Flatshot is a free as in freedom Bullet-Hell with minimalist aesthetics. This article explains the core player mechanics.
All this mechanics can be triggered with just the 8 directions (d-pad, keyboard arrows, stick) and a single button. We focused on making deep and simple mechanics following the minimalism model: Less is more.
Download the new demo
Proximity
Get closer to the enemy to hit harder. This was added in our v0.1 and it's probably the deepest of all mechanics. The closer you get it becomes harder to doge, so will you risk and defeat the boss quickly? Or keep your distance and play safe?
Parry
Press the shoot button just before getting hit to parry an enemy attack. You also get an invulnerability time and speed boost by keeping it pressed. You can use the parry as a defensive tool to getting out of troublesome situations or offensively to get closer to the enemy and combo the proximity damage multiplier.
Charge
Stop shooting to charge, shoot to unleash a big bullet that will clean all the enemy bullets in it's way. This is probably the most exploitable mechanic so far. Combine it with the parry, find safer spots, use it to get closer to the enemy and take advantage of the proximity damage. There are limitless possibilities!
Shield
Since we have an HP system instead of the traditional number of lives, the player hasn't an invulnerability time just after getting hit. So when you get hit it's very probable you loose your balance and everything may go downhill quickly. To prevent that we added a shield that prorates (diminish) the damage of continuous hits.
Full gameplay video
Take a look how you can combine all these new mechanics in our newest gameplay video.
Website revamp
We just updated our website and switched to a blog. Check out our faq, development journal and downloads sections!
In our next release we'll probably go to Steam Greenlight. Wish us luck!
Thanks for reading and see you around!