Greetings ,everyone!!
My name is Lucas,and I'm here representing Double Dash Studios! We are a small dev team from Brazil,and we're working on a game that mixes block breakers and shmup elements. The game was developed in 72 Hours for the Indies VS Gamers game jam that happened from July 17-20 , but the product turned out pretty fine,and we intend on turning it into a full game.
We ended up getting 1st place on the jam! there was an amazing response from players and devs during the jam.
So let me tell you a bit about the project!
First of all,you can play it here : Gamejolt.com
Or just watch Markiplier's awesome let's play : Youtube.com
RacketBoy is a mix of cute 'em up and block breaking games.
Unable to shoot, you can only count on your trusty laser racket to bounce back enemy attacks.
The game starts up feeling more like a block breaker than a Shmup,but difficulty ramps up with time.
you get closer to a small bullet hell after a little gameplay time.
And on it goes!! This is the first version of the game,with very little time of work put into it,but we want to start from here and make it into a full product. We're thinking of the commercial version with a decent ammount of levels,giving an arcade feeling to it, a good level of challenge,boss battles and trying to explore the bullet-returning mechanics as well as possible , while maintaining a Cute 'em up nature to it.
And with that, I need your help, guys 
We've opened our Indiegogo campaign, as well as placed the game on Greenlight, and are collecting feedback and support from people who are interested in the project!
Please feel free to play the game , leave us some replies with whatever you think of it,and it will be of great help to us. We will be working as much as possible to make this project better , and we really hope you enjoy it!
Also, I'm leaving you with an example of a boss, check it out 
Back us up on IndieGogo, we're trying to get the funds to create our commercial version faster! help us by spreading the word or contributing, it's up to you
And you can give us a hand on Greenlight too
Thanks a lot for the attention,and I hope to hear from you guys!
Update #1
Racketboy gone Wide!
While exploring our options to optimize Racketboy's capabilities, we decided to expand the screen to a wider format. It doesn't affect pixel aspect on the graphics, and gives you more space to move around. Even though Racketboy is all about retro, every screen today uses a wide format, so it seems like a good change to be made. Also, players get more space to move around, we get more room to throw enemies at them, and it also increases the chances of having a co-op mode in the future
We made this short video to announce this change.
Dash as an evasive maneuver
Another big concern of ours is about Racketboy's mobility and evasive options. After all, the game does have a tendency to get filled with bullets. Shoot'em ups usually have either a huge bomb that doubles as a life saver, or some sort of gimmick that acts as an evasive maneuver, such as a dash or a shield.
I have discussed with some people here from the forum about the use of bombs and evasive maneuvers, gathered some good feedback, and after thoroughly considering our options, I think we chose the best one. Thinking about Racketboy's unique play style, we believe that giving him the ability to dash is the best option. It allows you to get out of danger quickly, and save that super ball that was just out of reach!
What about bombs?
Bombs are a big part of any Shmup, in my opinion. They always have huge destructive power, and most of the time they also double as an evasive maneuver, a last-resort sort of thing that gets you out of a tight situation. We weren't thinking about using the classic ultra-destructive, yet limited bomb style. Instead, we want to explore some possibilities that are more related to our game's mechanics. More specifically, related to the way you can supercharge a single ball. If you hit the same ball consecutively, it gets bigger, faster and stronger. The ball eventually reaches a "SuperBall" state and its properties change. That's where the concept for a Bomb comes in!
This SuperBall state will be our version of a bomb. Currently, when you supercharge a ball, it goes through every enemy. And while you manage to keep it on-screen, you will continue to be rewarded with all that destructive power. And yes, you can even get multiple SuperBalls on screen! So it's more of a skill-based bomb.
You can have as many "bombs" on screen as you are able to get, but the counterpart is that you don't have so much control as to WHEN you will activate that bomb. That all depends on how many times you have to strike the ball to supercharge it, and how fast you can do it. That's why the player will have the Dash as an immediate-response tool for emergencies.
We also want the player to be able to choose between an array of SuperBall abilities. Which means that you can have the piercing ball that already exists, or something more destructive like a ball that explodes into a massive laser; Or balls that spawn small explosions whenever they hit something, things like that. I would like to hear suggestions of SuperBalls, if anyone have a nice idea, so don't hesitate to bring it to us Well, that's what's new for now, I hope to be bringing more updates by Friday, so see you guys then! Let me know what you think of Racketboy so far, and help us make it grow cooler and better ;D
Update #2
The Buddy System
If you played our Jam version of the game, you might have stumbled upon some power-ups, such as Big Racket, Speed Up and Buddy. We noticed how people treated Buddy differently than other power-ups. Not only does he sticks with you untill you get hit, but he also looks friendly and people Sympathize with him a lot.
He functions very differently from other power-ups, so we decided to split them. In Racketboy, you will be able to pick up either a power-up, or a buddy, as different objects.
A variety of types
Buddies can be a powerful tool for the player. We believe it could be one of the most influential choices the player makes in the game. That's why we want to make sure it is a versatile resource. There will be several Buddies with different skills: Spawning balls, firing lasers, reflecting lasers, returning balls, attracting balls, the possibilites are vast.
The power of Choice
We want the player to be able to customize his strategy as he sees fit. That means allowing him to choose the outcome of a collectable Buddy, at his own risk. When a Buddy spawns on screen, he will be enclosed in a capsule, allowing you to see which one you're getting right away.
At that moment, hitting that bubble will change the Buddy inside.
The Buddy will become faster and more irregular with each strike, so trying to change it becomes an increasing risk, but with a worthy reward.
Evolution
There will be a limited number of Buddies per level. Picking up the same Buddy as you already have will increase it's level, up to 3, granting it better abilities.
A loyal protector
Not only does a Buddy helps you with very useful tools, but he will also protect you. Having a Buddy doubles as a shield. Being hit when having a Buddy causes him to die in your place.
That's it for today! I'm sure that you will make great use of our Buddies
Got any cool suggestions or opinion on them? Let us know!
Edited by: DoubleDash
