Dark Flow - a different kind of shmup

[Legendre]

Hi Shmuppers!

We would like to introduce you all to the game our small team has been working on for the last three years: Dark Flow. We are attempting to break ground in several directions at once, and ours is not a typical shoot-em-up, especially in the context of the danmaku-dominated shmup scene of the last few years.

Our game might be best described as a "cinematic shoot-em-up." Neither a strictly horizontal or vertical scroller, our goal with Dark Flow is to create a different kind of scripted gameplay experience. The holy grail of the "interactive movie" has been sought after by many game genres, and we think that the shmup gameplay formula offers a unique opportunity towards this goal. Think Philosoma, Ether Vapor, or Astebreed...but with an even more dynamic camera rig:

Spoiler

The enemy scripting, bullet pattern design, and boss gameplay is still developing, and we would really appreciate input from some shmup gameplay enthusiasts. Towards this end, we request the help of some veterans such as yourselves for playtesting. We have both Mac and Windows versions available. If you are at all interested, please send us an email and we will get you a build. Thanks for taking the time to check us out, we hope to show you more in the coming months.

-Aureus Studios

AureusStudio@gmail.com

[tiaoferreira]

TOTALLY AMAZING!

[Legendre]

Dark Flow - a "cinematic" shoot-em-up

https://youtu.be/tbWZFvqNv6I

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Download our alpha build!
Mac
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzd_H ... DNjTllqT2M

Windows
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzd_H ... TQ5aFVOem8

Windows64
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bzd_H ... EliTlA3Z1k

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Dark Flow, by Aureus Studios

Our initial post got some great testing responses, thanks to all who contributed! With this next alpha build, we are shooting for a wider audience, and thus are posting these build links directly. Please take a look and tell us what you think. Download our alpha demo builds linked above. In them you will find:

*Straightforward 2.5D shoot-em-up and rail shooter gameplay--targeted at an audience not necessarily familiar with the shoot-em-up genre.
*A unique visual/gameplay experience inspired by the cinematic science fiction space battles of the last 40 years.
*A secondary weapon system of wingman allies that accommodates multiple play styles and preferences.
*A narrative (in the "Battlefield" level) which models the cockpit-dialog sequences from our favorite big-screen stories.
*Two game levels, demonstrating some of the various gameplay and cinematic possibilities of our unique mechanics engine.
*Play with your keyboard or most standard gamepads. (Doesn't work well with Steampads)

Thanks for taking the time to check out our game. We are most interested in the approachability and playability of the game experience as a whole. Does the narrative approach 'work' for you, and does the gameplay seem sufficiently challenging, deep, and rewarding? Any feedback you have is appreciated.

Additionally, if you would like to provide any private feedback or comments to us directly, please don't hesitate to contact us at

AureusStudio@gmail.com