Risk System (Steam)

This is the main shmups forum. Chat about shmups in here - keep it on-topic please!
Tokyo-J
Posts: 665
Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 12:06 pm
Location: USA

Risk System (Steam)

Post by Tokyo-J »

A new indie shmup is out today on Steam called Rick System.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/833950/Risk_System/

Looks pretty good.
A Hardcore gamers reaction to the Lack of Kinect games. Apparently i could of played Dodonpachi with it if i beat a entirely in Japanese Visional Novel piece of shit game called Instant Brain
User avatar
ATTRACTS
Posts: 664
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:48 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by ATTRACTS »

The constant flashing and screen jittering turned me off immediately. Hard to clearly define what your weapon is when it's just big flashing blobs of light.
User avatar
KAI
Posts: 4646
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 5:24 pm
Location: Joker Star Galaxy, Argentina
Contact:

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by KAI »

LOL I thought this was a thread to discuss that steam's system can be at risk.
Image
User avatar
M.Knight
Posts: 1246
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:54 pm
Location: France

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by M.Knight »

I recall trying a demo a year ago but wasn't able to make it play a full speed. All I could notice was that there was some very annoying inertia, annoying indie game special effects and screenshake, bosses that take forever to kill, and a level design that's not super exciting or varied.

The graze->recharge bomb system could be pretty fun in theory but the inertia ruins it. Same for the increased firepower when grazing.

If you want a look at how the full game plays, xaerock streamed it, and he seems to confirm the fears I had back then.
RegalSin wrote: I think I have downloaded so much I am bored with downloading. No really I bored with downloading stuff I might consider moving to Canada or the pacific.
Remote Weapon GunFencer - My shmup project
User avatar
Despatche
Posts: 4196
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:05 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Despatche »

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

IT'S FUCKIN' DONE

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Better to buy it from itch!: https://risksystem.itch.io/rs
Rage Pro, Rage Fury, Rage MAXX!
User avatar
Zaarock
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:18 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Zaarock »

Visuals look very nice (with screen shake disabled). But still overbearing with effects, it's hard to see bullet trajectories properly on anything more complex. There's huge inertia that for some reason also effects the vertical roll move: if you're moving downwards and push upwards barrel roll you basically stay in place. There's no way around it, sharp movements cant be done. Horizontal movement is more restricted since you don't have something like the barrel roll and the ship speed is slow.
The physics feel like they'd make much more sense on a touchscreen game, on PC it just feels super unresponsive regardless of using analog stick or digital / arcade stick. These kinds of simplistic enemy patterns and core mechanics also feel like it would be more at home as a mobile game.

Basically only gimmick of the game is grazing as per its name. You gain a firepower upgrade while grazing bullets like Shikigami no Shiro and charge up a fullscreen bomb. Apart from that it's basic shooting with super floaty control. And if you have screen shake on that part is basically Rym 9000.

The only real positive gameplay mechanic I found is the synergy of the barrel roll move with the grazing powerup. If you roll right after grazing you can maintain the power, while making a risky or set movement. That felt like the unique mechanic of this game. And in the stage portions it can be fun.

Stages seemed easy but also fun since you can attempt to do scoring stuff. After stage 3 the bosses get surprisingly hard, in a very memorizer way. And somehow some of them ignore the invincibility of your bomb or deal all 3 hitpoints of damage and end your credit in one hit. It's bizarre how very simple looking patterns are so hard to dodge with the heavy inertia. Some things are also extremely poorly telegraphed and would work poorly if this was an arcade style game instead of having checkpoints everywhere. All of the bosses appear to only have a single form, they just loop the same attack patterns until they're dead. Some of them also spend the majority of the time offscreen so you can't shoot them at all (bomb works though).

A lot of the gimmicky boss patterns basically have a single simon-says solution with nothing different to do between runs or anything to optimize. And if that pattern is poor for damaging the boss you just spend time waiting for something to fly offscreen rather than having an engaging boss fight.

