X button fires your weapons, O button transforms between modes.
In Mech mode, your movement is slow but precise, and you have access to the Beam. You can tap the X button to activate and deactivate it, or hold the button to charge it up and release to fire. The beam generates heat while firing, except for when it is using up built up charge.
In Ship mode, you move fast but with more inertia, and have access to the Gun. The gun doesn't generate heat, but becomes imprecise if fired continuously - simply stop firing for a moment to recentre your aim, as it were.
If you are hit, you will lose a level of a weapon at random and lose some of your shield charge as it deploys. While its deployed you are safe from damage for a while, but all hits (including the first one) generate heat. The shield charge is displayed as a circle filling out from the top surrounding the rest of the hud.
If you overheat, your speed will drop and your beam will become unavailable. As long as you don't accumulate more heat, you will recover in some time. Heat is displayed as shimmering red/orange semi-circles on the sides of the hud.
Once you lose all your shield charge, the next hit will destroy you.
Collect the alien cores dropped by enemies to upgrade your weapons and mech/ship.
Physical core - improves the damage of the gun, its fire rate and spread, as indicated by the yellow number in the lower right of the hud. Maximum level is three, though damage is improved every time a core is collected. When you collect the core at level 3, the Gun will be Boosted for 5 seconds, spreading bullets at a ridiculous rate. If you collect another core while Boosted, the timer will reset.
Energy core - improves the damage of the beam, its charge rate and heat generation, as indicated by the red number in the lower left of the hud. Maximum level is three, though damage is improved every time a core is collected. When you collect the core at level 3, the Beam will be Boosted for 5 seconds, generating no heat when fired. If you collect another core while Boosted, the timer will reset.
Heat core - adds one Thermal Bomb to your inventory, as indicated by the number at the top of the hud. The bomb will detonate if you overheat, destroying all enemies and bullets on screen. If you collect a Heat core while holding 3 bombs, a Heat Sink will be added to your inventory, and all collected Heat Sinks will improve the rate at which you shed heat for the next 5 seconds.
Shield core - restores a portion of your shield, activating it. If you collect a Shield core while at full Shield, you will gain a stack of Pulse. The next time you take a hit that activates the shield, a stack of Pulse will be consumed and erase all bullets on the screen.
