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[KaleidoGames]

Beekyr Reloaded
A shoot'em up game inspired by R-Type, Galaga and Ikaruga

Early Access
RELEASE DATE 14th November 2017!
Wishlist / Follow now: http://store.steampowered.com/app/484930

The WIP game going is in constant evolution... CHECK THIS OUT!

Beekyr Reloaded (WIP: 2017)

But, not long ago, it was like this:

Beekyr Reloaded (WIP: 2016)

>>> View the last update here <<<

Experience shoot'em up like you have never before. 'Beekyr Reloaded' is a 2D Arcade Shoot'em up that alternates vertical and horizontal gameplay through enjoyable up to 28 stages.

Updates:

#30: Improving scenery liveness
#29: Creating the bombs system
#28: Enhancing bosses special attacks
#27: Enhancing praying mantis boss
#26: Creating and improving tutorial
#25: Enhancing the player character
#24: Enhancing GUI
#23: New graphics Vol.3
#22: New graphics Vol.2
#21: New graphics
#20: Achievements
#19: Languages Screen
#18: Leaderboards
#16&17: UX and Video Trailer
#15: Special Boss Attacks
#14: Special Minion Attacks
#13: Adding some fantasy violence Part 2
#12: Adding some fantasy violence
#11: Particles and colours!
#10: Telling the history better
#9 Adding game fairness (SHIELD + BOMBS)
#8 Adding in-game expectations
#7 Improving the logo
#6 Well designed collisions
#5 Storm and Rain stage
#4 Game progress & How to play instructions
#3 Improving Colors and main player
#2 Main Menu

#1 Cover (scroll down a bit)


Intro:
Let me introduce myself. It's Jaime here, the main guy behind KaleidoGames. I develop addictive arcade games, I spend most of the development time (over 50%) just to make it fun but I normally do it all. Except, when sometimes I look for external professionals to help me build the game's music and art. Plus I really thank my friends to help me out with testing...

A few months ago, I ended developing Vortex Attack for Steam, it has been quite a success for me: It had around 3500 people getting the game. The game was created for a really small niche group of players that enjoyed Galaga-ish games back in the day. The game is tournament / hi-scores based and it is well balanced. People enjoy it and get really addicted to the game. Some players unexpectedly have played over 200hours.

A few years ago, I developed another shooter (shmup) game that was quite a lot of fun too, but it was our first game and I made lots and lots of mistakes. That game was called Beekyr: Eco shoot'em up , it was designed with a kids theme theme but for hardcore players and that, obviously, didn't work economically, But the game has over 16.000 downloads (still active) in the Android's Google Store alone.

Recently I started fixing that game into something a lot more cool (adult) with lots of new features. I started thinking what was missing or wrong about that first Beekyr. A few weeks after tweaking some bits, I decided to have a full redesign as I got offered to place it into Steam.

FOLLOW BEEKYR RELOADED in STEAM: It will be available on Early Access in Sept/Oct 2016.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/484930/


Update #1: Cover redesign
I decided to start redesigning the cover, which was the most childish part of the game.

This is the original cover (from 2013):


I tried something more aggressive but main character was was still quite infantile:


And finally we came up with this last design and a renewed character and layout, I needed an external artist to get this new bee designed:



Then we added all new graphics to this cover...



But then finally an Artist came and made a hand drawn custom cover (Sept 2017)



This is just the beginning. Next steps are about updating the gameplay to make it a lot more playable for teenagers...

[KaleidoGames]

Update #2
I have been working in the main menu. Before it was just fine but nothing fancy and to be honest a bit annoying.

Here is menu's overhaul:

ORIGINAL VERSION, (ANDROID, 2013):




BEEKYR RELOADED VERSION (WIP, 2016):


BEEKYR RELOADED VERSION (WIP, 2017):

[KaleidoGames]

Update #3   
Been working in overall feeling of the game. I started with the main character and then scenario items. I have desaturated them quite a lot, resulting in something less infantile....



ORIGINAL VERSION, (ANDROID, 2013):


RELOADED VERSION, (PC-STEAM, 2016):


RELOADED VERSION,  PC-STEAM, 2017):


Notice that's the first level, when things are nice and happy... Then the mood changes...

[KaleidoGames]

Update #4
I have been working in the game progress. Before it was just fine but nothing fancy just plain simple.

Here is its evolution!

ORIGINAL VERSION, (ANDROID, 2013):


BEEKYR RELOADED VERSION (PC STEAM, 2016):


Also, I have improved a small information page to let users know how to play them a bit better. You can see wordings are better and fonts and graphics are a lot nicer:

ORIGINAL VERSION, (ANDROID, 2013):


BEEKYR RELOADED VERSION (PC STEAM, 2016):

[KaleidoGames]

Update #5
Improving particle effects and overall colours.

Removing sun, adding a storm (with rain and lightnings)

PC-STEAM, 2016 VERSION:




ANDROID, 2013 VERSION:


(No storm, only rain)


It's better looking at the videos:

Version November 2016:




Version July 2017:

[Ludipe]

Looks cool and super polished! It's interesting to see the changes the game went through from one version to the next

[KaleidoGames]

Update #6
Importance of having the collisions well marked.