Scoring / S-ranking looks like it just involves no-missing each stage one by one while trying to destroy enemies with the graze powerup active. You need an A-rank to get true ending, probably just no-miss. I can imagine the true last boss being pretty cool. And again, the graphics in this are very nice looking. Especially enemy designs, player ship and some of the backgrounds. But it feels more fun to watch than to play..
User avatar
MathU
Posts: 2172
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Paranoia

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by MathU »

Always interested in shooters with Linux ports. Is there DRM though?
Of course, that's just an opinion.
Always seeking netplay fans to play emulated arcade games with.
User avatar
Despatche
Posts: 4196
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:05 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Despatche »

ATTRACTS wrote:The constant flashing and screen jittering turned me off immediately. Hard to clearly define what your weapon is when it's just big flashing blobs of light.
Nope.
M.Knight wrote:I recall trying a demo a year ago but wasn't able to make it play a full speed. All I could notice was that there was some very annoying inertia, annoying indie game special effects and screenshake, bosses that take forever to kill, and a level design that's not super exciting or varied.

The graze->recharge bomb system could be pretty fun in theory but the inertia ruins it. Same for the increased firepower when grazing.

If you want a look at how the full game plays, xaerock streamed it, and he seems to confirm the fears I had back then.
Nooooope.

Only real "issues" I've found so far is that you can't seem to skip cutscenes (which will likely be added in an update) and the weird stage progression (you can try stages repeatedly on the same credit).

This was likely meant to be played with analog sticks, like Super Hydorah. The inertia is not an issue in any possible way and is actually handled properly in this game. Everything besides what I mention above is handled properly in this game.
Rage Pro, Rage Fury, Rage MAXX!
User avatar
Zaarock
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:18 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Zaarock »

Despatche wrote:
ATTRACTS wrote:The constant flashing and screen jittering turned me off immediately. Hard to clearly define what your weapon is when it's just big flashing blobs of light.
Nope.
He wasn't turned off? That's great.
Despatche wrote:This was likely meant to be played with analog sticks, like Super Hydorah. The inertia is not an issue in any possible way and is actually handled properly in this game.
Analog control didnt seem to increase acceleration for me. In some games you can make fine movements with analog and make a higher acceleration move by pushing to the max position.

I can see inertia not being a problem at a very basic level of play (assuming the bullet patterns remain very simple). But lets say the player wants to optimize grazing bullets, which is the only thing you do apart from not getting hit. There's a further multiplier for being super close to bullet hitboxes. They have to be calculating their ships trajectory instead of having direct control. With such control you need to memorize the route and inputs way before the fact because movements are a huge commitment and enemy attacks don't have the same slow acceleration.

Despatche wrote:Everything besides what I mention above is handled properly in this game.
What does this even mean. Is it shmup of the year material or super modest but "functions" perfectly? Did you decide on this kind of stance before the game came out based on how it looked or what it represents? Instead of your experience playing through the end product.

For example do you enjoy the game enough that you're considering S-ranking all stages? If not, why? The game looks really good visually so I wish I could enjoy it more. But to defend it like that I'd be better off the less I try to play it.
Last edited by Zaarock on Wed May 15, 2019 8:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
clippa
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:30 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by clippa »

Despatche wrote:Nope.
Mate.
Despatche wrote:The inertia is not an issue in any possible way
Maaaaate.
User avatar
ATTRACTS
Posts: 664
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:48 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by ATTRACTS »

Despatche wrote:
ATTRACTS wrote:The constant flashing and screen jittering turned me off immediately. Hard to clearly define what your weapon is when it's just big flashing blobs of light.
Nope.
M.Knight wrote:I recall trying a demo a year ago but wasn't able to make it play a full speed. All I could notice was that there was some very annoying inertia, annoying indie game special effects and screenshake, bosses that take forever to kill, and a level design that's not super exciting or varied.

