Lots of new stuff in today:

Most notable is a buyable Slowmo mode that slows the game to 1% of its normal speed while you're not moving. This makes a profound difference in how tactical the game feels. It is, of course, entirely optional - you don't have to buy it, but it changes the game from 'PANICPANICPANIC' to something more thoughtful... if you want it that way.

Other things:

- Lightning now chains, striking multiple enemies at once
- Swordsmen, Cornerbots, Poppers and other enemies are now in and working
- Your own Bouncers harm you as well as everyone else
- Over-collected items turn into gold for the console/shop
- Secrets are creeping in...

The new build is there at the top of the thread on page 1.

A new build is up today. I got the player-accessible 'debug terminal' in and working. It's going to be an integral part of the game - considering the game's heritage.



There's a host of hidden commands in there for players to find through playing the game.

This week has mostly been about refining the player experience and improving the AI. There are now AI behaviours based on tracking the player mercilessly, lurking in room-corners waiting to do nasty things, and hopping about from 'large-tile-center' to another.

Things to do next:

- Add 9 more spells
- Add about 12 more baddies
- Add the final 'Amulet of Yendor' McGuffin 'goal' - currently the final level's stats (level 20, I think) are regenerated so the game is currently an infinite-high-score game.

Quick post to hilight the kind of music I'm going for with Spellrazor: https://soundcloud.com/madrayken/spellrazormusic-unfinished
As the title suggests, it's not finished yet, but I'm happy with the overall feel.

[Latest builds: 0.9.4 - 18th of December 2015]

Latest builds: 0.9.4 - 18th of December 2015
[Fixed full-screen scaling issues present on some machines. Finished, now with an ending and creepy-assed final sequence - if you can find it]





Free downloadable: here

Who are you?
I'm Dene Carter - I was one of the creators of Fable, one of the core team on Dungeon Keeper and the guy who made Incoboto for iOS.

What do you want? I'm busy!
I've been working on this weird little 'haunted arcade game' for about a month now. It's inspired by really beautiful old arcade machines of the 1980s - specifically Eugene Jarvis' Defender/Robotron as well as Berzerk.

Spellrazor is an arcade game with (believe it or not) 27 unique fire buttons and a single directional stick used to guide the 'Adventurer'. Peculiarly, there is no aiming. Aiming is automatic, meaning that positioning and choice of spells are critical.

What? 27 fire buttons? You're crazy. Or stupid. Or crazy stupid. That's a thing now, you know.
Well, there's a weird story that half explains why this came to be, and why I call this a 'haunted arcade game'.

The story goes that a guy named Duncan Bower created the original Spellrazor in 1980/1981 just before being booted out of Williams. He took the original code with him, and shortly afterward found himself working on, believe it or not, Polybius for the CIA/Sinneslochen, after which he disappeared. There are indications that even before he left he was edging toward insanity.

Spellrazor is what he was working on before Polybius. Before he went mad. Hence 27 fire buttons and no aiming.

You said something about a debug console? Is this thing broken?
As in the original game, there's a debug console which the player can use to access various things. It's kind of glitchy, and infused with Duncan's odd sense of humour. For example, there's a weird mode that slows down time when you don't move, which turns the game into a strategy game!

There are numerous weird glitches in the game that seem to hint at something creepy within the game, buried deep within the arcane console commands.

Am I going to enjoy it?
I won't lie - it's a difficult game. And you only get one life. Add to that the secrets that are growing, plus the increasing levels of intelligence the monsters are beginning to show and it's clear that Spellrazor is not going to be for everyone. Games of this era were brutally hard, and - from the Williams stable at least - kind of sinister (as befits a guy who went on to work on Polybius). If you liked Defender or Robotron, you'll probably find this to your taste.

What now?
This project is mostly done: there are a few more of the spells to put in, and a couple more enemies including bosses armed with the same spells as you, but it's already enormously (if masochistic) fun. The music's not final, but overall, I'm really pleased with how this little 'resurrection' has worked out.

- Dene

Congratulations! It was pretty unique even in its first draft all those years ago. Glad to see it's done!

Hi folks,

I'm Dene Carter of Fluttermind Ltd. I'm a veteran game dev, having worked as an indie in the 80s, then Bullfrog, Lionhead, and was part of the core team on some fairly old games (Dungeon Keeper and the Fable series).

I went indie in 2009 and since then have had some moderate success - most notably with Incoboto for iOS.



I'm a sole developer these days and do everything myself - music, art, design, coding, marketing and PR. Bleargh. I have been working on a hellishly complicated game called 'BeMuse' for a couple of years, but recently took a break from it to create 'Spellrazor' a faux 1980s shooter that marries Rogue with Defender/Robotron. It's really quite fun, and so I thought it would be a good idea to start sharing it with the community a little more.

I'll be starting a project page for it soon, but wanted to say 'Hi' first.

Hi!

- Dene