated bullets that many enemies (particularly the first boss) shoot look incredibly cool, but I think they might be a bad idea from a design perspective. They're not large, but they can easily form nearly-impenetrable walls and are much more dangerous than even a whole bunch of normal circular bullets. You should use them more sparingly, I think.
2. The enemy types and flight patterns are a bit dull. GameMaker's path feature is super easy to use, so there's no reason the enemies shouldn't be moving in more complex formations! And you dont' need to hold off until the end for that cool stuff, either; even from the first level I was a bit put off by the fact that enemies always just flew in a straight-ish line.
3. There's not enough incentive to use the sideways gun. I would suggest copying the excellent Radiant Silvergun, in which the sideways bullet does much more damage than the other guns to counteract its difficulty of use!
Despite these nitpicks, I think you've done a great job with this game, and I'll probably play the updated non-submission version in just a bit! Congratulations :)