The graze->recharge bomb system could be pretty fun in theory but the inertia ruins it. Same for the increased firepower when grazing.

If you want a look at how the full game plays, xaerock streamed it, and he seems to confirm the fears I had back then.
Nooooope.

Only real "issues" I've found so far is that you can't seem to skip cutscenes (which will likely be added in an update) and the weird stage progression (you can try stages repeatedly on the same credit).

This was likely meant to be played with analog sticks, like Super Hydorah. The inertia is not an issue in any possible way and is actually handled properly in this game. Everything besides what I mention above is handled properly in this game.
Which member of your family made this game?
User avatar
M.Knight
Posts: 1246
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:54 pm
Location: France

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by M.Knight »

Despatche wrote:The inertia is not an issue in any possible way and is actually handled properly in this game. Everything besides what I mention above is handled properly in this game.
Errr...I guess what you are trying to say is that the way the level-design is set up is done in accordance with the movement inertia? As in, there are rarely more than 5 bullets on screen because putting more of them would be impossible to properly dodge given those controls?

If this is what you mean, I guess you're sorta right, but that's also what happens in euroshmups that have tons of shields and life points on purpose to adjust for their broken hitboxes, unfair patterns and unresponsive controls. That it is adapted doesn't necessarily make it enjoyable to play. And it doesn't change the fact that this inertia just makes the playing experience a lot more cumbersome for no real benefit. There already are a bunch of shmups with grazing mechanics in them that work perfectly fine without the inertia, such as Shikigami no Shiro and Psyvariar for example.

Also, just take a look at Zaarock (who is a really good player) struggling to dodge the fourth boss' pattern that has just...two big bullets on screen. It's ridiculous how much easier the pattern would be with proper controls. This doesn't look clever, it looks very restraining. And notice how stage enemies refill your life points when killing them while grazing, and how the lack of such an equivalent for the boss fights makes them a lot more grueling.

By the way, what has been your experience with the game? What do you like about it? How far have you made it? I would be curious to know what makes it click for you because it's not obvious at all for the rest of us.
RegalSin wrote: I think I have downloaded so much I am bored with downloading. No really I bored with downloading stuff I might consider moving to Canada or the pacific.
Remote Weapon GunFencer - My shmup project
User avatar
Despatche
Posts: 4196
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:05 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Despatche »

Zaarock wrote:What does this even mean. Is it shmup of the year material or super modest but "functions" perfectly? Did you decide on this kind of stance before the game came out based on how it looked or what it represents? Instead of your experience playing through the end product.
Fairly modest but functions well, like Rym 9000, Space Moth, etc. Better than those, however. I thought it looked cool at first, but I didn't put much thought towards it until closer to release, when I realized what kind of game it was. Bought it, played it, it was exactly what I was expecting. Checked the forums and saw exactly the kind of responses I was expecting too. It's not GOTY, very little is, but it's like an 8 or 9 out of 10.
clippa wrote:
Despatche wrote:The inertia is not an issue in any possible way
Maaaaate.
"Inertia is bad! Euroshmups!!!"

I don't like euroshmups, but do you know what I like even less? People not knowing what euroshmups and bad design actually are.
ATTRACTS wrote:Which member of your family made this game?
You repped the original Ghost Blade. I don't think you get to make this joke.
M.Knight wrote:If this is what you mean, I guess you're sorta right, but that's also what happens in euroshmups that have tons of shields and life points on purpose to adjust for their broken hitboxes, unfair patterns and unresponsive controls.
Good thing this game has none of those things!
M.Knight wrote:There already are a bunch of shmups with grazing mechanics in them that work perfectly fine without the inertia, such as Shikigami no Shiro and Psyvariar for example.
Yes, and those games have a lot more bullets. Hmm, less bullets... in a game that has inertia... Gee! I wonder what that means! I mean, you said it yourself, just in a dishonest way.

