The Burning Rose v1.3
Artwork, sfx, code courtesy of Grandtraindelta, @grandtraindelta
Most excellent music courtesy of Gnarcade, @Gnarcade_VGM
V 1.3 Changes
-Added more highscore UI
-Added extra name entry characters and a space option when you select *
V 1.2 Changes
-Added Autobomb mode. Press left/right at the title screen. Bombs detonate when player is hit, allowing you to get further although your score is reduced by 10% before the combo multiplies it.
-Allow player to move during the intro animation as the jets are cooling down.
V 1.1 Changes
-Fixed scoring bug that didn't allow you to enter the high score entry.
OVERVIEW:
Born from a love of Ghibli, animation, 8bits, blue sky gaming, Sega score chasing and flying on a breeze. This is a sketch of an idea and an adventure into pico8 development for a first time pico8 and Lua newbie in order to get to grips with the platform. I have tried to design something that suits the limitations and complements Pico8.
The burning rose is a action shmup game of tense combo chaining and score driven gameplay. Coupled with end game resource management and survival. The session time is low, requiring little time investment for the player. I have designed a quick open ended scoring system for longevity, with the emphasis on maximization. One hit kills and quick restart make it ideal for one more go arcade style play.
GAMEPLAY:
Pilot the Burning Rose through a finite barrage of 500 missiles using only 500 of your own shots to cut a path. Each missile is worth one point. Destroying two missiles without a single missile leaving the screen starts a combo. Keep the chain going and your final score will be multiplied by your highest chain of your run. Push your chaining ability to the limit to make your way onto the local top pilot ranking!
In one run you're given 3 bombs. Use them defensively to get out of a tight situation and avoid death. Or use them aggressively to maintain a chain and link stray missiles.
CONTROLS :
Menus:
Z - Accept/select
X - Back
Arrows - navigate up and down
In Gameplay:
Z - Hold to fire
X - Smart bomb
Arrows - Movement
it's very nice, but having only one life is quite frustrating...
Thanks, it's definitely supposed to be a toughie :D I hope to include a mode in the future that allows you to ability to survive a bit longer at the cost of score...
Really fun (and hard!) game :D I especially love the intro when you come out of the clouds with the music, really gets me pumped up.
Good but ... an endless salvo of enemies to shoot down ? The first time I tried this I shot 5-targets before getting hit. The next 20.
I have the hang of it now, but yes, perhaps tone down the initial difficulty. Have them come in slower waves, a few mini-bosses, and new patterns to learn and critters to shoot with each level.
Great graphics, music, sound effects, and animation ! This one could be the next major shooter for PICO !
Why tell him to change his game entirely? This is how he wanted it to play. You're suggesting a fundamentally different game.
grandtraindelta: The animations are great. I totally got the concept you were going for here. In the shmup community usually the goal is a 1 credit clear, the ultimate goal is a no miss. You just forced that on people ;) I'm also a high score fanatic (though I can't say I really achieve them), so this cart vibes with me perfectly. Well done!
Hi all, thanks alot for playing and the feedback
@dw817 conceptually i wanted something different from a level based bullet hell shmup, working to pico8 limitations and its strengths, and also putting production time into the animation, sound and graphics. I'm treating the game as a moving target and will be rolling out tweaks to help players get to grip with the system.
@brent i totally agree. Glad you like the 1CC :D I was going for a tight mechanic with stripped down and clean gameplay rules, happy it resonates with you! Yes there is a finite score and its about score maximisation. Just fixed quite a nasty score bug - so the highscore tables should be ready for you to rank up :D I'm thinking of an autobomb mode (similar to cave shmups) to ease players in with a cost of a forfeit of points, until folk are comfortable bombing themselves. Also i'm aware the missile movement needs to be improved in future. I was just keen on releasing early to gauge interest.
Woo, this is a pretty game. Great use of the color palette, and the music and effects take it to the next level. I'm not sure why, but it took me about 10 plays to realize you could also move forward and backward, but once I figured that out it got a lot more playable :)
I got a 193 chain when I finally cleared the stage. The risk/reward gameplay is really compelling! Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see what else you make now that you've explored the platform a bit!
One tiny note: is there a blank character/space in the high score name entry? I didn't find one, and it was a little weird fitting a high score name into 5 characters.
Hi there, Thanks for the feedback, thats a pretty great combo btw! the highest i could get was in the low 200's. I definitely want to add a space to the highscore entry and will add that to the next update!
For now i've increased accessibility by adding autobombs similar to a mechanic in cave shmups, and the ability to move during the intro animation. Hope that gives non shmup fans a fighting chance :D
Very slick presentation, the art and sound are both really great. I like the mechanics and I don't think it's too hard - I completed it on my first go and I haven't played many shmups. The difficulty is certainly there if you want to maximize your score though. It's clear you've put thought into this and I think it works really well! If this is a sketch I look forward to the full version :)
Many thanks for the encouraging words! Depending on tokens available i'd want to write a boss in.. Watch this space :D
I'm not really bothered by the one life. The game is short and I enjoy the idea of strategic bomb usage. It's not too difficult, but getting a high score takes some practice (and possibly a little bit of luck).
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