Cx6 is a game I started at the beginning of January 2023. My goal was to complete it by the end of the month, excluding distribution steps like integrating Steamworks API, etc. It is currently January 29 and I am just about there! This is my very first game that will be publicly released. I hope to publish it on Steam, however it sounds like the approval and release process is going to take at least a month.
Cx6 is a bullet hell, arcade-style game where the only objective is to survive and rack up high scores. Bullets launch across the field in predictable patterns from every direction and the player must deflect off any of the four walls to avoid them. The player can graze bullets without actually touching them to score extra points and fill the buffer. Grazing multiple bullets in a row will increment the player’s streak. Earn a high streak and something special might happen!
The buffer will burst once its capacity is reached, releasing small jewels which can be collected for a considerable amount of points!
Assists will occasionally spawn somewhere on the field. Collecting one of these will activate its ability, which is always some helpful tool for survival. For example, the Path Predict assist will show the exact path bullets will take.
Modifiers will forcefully apply themselves at regular intervals. These can make survival more difficult, especially if they come at an already hectic time. For example, the Bullet Train modifier causes bullets to launch with extremely high speeds!
Death happens quickly and frequently! If the field becomes too hectic to manage, you might slip up and run into a bullet.
Practice makes perfect. The best way to improve is to learn the finite set of bullet patterns, maneuver the field utilizing the four walls, and find ways to use those pesky modifiers to your advantage. Remember, earning a high score is not just about survival time!
Twenty achievements are available to unlock, each ranked into four levels of difficulty. For some perspective, I’ve sunk about four or five hours into the game so far and have yet to unlock the last six!
Three original music tracks are included, composed by my younger brother and his friend. The player can toggle between two of them in the options menu to customize their gameplay experience, choosing between classic chiptune or a more modern sound.
The game offers global and friends-only leaderboards powered by PlayFab so friends can compete for best survival time, highest score, and highest graze streak.
It has been non-stop work over the past month with my day job then spending several hours every night on making this as simple, stable, and fun as possible. It’s a great learning experience to not only make the bulk of a game, but also to spend that seemingly endless amount of time polishing the little details, thinking through optimizations, and struggling through deployment to Steam.
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