We are presenting the Alpha 1 this Tuesday and things are looking extremely well. Of course, this has come at the cost of us having to cut some features of the final game.
Our main goal in this Alpha was to go widen our intentions and try to have as many features as possible, even if they were not polished. In fact, the intention was to have everything implemented. Of course, this has not been the case, but we still managed to put into the game the majority of its elements. The main pillar of our game is still the combat. And in this blog, we are going to talk about it. What has changed, and how we want the combat of Malita Soul of a Warrior to feel rewarding, unique, and most importantly, fun.
Combat: During these weeks, the combat has seen a huge improvement. We started by revamping the entire combat system. We decided to focus more on the beath ‘em up aspect of our game, by implementing helpers like a zoom on the camera when enemies are near or an auto target system.
Basic Attacks: The player will have access to two basic attacks, punches, which go out quicker but hit it a smaller area, or kicks, which are slower but pack a higher punch. Both of this options have three tiers, and can be combined as the player wishes.
For example, if you want to get the enemies away from you, performing two quick punches and then the final kick might be a quick easy solution. Or maybe you just want to kick your way through the level. The choice is yours.
Abilities: The ability system has been reworked, and adapted to our new combat feel. Malita will have a resource called plasma, which is gained by using basic attacks, and can be expended in order to use different abilities. There is a total of four abilities, each one with different functionalities.
· Hertza Haeon: A slow charging mega punch, which generates a huge shockwave, that sends any enemy in front of Malita flying. But be careful, as this ability is the one with the longest charge time, time in which Malita will be open for any attack.
· Axe Kick: Malita leaps a great distance and then slams the ground with a powerful kick. This ability has many more uses than it looks. It can be used as a gap closer in order to approach the enemies, or to move across the battlefield when you run out of dashes. Fun fact, it also crosses pits.
· Plasma Dash: A more powerful version of the normal dash, this attack makes Malita dash a long distance in a straight line. If she collides with any enemy, she will deal damage to them and stop.
· Plasma Shot: The only ranged attack of Malita. After charging up his arm for a short time, Malita shoots a big plasma ball that can travel the whole level, damaging any enemy that crosses its path.
The objective of these abilities is to offer the player different finishing blows, each one suitable for a bunch of different situations. This also allows the players to choose their own playstyle, as the plasma available is limited, and most important, the player will need to unlock this abilities through a skill tree which we will look into it in future editions.
With all that has been previously mentioned, one could think that the combat is finished. But this could not be more far away from the truth. Everything would go to waste if the combat did not feel strong and meaningful. In order to do so, we have implemented small details, that subconsciously give the player the illusion of a meaningful exchange of blows with the enemies. We are talking about the particles that each attack has, but also about the controller vibration when using certain attacks, or the screen shake when Malita is hit, without forgetting the hit stop when hitting enemies. This subtle changes act as a foundation, where all the attacks and abilities lay.