Let me repeat myself: this community has a huge issue with the idea of a "euroshmup", without understanding what euroshmups really do and what they're doing wrong. The idea that a lifebar or the sighting of inertia immediately sets off red flags in people is a gigantic problem, a much bigger one than the possibility of something actually being a euroshmup. This is something people have brought up before, but those voices tend to get drowned out in a sea of CAVE fetishists. Any of you might not be a worshipper like the others, but none of you can deny that we're living in CAVE hell and that your expectations are partially influenced by that situation.

There was a time when people pointed fingers at games like Battle Garegga for being different, in the same way that you're trying to point fingers at Risk System. I thought that time was over. I thought things were getting better when we all denounced Sine Mora as the garbage that it was. After this and after the response to a number of other games that I'd rather not talk about, it's obvious that things are not better. It's already hard enough to get people to play CAVE games, let alone things like Blue Revolver, Devil Engine, or ZeroRanger, yet here we are. Things are getting worse, actually.
Rage Pro, Rage Fury, Rage MAXX!
User avatar
clippa
Posts: 373
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:30 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by clippa »

I don't like using "euroshmup" as a derogatory term and try to judge each game on it's own merits.
It's entirely subjective of course, but I thought the controls in this game were really poor. Rather than it being an exciting new way to play, wrestling with the weight of a heavy spaceship, it just felt unintentionally bad.

The devs idea of "communicating information to the player" seems to just be "make everything on the screen constantly flash". Is this another example of good game design?

It's honourable that you're defending these guys as brave upstart mavericks who are daring to go against genre conventions and make something truly unique and original, but I think you're backing the wrong horse, to be honest.

What was wrong with space moth? I liked that.
User avatar
ATTRACTS
Posts: 664
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:48 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by ATTRACTS »

Despatche wrote:
ATTRACTS wrote:Which member of your family made this game?
You repped the original Ghost Blade. I don't think you get to make this joke.
Lmao did you dig into my posts from years ago to find something to come back with? You are a winner.
And yeah, after a few tweaks through the rerelease (which I absolutely suggested in my "rep") it ended up being a quick, competent shooter, unlike this garbled/twitching/flashing mess of a game. You calling Risk System an "8 or 9 out of 10" is comedy. Sorry.
User avatar
kid aphex
Posts: 1058
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:24 am
Location: Moai Zone
Contact:

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by kid aphex »

Haven't tried it yet, but I really like the 'look' of this game. At least it's a little different.
With a genre this (relatively) simple to program for, I wish developers experimented with aesthetics more.
User avatar
Despatche
Posts: 4196
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:05 pm

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Despatche »

People can't get to the part where they have to actually judge graphics or gameplay on their own merits, because they're so put off by the basic idea of a game actually trying to be different.

I am far more concerned about people being overly reactionary, leveraging tired old community memes that have long since lost their meaning to most people. It's also why I say things like "StarFox is a shmup". I'm not even being a "contrarian" because most people don't even know what the definitions of "euroshmup" or "shmup" itself ever were.
clippa wrote:I don't like using "euroshmup" as a derogatory term and try to judge each game on it's own merits.
It's entirely subjective of course, but I thought the controls in this game were really poor. Rather than it being an exciting new way to play, wrestling with the weight of a heavy spaceship, it just felt unintentionally bad.
It's "entirely subjective", yet when multiple people say the same thing, it magically becomes true. The merit of what's being said doesn't matter, and the merit of any opposition doesn't matter, only the amount of people saying something. That's suspect as fuck, and it's been going on for too long, especially in gaming.
clippa wrote:The devs idea of "communicating information to the player" seems to just be "make everything on the screen constantly flash". Is this another example of good game design?
This doesn't actually happen in Risk System. This does happen in Rym 9000. It's not a problem there. The dev of Rym 9000 doesn't do it to "communicate information to the player" or whatever nonsense. He does it to look cool, and the game succeeds at that, because believe it or not the crazy visuals never actually get in the way of gameplay. What's going on in Risk System's visuals is maybe 1/10 of what's going on in Rym 9000's.

