I have made a lot of progress on this new update since my last post, and I have implemented much of what I have planned, even if it is not finalized.

What I have planned for this next update will change everything there is about the game. First, I have changed how power-ups work.

Power-Ups

Before, power-ups would have a random chance of spawning anywhere. But now, they will appear in roulette blocks, which will shuffle between various power-ups until hit from the bottom.

I have also added new power-ups, such as the Fire Flower, Ice Flower, 1-UP Mushroom, Poison Mushroom, and the Mega Mushroom. When you get a power-up like the Fire Flower or Ice Flower, pressing C will launch a projectile. (If you unlocked brother bombs, you lose the ability to throw them until you lose the power-up.)

Fire Flowers allow you to throw fire balls, which instantly kill most enemies and burn platforms. It also gives you immunity against sparks and lava. When Maltigi is hit by a fire ball, he will be stunned and start to burn, launching sparks in every direction.

Ice Flowers allow you to throw ice balls, which freeze enemies and Maltigi. Enemies that are frozen will be encased in a block of ice, which will slide around until broken. Frozen enemies will also kill any enemy they fall on top of.

If you collect a 1-UP Mushroom, you will be revived upon death. If you end up using the 1-UP Mushroom, it will be worth half of the points.

The Poison Mushroom will half Giuseppe's HP, and cause him to lose any power-up he had. It also removes 500 points from your score.

The Mega Mushroom will give twice as much HP as the Super Mushroom.

Next, I have implemented a character select screen.

So far, the only characters in the game are Giuseppe and Giuseppe without his hat.

Along with the character select screen, I have made another very notable change. I have added maps to the game. Now, instead of unlocking a background that you can select in the extras, you will unlock a map. Each map contains at least one platform and enemy unique to it, along with unique spawn rates for each platform and enemy.

MAP 1: The Castle

The default background has become The Castle, which has the concrete platform and Bullet Bill.

The concrete platform is a still platform that will collapse easily. If you stand on it for too long, or gets struck by a shockwave, it will fall and destroy enemies and platforms beneath it. And, unique to this platform, it cannot be destroyed with bombs or hitting it at high velocity. In fact, if you land on it too hard, you take fall damage.

The Bullet Bill is an enemy that will fly across the screen in a random direction. If it hits you, you will be sent flying in the direction it was going. This enemy is immune to the Fire Flower

MAP 2: Maltigi's Mansion

The Maltigi-green background has become Maltigi's Mansion, which has the spike platform, Bull's-Eye Bill, and Podoboo.

The spike platform is a still platform that if hit from the top, will damage Giuseppe, and make him bounce off of it in pain. It cannot be stood on.

The Bull's-Eye Bill is a red variant of the Bullet Bill. It will home in on Giuseppe until it makes contact. When that happens, it will explode and launch Giuseppe far away. When it gets close enough, or if you are crouching, it will become faster. This enemy is immune to the Fire Flower, and cannot be killed by high velocity contact.

The Podoboo is a lava bubble that will fly up in an attempt to hit Giuseppe. If that happens, sparks will fly. This enemy can only be killed with the Ice Flower or by getting hit by a frozen enemy.

MAP 3: ???

The morally-gray background has become its own map. I only just recently came up for an idea for this map, so what is shown here is old and will be replaced (not removed). What this map currently has is the glue platform and the Chill Bully.

The glue platform is a still platform that causes anything that touches it to get stuck, including Giuseppe. Like the Evil Hands event in the endless mode, you can get unstuck by repeatedly pressing the jump button. If you touch the platform while going fast enough, you will not fully stick to the platform and get off scot-free.

The Chill Bully is an ambush-type enemy that will stand on a block of ice until you get close enough, which at that point, it will destroy the ice block and chase after you. If it touches you, you will be frozen and be launched into whatever direction it was heading.

Also the background has been changed to be animated. It may change again later.

MAP 4: Giuseppe's Sky

The Giuseppe-pink background has become Giuseppe's Sky, which has the cloud platform, Lakitu, and Angry Sun.

In this map, the standard wooden platform is replaced by the cloud platform, a still platform that only Giuseppe can stand on. But if Giuseppe lands on it too hard or jumps through it, it will collapse.

The Lakitu is a flying enemy that will hover above Giuseppe and occasionally throw Spiny eggs that will bounce around and harm Giuseppe if they touch him. Spiny eggs will eventually hatch into Spinies, which will walk around and hurt Giuseppe if he lands on them.

The Angry Sun is a flying enemy that will also hover above Giuseppe. It will attack more frequently than the Lakitu, and it does so by charging at Giuseppe. If it hits Giuseppe, he will be launched in whatever direction it was going in.

I'm not really happy with how this map is currently. Merts don't spawn in this map, so I am in the process of creating a new ambush-type enemy to replace it.

Other Maps

I will be adding more maps to the game. Each new character will get their own map. I'm also going to add a customizable map, where you can select which enemies and platforms appear and at what rates.

Playable Characters

The main reason why I added a character select screen is because I plan to add more playable characters. I'm not exactly sure how they will be unlocked as of now, but I've got a few ideas.

This update will add two new characters. I won't say who, but I'll give a hint.

This update was originally planned to release alongside another project, although I might not be able to release both of them at the same time.

I have posted pictures of this project before. The characters are visible in said pictures, both of them.

Mainly, because of these new characters, I do not feel like a September 10th release date is as much of a realistic expectation. This other project is farther along in development, so it will probably release on that day.

Miscellaneous Changes

I have added a new particle system, so now every particle is stored in one sprite instead of several.

I have changed some of the prizes you get when you beat the main game (as Giuseppe). Capseppe has been removed, along with three others (I don't remember).

I have also added coins to the game, as I plan to add a shop where you can buy things to unlock them, such as platforms and enemies to use in your custom map, power-ups to use in gameplay, skins for Maltigi, and music tracks.

Most of the replacement prizes are coin related, such as the red coin (worth 2 coins), the blue coin (worth 5 coins), and the coin magnet. The other replacement prize is a Giuseppe-themed power-up (every character will get their own power-up).

Coins will be available in the roulette blocks, but will be available out of the roulette blocks only in endless mode. They also shatter if you hit them too hard.

I have also made a notable change that I think makes the game more fun. Giuseppe now has several states. Most of these states can be entered if he is hit by a fast-moving ambush-type enemy (fake brothers, Merts, Bullet and Bull's-Eye Bills, Chill Bullies, and Angry Suns).

When Giuseppe is in one of these states, he will be stunned and fly across the map like a skipped stone on a lake. If you don't want to deal with this, just press C to cancel out of the state and go back to normal.

Despite removing Capseppe as a prize, I did not feel like completely removing it from the game, so I made Giuseppe's hat fly off whenever he is in one of these states.

Brother bombs also no longer explode when hitting spring platforms. They bounce now. They also stick to cement and glue platforms.

This past month has been a strange one for me. After this update, I might take a break, or I might not. Regardless, when I'm ready, I'll post a poll to have people vote on what project they want next.

Also, congratulations to @RayGamingX ! His let's play of the Week 1 demo of 3 Weeks of Giuseppe has reached one thousand views.

Anyway, if you're curious about how the game looks, you can have a look at this low quality video I recorded.