With no risk there is no meaningful reward. When you die and try to retrieve your body/XP, the risk is dynamic to your greed. If you were carrying 3 levels’ worth of XP, that is a very different kind of tension compared to having almost no XP. I’m
A question popped up in the Shmup Creator Discord recently: How do you feel about losing your power-ups after dying in a shmup? The responses were interesting. Power loss was called illogical, unnecessarily punitive, difficult to balance, momentum-killing, and ultimately a relic of old arcade design. None of
I just got back from Shmup Slam 8, and I've been talking, watching, and chatting with all manner of Mother Shmupper lovers. Super i-frames are not just mercy. They solve a feel problem for normal players, but they also create a tactical optimization window for deeper strategies
Someone recently told me that some of these little shmup thoughts and observations are “writing history.” Which is very kind. Also, I chuckled a bit as the lens of my experience shifts in perspective with a lifelong love of arcade and retro gaming. I don’t know if I’m
I beat Saros last night, and the funny thing is, I don’t think I’m done with it. Not in a checklist-brain way. More like: I still have the itch. I want another run. I want to see what other busted, beautiful nonsense the game will let me
Game Design
This essay examines Saros’ “death contract”: when Drive hits limit break, Negligence can erase all Lucenite on death. The issue isn’t harsh risk, it’s vague communication. Without clear stakes, a gamble feels like punishment for success.
Hmm... the first step. Shmups, game design, creative musings. & my sweet Loki girl delivering powerups to DrBossKey. This is the way of the MotherShmupper