People whine about Garegga bullets, of all things. They have no problem whining about the desert stage of Raiden V, but are all too willing to give the far worse desert stages of Raiden and Raiden II a free pass. People are generally not to be trusted when it comes to critiquing "visiblity".
clippa wrote:It's honourable that you're defending these guys as brave upstart mavericks who are daring to go against genre conventions and make something truly unique and original, but I think you're backing the wrong horse, to be honest.
You can think that all you like. The reality is that what they're doing isn't even that unusual, as most of the game's design is modeled after other games like Guxt/Rym 9000 and Shikigami no Shiro. Some, such as the dev of Rym 9000 himself, treat it as a similar kind of game, much like how Heartbound is treated as a similar kind of game to Undertale (disregarding Deltarune). None of these games are clones of each other. Even Rym 9000, which is heavily modeled after Guxt, feels more like an elaborate sequel than a simple clone.
clippa wrote:What was wrong with space moth? I liked that.
I also like Space Moth! But Risk System is clearly a level beyond it.
----------
ATTRACTS wrote:Lmao did you dig into my posts from years ago to find something to come back with? You are a winner.
And yeah, after a few tweaks through the rerelease (which I absolutely suggested in my "rep") it ended up being a quick, competent shooter, unlike this garbled/twitching/flashing mess of a game. You calling Risk System an "8 or 9 out of 10" is comedy. Sorry.
No, I was there for that. I read all those NG Dev Team and Hucast threads. Though, now that you mention it, your profile says the most amount of posts you've ever made were in the Ghost Blade thread, so...

I like Ghost Blade HD, a lot! A lot of people think it's boring or bland or whatever, but I will rep that game. But the original Dreamcast game barely functions as a game, even with the rerelease, and Risk System is beyond what Ghost Blade HD is doing.

The only "comedy" here is your ridiculous claims. You can't give someone the "who are you sycophanting for???" treatment when you repped a game that doesn't work properly on very basic levels. Contrary to what people in this thread believe, Risk System actually does work on all the very basic levels and actually plays fine as a game.

I'd give it an 8 or 9 out of 10 because 5 does not mean "average" and never really has. That number is actually 7. 5 and below are reserved for memes at best. People also think "average" is a negative and not a positive, especially considering how hard it is to actually meet basic standards. Calling Risk System an above-average game is perfectly acceptable.

Just go ahead and try to tell me that the only reason I put Risk System above games like Space Moth and Ghost Blade is for the aesthetic. Do it! I know you want to.
Rage Pro, Rage Fury, Rage MAXX!
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

Hey guys, long time no see!

Developers are actually from the USA and are currently at Anime Central with a small table setup showcasing the final build of the game since they hail from Wisconsin and don’t need to travel far to get there.

I really like the game and I actually wanted to go into more detail about it since they let me play most of it for free since nobody else really swung by their table on Friday night (probably because of the raves/concerts going on that evening), but because of the way this thread is going, I’m going to say this instead:

If most of the people replying in this thread were physically present at their table right now, nobody would be playing this game because of all of the toxic commentary and would probably be kicked out of the convention. It’s true; even on Saturday evening when there was no concert happening in the evening and it was the most populated day of the convention, the only people playing the game were the developers, the PR guy, and maybe one or two con attendees. The devs had to compete with three big screen projectors showing three separate tournaments, and a whole section of modern rhythm arcade game cabinets and... capcom’s 1945 game on a retro cabinet.

