Experimental Shooter

The Problem

Bullet Hell games have a special place in my heart. I enjoy playing them when I need to relax, since I need to concentrate on them fully in order to beat a level. The genre is niche though. People who have been exposed to the name through Cuphead and Undertale do not know the wonders of a classic Bullet Hell game like Touhou.

How can I offer bring back the wonders of the Bullet Hell genre?

My Process

In 2020, I started the #100DaysOfGamedev challenge, determined to make a Bullet Hell game. During then, this would have been my first ever full-length game!

I started off with the intention of making a classic Bullet Hell like Touhou. In this case, the game would be divided into levels like arcade games are. The player would have to complete all the levels to win the game. In each level, the player is given a certain number of lives. They lose lives when they collide with an enemy or enemy projectile, and if they lose all their lives, they must return to the first level.

How can I offer bring back the wonders of the Bullet Hell genre? I first tried giving the game a modern aesthetic using neon colors and a sci-fi environment. I took a lot of inspiration from Sayonara Wild Hearts.

Eventually, a new game mechanic came to me (which was bad). What if I added elements from first person action-shooters like Titanfall? These games require the players to approach enemies with thought and caution. They may need to change their weapon or their movement patterns before charging in. 

I soon started making different attributes, or "types" in the game. Like Pokemon or Fire Emblem, each type was weak to one type, but strong against another. For my Bullet Hell, projectiles of different types would result in different interactions. I created different kinds of weapons as well to reflect those different types. 

My Takeaways

• I recently read Jesse Schell's "The Art of Game Design." I found that I made a lot of mistakes during development. I needed to:

  • Come up with a plan and a direction for the game before you begin making it.

  • Flesh out as much of the game as you can before you begin making it. Think of your risks and edge cases!

  • Complete the core mechanic first and make it fun (this is hard to do when you're trying to gain visibility online actually, since you will need something visually appealing to showcase your game!)

• Some other skills I picked up were:

  • Discipline. Which includes:

    • Motivation to work on the same game after months.

    • Understanding the importance of keeping the game's direction and scope.

  • Constant technical documentation.

  • 3D math (I had this before, but this project took it to the next level!).