This project is being submitted for PigSquad's "Finish your game" November Game Jam.  This is something I've been working on for many years, and this game jam was a good excuse for me to finally get back to working on it.  If you want to see my previous updates on the project, my old devlog is here.

Needless to say, I did not finish the game for the jam, but here is what I have added during the last two weeks of the game jam.  Read the rest of the devlog post for a full explanation of each thing:

1.  The core gameplay mechanics have been finalized.  This is something that I've been stuck on for a long time and has kind of been my roadblock on the project, so I'm really excited that I've finally gotten it planned out.  Read on below for a full explanation, but to quickly summarize: Specific enemies, as well as the player themselves, have a shield which protects them from all damage.  This shield can only be broken by a strong attack, such as a charged shot.  While an enemy's shield is down, this is the player's chance to unload a lot of damage on them, either by hitting them with their strong attacks or barraging them with weaker attacks.
2. Two new enemies have been designed and mostly programmed.  These enemies are the Magnus Suit and the EMP Wizard.
3. Some more enemies have been designed as well, but not implemented.
4. Quinn's secondary weapons have been fully programmed, though they are still using placeholder graphics.

If you want to try out the prototype, here are a few quick notes:

• When you launch the game, you can choose Demo Mode or Debug Mode.  Currently there isn't really much of a difference between the two.  Avoid using the Test Room as this is just a fight against EMP Wizard and there is no way out of the room.
• Only Quinn is playable.  Karlo isn't ready yet.
• Keyboard controls are as follows.  These are fully customizable, though please note settings menu may have them mislabeled currently.  You can also use a gamepad.
  • Shift: Dash
  • Z - Jump
  • X - Attack
  • C- Secondary Attack
  • Spacebar - Change weapon
• Press and hold either attack button to charge up and activate the more powerful version.  This is how you use e.g. the Concussion Bomb.
• There is no graphic for shields, so just remember that most enemies will have one.  Remember that enemies with a shield cannot be hurt until you damage them with a charged attack.  The exception for this is Bolt Dash, which always breaks shields.

Magnus Suit and EMP Wizard

Two new enemies have been designed and mostly programmed.  These enemies are the Magnus Suit and the EMP Wizard.

1. The Magnus Suit peppers his enemy with magnet bullets which cumulatively pull their targets towards him faster and faster depending on how many bullets have landed.  Once his victim is close, he will unleash a massive melee attack on them.  Currently, the Magnus Suit looks kind of like a gorilla, but he'll have a more orange suit of armor later.
   
2. The EMP Wizard sends a shockwave rippling across the floor.  This shockwave not only hurts the player, but also bounces any shots back at them!  Players will have to plan carefully how to get around the EMP Wizard's attack.  Once the target has been hit, the Wizard flies towards the player and blasts them with a sustained force of EMP (which currently looks like a giant grapefruit).
   

The little guys

These smaller enemies have been designed, but not programmed.  You won't see them in the game, but I thought they still might be fun to show off.

1. The Abductor, a flying saucer that grabs the player and pulls them upwards off the ground.
   
2. The Pylon, a floating enemy that emits a ring of electricity.
   
3. The Pulse Cannon, which fires a bouncing projectile.
   

Quinn's secondary weapons

1. Sonic Grenade/Concussion Bomb
   1. Sonic Grenade - An angle-able throwable that explodes on impact with the floor or an enemy
   2. Concussion Bomb - A large slow-moving bomb that creates a long-lasting explosion after bouncing off the wall a certain number of times, or hitting an enemy
2. Psi-Missile/Psionic Stun
   1. Psi-Missile - A rapid-fire homing projectile.  Quinn must stand still while firing it.
   2. Psionic Stun - An angle-able attack that deals little damage, but stuns the target for a small duration.
3. Polarity Pulse/Force Crush
   1. Polarity Pulse - Short range burst that deals decent damage.
   2. Force Crush - Massive melee attack that stuns and knocks back enemies.  Reflects projectiles.
4. Bolt dash/Lightning Shredder
   1. Bolt dash - Long range attack that teleports Quinn behind the target if it lands.
   2. Lightning Shredder - Quinn darts to all targets in range, hitting each one once, ending with the furthest target.

The game's combat mechanics:

1. There are three classifications of enemies in the game: Mobs, Fighters, and Tyrants.
   1. Mobs are little enemies that go down in one or two hits.  They hit hard and fast but generally only heckle the player.  Mobs do not have shields.
   2. Fighters are more intelligent and behave a lot like the player, possessing AI and full movesets.  (In fact, they are even playable if I set their controller to the player's gamepad.  But don't expect this to be a gameplay feature.)  All fighters have shields, and some have stronger shields, meaning they require more hits to break.
   3. Tyrants are bosses.  Tyrants are similar to mobs, but aren't subject to a lot of the same vulnerabilities, like knockback and stun.  Tyrants generally don't have shields, but are only vulnerable in certain ways, e.g. a weak spot.
2. The player, as well as fighters, have a shield.
   • Shields need to be hit by a strong attack to be broken.
     
   • Strong attacks usually mean charged shots, excepting the Bolt Dash.
   • After the shield is broken, the creature can take damage from any attack.
   • The shield will come back after a cooldown expires.
   • Weaker enemies (i.e. not boss fighters) do not regain their shield.
   • All enemies have a weapon that can break the player’s shield.

Thanks for reading.  I am very happy to be back to working on this project.  I didn't make as much progress as I wanted, but I feel like this project is completable for me now, which was my overarching goal for the game jam.