It’s really annoying that despite my long absence, the overall atmosphere here hadn’t changed much. Guess I’ll put my positive thoughts about this game somewhere else on the Internet.
User avatar
MathU
Posts: 2172
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Paranoia

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by MathU »

MathU wrote:Is there DRM though?
Anyone? Hello?
dai jou bu wrote:If most of the people replying in this thread were physically present at their table right now, nobody would be playing this game because of all of the toxic commentary and would probably be kicked out of the convention.
A little hyperbolic maybe? If the kind of criticism on display in here so far is considered "toxic" enough to throw someone out of a convention, that's sounds like a pretty appalling convention.
Of course, that's just an opinion.
Always seeking netplay fans to play emulated arcade games with.
User avatar
BrianC
Posts: 8859
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:33 am
Location: MD

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by BrianC »

MathU wrote:Is there DRM though?
There's a non-steam version. As far as I know, that version doesn't have DRM.
User avatar
Zaarock
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:18 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by Zaarock »

dai jou bu wrote:It’s really annoying that despite my long absence, the overall atmosphere here hadn’t changed much. Guess I’ll put my positive thoughts about this game somewhere else on the Internet.
Hey, I remember you from Senkoro and VOOT from way back. I still play VOOT and tried to play senkoro2.

To me Risk System seemed maybe designed as a mobile game at first (the heavy control and attacking individual stages?) and wonder how much longevity it has. My first post just try to note some first impressions / tehcnicalities compared to other games. Some part of the gameplay didn't click with me so I didn't dig deeper into it after initial playthrough.

If some people get really into it that's awesome. It's pretty different, presentation is super good & probably gets some more people into the genre. There's a huge amount of good PC shmup releases & accessible ports recently so this game has heavy competition for any hardcore crowd.
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

If the game is on gog.com or itch.io, they’re typically drm-Free. I’ll ask the guys over there today just to make sure if they’re still around and aren’t zombies from maintaining the table since the game area is open 24/7 until the convention’s over.

Also, apologies for my outburst in the last post. There’s just so much stuff happening in gaming today that’s not in favor of shmups that the fresh blood who try contribute to this genre need a lot of encouragement, and seeing the kind of activity at their booth throughout the convention exemplifies this.

I still stand that this is a pretty good game.
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

Also confirmed with them that the game is drm-fee if you get it at itch.io
User avatar
MathU
Posts: 2172
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Paranoia

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by MathU »

Neat! Gonna give this a checkout later.
Of course, that's just an opinion.
Always seeking netplay fans to play emulated arcade games with.
User avatar
M.Knight
Posts: 1246
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:54 pm
Location: France

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by M.Knight »

Despatche : You haven't told us the exact reasons why you like the game. If you answer the following questions and explained what you enjoy in the game, we would probably understand your viewpoint better :
M.Knight wrote:By the way, what has been your experience with the game? What do you like about it? How far have you made it? I would be curious to know what makes it click for you because it's not obvious at all for the rest of us.
Zaarock wrote:For example do you enjoy the game enough that you're considering S-ranking all stages? If not, why? The game looks really good visually so I wish I could enjoy it more. But to defend it like that I'd be better off the less I try to play it.
----

dai jou bu : If you really enjoyed Risk System and want to tell us why and what you like about it, I think you're more than welcome! Various opinions on the game can also be a good way for other players here to see if they would like it too.
RegalSin wrote: I think I have downloaded so much I am bored with downloading. No really I bored with downloading stuff I might consider moving to Canada or the pacific.
Remote Weapon GunFencer - My shmup project
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

There's also a few things that the guys at the booth told me about the game as well as the things I discovered by playing it:

- Your ship can take three hits before getting a "game over." You have infinite continues and the game automatically sends you back to the last checkpoint when this happens, which gives me traumatic R-Type flashbacks (if a horizontal shmup doesn't give you a R-Type levels of mental anguish, they're doing something wrong). If your ship crashes right into the boss, it's instant game over. This last tidbit is what makes the 4th stage boss "That One Boss" since its main attack pattern consists of trying to ram into you as fast as possible while giving you little opportunity to fire back at it.