Here we have spines with a red glow, it breaks the ambience a little bit but it makes it obvious that it is dangerous:


Also it works very well fading the background a bit and adding a bit of color to the main collidable layer:

[KaleidoGames]

Update #7 (Actually this was an update from a few weeks but still interesting!)
Making the logo a lot more cool.
You can see the progression here:

Beekyr: Eco Shoot em up (2013):


First review for Beekyr Reloaded (2016): [Just changed the hue]


Final review: [Changing contrast, brightness and saturation]


Final: [Adding the same latest effects to the Reloaded text]

[KaleidoGames]

Update #8
Adding ingame expectations

It is also nice to add nice titles and headings at the start of a level with a bit of good taste and style.... Instead a standard tacky message box from the original version:

ANDROID, 2013 VERSION:




PC-STEAM, 2016 VERSION:


Before any big enemy or boss is always nice that something special is about to appear.

A new Warning sign appeared.. But didnt look very impressive...




A bigger sign appears, (it was too small):

[KaleidoGames]

Update #9
Adding game fairness (SHIELD + BOMBS)

Something that adds great gameplay value is being able to save you in specific moments. This is a must if the SHMUP game wants to be fair as sometimes there are so many bullets that are not dodgable.

So, I just added a new ability to trigger: The bomb BeeSquad that will initially protect the player and then get sent towards the enemy as if they were missiles.


Here you can see the initial shield.


And its following attack.

[KaleidoGames]

Clarifiyng what is going on with the bees

After a while testing I noticed not many people understood the history by looking a small sequence with wasps carrying bads with pollen and a queen bee in the floor stunned.

I decided to add some comic style images to illustrate the history.

LIKE THE ANDROID, 2013 VERSION:




PC-STEAM, 2016 VERSION:

Here is the picture and some text that helps understanding what is going on.


Here is the old way of knowing what was going on: Nothing was explained. It was displaying a  really simple animation of some insects leaving with how knows what....

[KaleidoGames]

Update #11
Improving particle effects and overall colours.

Waterfalls

ANDROID, 2013 VERSION:




PC-STEAM, 2016 VERSION:

[KaleidoGames]

Update #12
Adding some fantasy violence - (Part: I)
We asked some profesional to tell me about what he felt when playing the game. He said that the game didnt make him feel powerful, the explosions were to simple... There was nothing for him to feel good when playing the game. He didn't play more than the first stage, but still he got a point...

I replaced the old explosions for stronger ones . It makes the game a hell of a lot more interesting and satisfying to play. Also now, we've added greenish blood splash when an enemy is hit.


Bug death!

[KaleidoGames]

Update #13
Adding fantasy, optional, gore or extreme violence - (Part: II)


Explosions will make screen to shake now (The famous screenshake). It might be too much so we made it optional in the graphics options.


Also, star of the show. We've added extreme violence when you destroy most bosses. They break appart and all the limbs , body head etc will break appart with a massive explosion.




Before of this the bosses would fall down while we displayed a series of explosions.

[Overman]

Nice style.

[suny]

Original art style, the theme is refreshing!


It reminds me of an old amiga shmup I loved when I was a kid: apidya.
http://www.shmups.com/reviews/apidya/

S.

[KaleidoGames]

Adding more variety (special attacks)

Until now, the enemies were shooting almost the same: firing bullets with straight paths. The shape were different but still, same feeling.

I decided we could have some venom/poison coming from scorpions or baby-maggots. All of this leads the game to have many interesing scenarios and patterns.


Maggots shooting honey


Scorpion Boss + Poison

[KaleidoGames]

Original art style, the theme is refreshing!


It reminds me of an old amiga shmup I loved when I was a kid: apidya.
http://www.shmups.com/reviews/apidya/

S.

Thanks.
The game is often compared to Apydia because the theme, but game play is really different. They are both played in the world of insects but they have very different gameplay even both being shmups.

[KaleidoGames]

Update #15
Adding more variety (boss attacks)

I just carried on adding variety to the shooting patterns.  And I've decided to add fishes shooting bubbles, praying mantis shockwave or spider throwing some spiderwebs. Each one of these "bullets" behave very different. Some of them leave trails, some don't kill you but slow you down. All of this leads the game to have many interesing scenarios and patterns.



Praying Mantis + shockwave


Spider + Webs

[KaleidoGames]

Update #16 & 17
Adding extra feedback when picking up pollen in vertical stages.
Now when player collects pollen, a small pollen particle will go up for a small amount of time, it looks nicer and also if the plaer didnt understand the text or the signs in the first tutorial. This will display that you just collected pollen, and it is good for you.



Update #17
Updating the game trailer

Can you spot the differences between the new and old version?

This was the first android trailer (2014)






This is the trailer for Early Access 1.0 (Dec 2016)






And this is the trailer for Early Access 1.0.15 (Jul 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMCuC-UfLRo


Game is available now in STEAM. I will keep posting updates for the achievements and other minor updates.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/484930/

Thanks for reading already!