Aw, Shoot!
Aw, Shoot! is a cartoony, Breakout-esque roguelike. Bounce balls, buy game-changing upgrades, and unlock powerful cannons to defeat waves of wacky enemies in ricocheting turn-based combat!
Play the game here!
The Goal
I had a few goals with Aw, Shoot:
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Simple and engaging mechanics
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Replayable roguelike loop
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Polished, finished product
The primary goal was to create a game that is streamlined and continually engaging. This will come at the cost of complexity, which may drive away some of the hardcore roguelike audience, but will bring in a new, more casual group of players who are looking for a fun game that they can drop into and out of. Think Vampire Survivors with some more active gameplay and shorter sessions.
Ideation & Prototyping
Aw, Shoot! initially began as an exercise in recreating and iterating on the mobile game Ballz, which I find incredibly fun and replayable, while also being shockingly simple - all three of those qualities being something that I strive for in my projects. My first idea was to introduce new enemy types: you can see the new shield enemy in the video below.
After conducting some pen-and-paper design work and playtests with friends, I found that the roguelike genre would map nicely onto the basic arcade framework provided by Ballz, offering more complexity and gameplay opportunities.
The prototype here is a result of those playtests, as well as a number of small subsequent iterations. I ditched the multi-ball shooting mechanic that is foundational to Ballz for a more inventory-focused mode of play, as that both simplified the actions players can take while allowing for more robust build complexity. From here, I continued to iterate in small ways, polish the mechanics, and flesh out the visual language of Aw, Shoot!
The Game Loop
Aw, Shoot! is a game about defeating enemies and purchasing items. Enemies descend from the top of the screen one row at a time at the beginning of a turn. Players then aim their cannon and shoot a ricocheting cannonball that will bounce off of enemies and the playspace. Players receive gold and ability charge for each enemy killed, which they can use to purchase new balls, upgrades, and ball slots, or unleash a powerful ability unique to their cannon, respectively. New enemies will appear - and new items will become available - as the waves progress and new rounds are reached. The player wins on completion of the third round, and loses when an enemy reaches the bottom of the screen.
The Store
The store functions differently in Aw, Shoot! than in most other roguelikes in that it's always available, but very limited. This means two things: one, the player always knows what is at their disposal, whether it be in the inventory or a potential item in the store; two, the player is rarely given the exact items they want. Players can plan reasonably well with what they have or may have soon, but still must account for some unpredictability. If they don't like what they get, there's always the store refresh button (for a price)!
The Enemies
There are a variety of enemies in Aw, Shoot! that range from simple grunts and shielded goons, to war medics that heal their allies in the field and mystical summoners that raise hellish beasts from the underworld. The emphasis with each enemy design is on gameplay function, with the visual design being created to match. Certain enemies, namely the more difficult or complex ones, only show up at certain rounds, and/or certain points in the round, to create both variety and an increasing difficulty curve.
The Items
Each ball you can purchase in Aw, Shoot! has a damage value, a bounce value (which indicates how many times it can bounce), and a cooldown, as well as a unique capability that makes each one even more distinct. The upgrades both support the capabilities of the balls, as well as provide new ways to use them. For example (seen in the GIF to the right), the Spear is a very high-damage ball that can only be bounced twice, but with the Funny Bone upgrade, it can bounce more times with some skillful aiming and planning.
The Cannon
Each cannon in Aw, Shoot! comes with a unique ability that can be fired once the blue bar at the bottom of the screen is fully charged, which is done by killing enemies. This ability is a powerful, often screen-clearing ability that can easily get them out of a pickle. As the player unlocks new cannons, they will be able to fire enormous cannonballs that clear everything in their path, bounce laser beams that travel through enemies, use a buckler shield to parry a potentially lethal wave of enemies, and more.
What I've learned from Aw, Shoot!
Aw, Shoot! is far and away the largest project I've ever worked on, certainly the largest I've ever finished, and easily the most proud I've been of a game thus far. I think it is fun, unique, and a great showcase of my creativity and sense of game balancing. Here's a list of some of the features, systems, and skills I've learned while making Aw, Shoot!:
- Item economy and balancing
- Enemy design
- Enemy spawning behavior
- Save/load system
- Player stats
- Metagame unlocks
- Art
- Audio design and implementation
Not only did I make the art and implement the sound effects, but I also had the privilege of working with a friend to create some original music for the game. I brought some references and ideas to him, from which he created some initial audio sketches. From there we iterated and fine tuned the sound of the game, and I am really happy with the final product.
I am super proud of what I accomplished with Aw, Shoot! It shows what I can do with systems design and enemy design, all on a limited scope.