- Game only has two weapons: a forward shot and a smart bomb attack. In the release version of the game, there is no fire button for you to press and your ship will auto fire the moment it comes into direct line-of-sight with an enemy target, which takes out the guesswork of whether or not an enemy can take damage from your guns. The developers said that the reasoning behind this is so you can focus entirely on movement because the game does have a dash mechanic in place as well.

The smart bomb has infinite uses like in mars matrix, but has to recharge before it can be used again. If I recall, it's always empty at the start of the stage. Also, while the smart bomb clears all bullets, protects you from ones that can't be cleared and are currently hitting you while the bomb is active, and deals a lot of damage to all enemies on the screen, you'll still get wrecked by the boss if it collides into your ship. Yes, that's why the 4th stage boss is "That One Boss."

- Your ship has two barrel roll (dash) buttons: one makes you move up, and the other moves down with a short cool down after activation before you're allowed to use it again. If you've played Sora (The sequel to Suguri) before, in kind of feels like doing that when you press one of the barrel roll buttons, except it's only a short burst of speed in that given direction. You also have to wait a little bit before you're able to barrel roll again.

- There's a grazing game mechanic in place: anything that looks like an enemy projectile or melee attack that glows pink and gets close enough to your ship but doesn't cause a direct hit triggers it. The devs call it "buzzing" but I'm used to calling this mechanic "grazing," so I might forget to use the proper game term lol.

- Buzzing does three things:
1) As mentioned earlier, it enhances the damage of your front attack. You'll deal even more damage if you're firing while in the middle of a barrel roll.
2) Your smart bomb will charge faster. The rate of supercharge will vary based on what enemy attack you're buzzing
3) Regular enemies (not bosses) destroyed while buzzing will release a health goblet thing that automatically flies towards your ship. If you collect enough of this, you can take another direct hit before going down. This last mechanic encourages you to be aggressive in taking risks (hence the name of the game) because even if you take a hit, you'll be rewarded by getting some of your life back, but it's also why the boss fights are hard because none of these regular enemies appear during this phase of the stage. Then again, that's why they're called "boss fights."

In all honesty, the game risk system reminds me the most is Border Down, mostly from the enemy layout and the way the boss fights play out (the 4th boss basically looked like this where the enemy flies into and out of the screen for most of the fight, but with a bigger boss and projectiles), with a lot of R-Type memorization for said boss fights because they will eventually find a way to wreck you like how an R-Type stage will. The inertia you feel when controlling the ship is sorta familiar if you've played any of Taito's Ray games before (Rayforce, Raystorm, Raycrisis). The difference is Border Down was designed around the scoring system first and results in a crappy experience if you're not doing all of the weird things that the devs wanted you to do (milk the bullets with your special beam attack before destroying as many enemies and the boss with it before you run out of juice to power it, intentional suicides, deliberately stall the boss fight so you blow it up right when the countdown clock hits zero), while Risk System is the other way around, and the game is fun to play just to beat it.

Funnily enough, when I showed the devs that Border Down boss fight, they told me they never heard of the game even though that stupid 4th boss reminded me of that entire encounter.
User avatar
EmperorIng
Posts: 5065
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:22 am
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by EmperorIng »

Zaarock wrote:There's huge inertia that for some reason also effects the vertical roll move: if you're moving downwards and push upwards barrel roll you basically stay in place.
That I think is by design: doing so allows you to roll along with a horizontally-moving bullet, which gives you the power boost both from the barrel roll and the grazing. A slightly more-unwieldy 'buzz in place' a la Psyvariar.
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

Correct. I wasn't comfortable with the button layout to really experiment with that tactic, but I knew why it was there.
xxx1993

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by xxx1993 »

I want to find more pics of Alys...
User avatar
dai jou bu
Posts: 561
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: Where hands connect

Re: Risk System (Steam)

Post by dai jou bu »

Did you go to the game’s itch.io page and pay for the digital deluxe edition? The contents of that pack are as follows:

Image
Here’s a sample from the art book:

Image
Post Reply