Elementaler EleXfalter (Project Rolling Gunner's new shmup)

[SPM]

New game developed by the team behind Rolling Gunner.
Many assets are (temporarily?) reused since this is a very early version of the game.

INITIAL TRAILER - Shot types and 1st stage
UPDATE - Tutorial and 2 stages

[xxx1993]

It has a lot of carryovers from Rolling Gunner… So is this game really a sequel to Rolling Gunner?

[Rastan78]

The OP states they're using temporary placeholder assets from Rolling Gunner so we'll have to wait and see.

Really not a fan of the 16:9 vertical format in general. But since Rolling Gunner was so well done, I'll be staying cautiously optimistic on this one.

Also, I'd like to see them add online leaderboards and replays this time around. Correct me if I'm wrong about RG not having them. Been quite a while since I fired it up. This is a must have feature these days IMO.

There are definitely lower cost options out there for indie devs to have online leaderboards. For example generating a password or QR code that will allow players to upload their score to a website.

[xxx1993]

Considering how fun Rolling Gunner was, I can't wait to hear more from this. Hopefully we'll also see a Switch or PS4 port of this baby. Right now, I just want to know if this is an actual sequel to Rolling Gunner or not.

[jehu]

I'm interested. But I do think it's too early to tell if it'll be a strong game.

The 16:9 ratio for a vert is always a potential for disaster, but I'm glad a few developers are trying to figure out how to make it work. Maybe there's a way and the design language just hasn't been figured out yet. You can see that's what they're aiming to do.

And hopefully it will have a more of a unique personality once the placeholder assets are swapped out.

All that said, I trust these guys - I think this one will come out well.

[XoPachi]

This looks like a lot of fun already. I adore direction based firing in fixed scrollers like this. It's just like the Biaxe which is my favorite ship in DDP. c:

[FRO]

The OP states they're using temporary placeholder assets from Rolling Gunner so we'll have to wait and see.

Really not a fan of the 16:9 vertical format in general. But since Rolling Gunner was so well done, I'll be staying cautiously optimistic on this one.

Also, I'd like to see them add online leaderboards and replays this time around. Correct me if I'm wrong about RG not having them. Been quite a while since I fired it up. This is a must have feature these days IMO.

There are definitely lower cost options out there for indie devs to have online leaderboards. For example generating a password or QR code that will allow players to upload their score to a website.

I'm in a similar boat. Not fond of the 16:9 vertizontal approach. But this looks like Rolling Gunner and Crimzon Clover had a baby. Considering the pedigree here, I'm still interesting in seeing where this goes, and what's going to develop. I'll probably still want to buy it when it launches, given how good RG turned out to be.

[Johnpv]

You can put me in that boat as well. I don't think 16:9 for vertical games work. Just make it 3:4 and support tate mode if you want to do vertical.

[EmperorIng]

The important thing for me is that there are finally some anime characters I can get excited about.

[Angry Hina]

Oh cool, they use rune characters. Sadly the anglo saxon ones. Junger or older futhark would be cooler.

[Darkseed_5150]

Looks great to me. I love the Rolling Gunner aesthetic and gameplay so I'm hyped.

[xxx1993]

The important thing for me is that there are finally some anime characters I can get excited about.

Is there going to be any voice acting, though?

[To Far Away Times]

At some point we have to crack the 16:9 dilemma. Modern televisions went to a horizontal format while many shmups play in a vertical format. Games like Senjin Aleste use 1/3 of the screen. While this is fine with a large enough monitor and sitting close enough, it also looks pretty ridiculous to non-shmup people.

I'm all for vertizontal 16:9 expiramentation.

[schleichfahrt]

it also looks pretty ridiculous to non-shmup people.

The question is: who cares about them and their feelings?

I'm not saying that this game won't work, they might just as well pull it off decently (after all, they made a widely beloved game) - but the stance that things must be done because a random demographic frowns upon the established ways is unacceptable.

[Despatche]

Hell yes.

Sure would be nice if people would stop doubting the mere concept of 16:9 vertical.

[Darkseed_5150]

I hope this comes to Switch or PS4 at launch since RG was PC only for a while.

[kid aphex]

Just came across this footage they dropped a couple weeks back.
Seems like it went pretty unnoticed.
Anyways, for those who care:

https://youtu.be/DAQMmI_R5Y0

[EmperorIng]

For what it's worth, this doesn't look too bad as a 16:9 vert, somehow it doesn't feel like you have a million miles to traverse as you go from side to side on the screen.

[Darkseed_5150]

Looks badass. I wanna play it now.

[DoomsDave]

Yeah it looks really fun. Weird perspective but I'm open to trying it out.

[Sengoku Strider]

I think they're taking a solid approach here. You can see they're making a game about managing a horizontal 16:9 space, just like they did with Rolling Gunner. The field may scroll vertically, but enemies are entering from the sides and/or stationing themselves in the upper corners, making practical use of that screen area. This also maximizes player time to react in terms of geometry. And you can see from how quickly those options snap side-to-side that this is a game about shooting sideways. I'm reminded of the Gate of Thunder/Lords of Thunder guys, who looked like gods with horizontal shooters, but when they made the jump to vertical with Sapphire people seem to generally agree they didn't quite nail the transition. But pRG look to be playing more to their own strengths.

Oh cool, they use rune characters. Sadly the anglo saxon ones. Junger or older futhark would be cooler.

Elemental EleXfalter is the Seirei Senshi Spriggan to Rolling Gunner's Musha Aleste.

[m.sniffles.esq]

A couple things are becoming clear about these devs

-They really like steerable options
-They really like micro dodging, giving one very little opportunity to use aforementioned steerable options

Very strange design sense (or lack thereof)

[SPM]

giving one very little opportunity to use aforementioned steerable options

Very strange design sense (or lack thereof)

I don't agree at all. You can perfectly aim your option in RG (and in this game by the looks of it). If you didn't have the option to lock your aim you could be right, but the option is there!

In later stages/harder difficulties there may be situations where you need to lock your options in advance, but that's not different from any other routing in shmups.

[m.sniffles.esq]

If you didn't have the option to lock your aim you could be right

Sorry, I kind of though the whole point was Rolling Gunner not locked gunner

My bad

[EmperorIng]

Looks like it's back to visual novels for the lad, two buttons is two too much

[SPM]

Sorry, I kind of though the whole point was Rolling Gunner not locked gunner

Roll it into position, lock it and then micrododge. You should try that tech one of these days

[Lethe]

I don't see how that complaint makes sense with this footage anyway. The options almost instantly snap to extreme angles. This isn't an aiming mechanic, it's a compromise to give the player more control of the 16:9 space, while keeping the overall design comfortably unadventurous.

The stage 2 boss patterns show that they're thinking about the aspect ratio but the game will have to take it a lot further to transcend "good in spite of 16:9" into "good because of 16:9".

[Angry Hina]

The Backgrounds... X(

[dingsbums]

So its 2024 and I don't hear much about this game . It's my most anticipated game since I loved Rolling Gunner. Is the game even still in development ? I hope this one comes out this year.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I'm a big Rolling Gunner fan and I missed this the first time around.
... ah shit, it's a 16:9 vertizontal, that is fucking stupid.... what are they doing
... oh man that title is dumb as shit as well... why
I'll stil buy it though because obviously they know how to make great bullet hell shooters.