Crusher Chronicles #3: Spells news

Hey there, and welcome to our third devblog post! This time we’ll delve into one of the most important mechanics of the game: the spells!

Elements

As you might expect, there are many types of spells, each with their own special properties.
The fundamental defining factor of a spell is its element. There are four basic elements in MCE: Earth, Wind and Fire… and Water. Nothing earth-shattering so far, but there are also additional elements that are combinations of the basic ones.

Weakness system

But what does a spell’s element matter?
Well, it just so happens that every enemy also comes with an element attached to it!
In MCE, each element resists itself, but is weak to its opposite. The opposite pairs are Earth - Wind and Fire - Water. Hence, not all spells are created equal when it comes to getting rid of certain Shroom types.
There are also weakness finishes, which grant you some magma-hot extra time for mushing the Shrooms, so they are definitely worth aiming for. Before you know it, you probably wind up exploiting them most of the time!

Spell Levels

When you defeat enough enemies with a spell, it becomes upgradeable (for the right price, of course).
All spells have three levels, all of which have some new attributes. The watered down version is that higher level spells are stronger, but tend to have longer cooldowns. Upgraded spells may simply gain more power or range, but often they also get whole new properties, like the ability to inflict status conditions.

Conditions

Conditions in MCE are temporary changes that, among other things, may affect resistances or cause damage.
Some, like stun, which causes enemies to be temporarily planted in place, are a bit more special, though!
Most of the time they are more like icing on the cake, but understanding them can be a great boon. However, be careful - conditions are not exclusive to your own toolkit…

Secondary Spell Effects

While reducing your enemies to fine dust is the primary purpose of your spells, they also have other uses. More specifically, they can interact with the objects on the levels themselves!
Some spells really go above and beyond with destruction - others have the power to transform and create.
This way, for those lightning-fast runs, choosing spells partially becomes about level manipulation, not just about attacking the correct types of Shrooms.

Spell: Spike Crush

Lastly, we want to introduce you to a couple of spells.
Let’s begin with Spike Crush - the first ever spell created for the game! Resembling the current version’s 2nd level of the spell, Spike Crush was actually the only spell in the GGJ version.
Spike Crush is an Earth spell, which summons a wave of spikes from the ground around you. The higher its level is, the larger the area it covers. At level 3, the wave is mirrored back, making it effectively strike twice! The spell is a contestant for being the most straightforward spell in the game, but you would do well to be wary of the blind spots!
Spike Crush is one of the 2 default spells you have at the start of the game. The second one is Fireball.

Spell: Fireball

Your mind is probably not blown by the amount of imagination with the name here, but don’t get all fired up yet! Fireball first joined Spike Crush in the game’s second version, Assembly demo, and has been in the game ever since.
Fireball is a Water spell.
...
Gotcha! Of course, it’s a Fire spell.
It starts as a simple projectile, that inflicts enemies with a burn. Since Fireball travels through the air, it doesn’t need ground to work with, unlike Spike Crush.
On higher levels, it leaves trailing infernos that also hurt the poor Shrooms that get caught in them!

And so, your course in the basic elemental magic is complete. Stay tuned for more news and details about Mushroom Crusher Extreme and remember to vote for us on Greenlight. See ya!