Overview
THE GAMEPLAY...
Combat and platforming is fast yet somewhat strategic in Exo-9 Battle Goat. By default, you're armed with two attacks: A regular blaster that can fire rapidly, and a charged attack that can lock onto enemies to hit trickier angles. Choose between the two wisely, find opportunities and ways to strike that put you in the least danger possible, and progress forward carefully yet decisively.
However, as you progress, you may find yourself with new abilities earned from service capsules, new weapons earned from bosses, and more, aiding you on your journey.
Early in your quest, you'll find an upgrade that lets you move faster, the dash. Using this, you can make larger jumps more easily, avoid enemy attacks, and more! And yet... it's never actually needed. Everything in the game can be finished without ever dashing, so it's up to you to decide if you want to play using it, or ignore it entirely.
Additionally, by pausing the game, you'll find that you have a few useful options you can enable, such as rapid fire and auto charge, allowing you to hold fire to attack rapidly and let go of fire to charge, instead of holding fire to charge and rapidly mashing fire to rapidly fire.
...but also, is the lock on shot not your speed? In the options menu, you can trade it out for a more traditional charged attack closer to what you're likely used to in other games of this style. It actually does slightly more damage than the lock on shot, at a cost of being far worse at hitting tricky angles.
I recommend using the lock on shot first, but if you don't like it or can't get used to it, well, the option is always there.
THE STORY...
It's time to awaken from your slumber, Guitar...
This does not appear to be the home Guitar remembers.
It's been a long, long time since they were last awake.
They step out from a storage capsule.
Two other capsules adorn the room, as does a diagnostic computer.
After a look at the computer's results, they then step out from the room into the unknown...
As time goes by, Guitar starts to learn things about the world they're in: Humans have long vanished, sentient robots of capabilities beyond your comprehension run the world, and society has but the vaguest resemblance to what it was when you last left things.
They've now done many things, adapted to many different jobs, tried to figure out how to fit in.
Currently, that job is on disaster relief. The weapons systems Guitar was originally built with help with breaking down rubble, opening jammed doors in a pinch, you name it.
Lately, it's even been seeing some combat use, what with the sentience-lacking task-follower robots, meant to perform automated tasks, behaving strangely and needing to be destroyed before they can cause any further damage.
But, after a familiar voice on a strange broadcast, Guitar fears a major disaster is on the horizon...
They cannot let anybody back in that room they woke up in. Guitar knows what's in there. Knows the stakes. There's no time to think, the time to act is now, there isn't even time to explain.
Guitar begs those in charge of their job to let them handle it.
Being a highly trusted member of the disaster relief force at this point, their leaders hear out a quick explanation of why nobody else can know about the specifics, and what's at stake. After this, their leaders all agree: Guitar is the right person for this job.
The trickery... the gall of that monster to try to convince others to open portals to that place... this is not acceptable at all! The claims of riches and treasure, of unspeakable power, Guitar knows it's all a lie. They know what actually lays in wait there for whomever may reach the other side, and it cannot be allowed to happen.
Before taking out the portals, though... there's one detour they need to take:
They need to take out that broadcast making those false claims. Knowing their foe well, they're pretty sure it'll be guarded by defensive robots, but Guitar is nothing if not confident in their combat abilities these days.
And thus, the adventure begins...
Controls:
Move: WASD (keyboard), D-pad (Xbox controller)
Jump: J (keyboard), A (Xbox controller)
Shoot: K (keyboard), X (Xbox controller)
Dash: Spacebar (keyboard), L (Xbox controller)
Pause: Escape (keyboard), Start button (Xbox controller)
For non-Xbox gamepads, map your controls as desired using something like DS4Windows.
Credits
Soundtrack, level design, programming, project lead, etc.:
happygreenfairy, a.k.a. Computing Star
Playtesting:
VirtualScallop
SquishyPutty
Game made using software such as:
Clickteam Fusion 2.5+
OpenMPT
Special thanks:
SquishyPutty, for playing a bunch of games like this in rapid succession so I could get feedback on what people do and don't like in these kinds of games
Some of my other siblings for similar reasons to SquishyPutty
Sunnygush. Your song isn't in the demo, but it'll be in the finished game, so...
ColonelSandwich. The final boss theme, which also isn't in this demo, takes a few cues from a song he made, so, you get to be here too.
happygreenfairy, a.k.a. Computing Star
Playtesting:
VirtualScallop
SquishyPutty
Game made using software such as:
Clickteam Fusion 2.5+
OpenMPT
Special thanks:
SquishyPutty, for playing a bunch of games like this in rapid succession so I could get feedback on what people do and don't like in these kinds of games
Some of my other siblings for similar reasons to SquishyPutty
Sunnygush. Your song isn't in the demo, but it'll be in the finished game, so...
ColonelSandwich. The final boss theme, which also isn't in this demo, takes a few cues from a song he made, so, you get to be here too.
