Resonant Blade Devlog 36

NEW Enemies!

Hey, everyone and welcome to another Resonant Blade devlog. And just in case you’re new here, these devlogs are about my solo indiedev project, Resonant Blade, a 2d sci-fi action-adventure game inspired by Zelda and Hyperlight Drifter where you play as Atlas and fight off waves of Dark Synths with the sonic power of the Resonant Blade. In the last devlog, we went over a lot of new player abilities like the Spin Attack and Time Stretch ability, so if you haven’t taken a look at that yet, I really recommend checking it out. Ok, let’s get on with the updates.

JELLYFISH MECH

In this episode I’m going to be introducing some new enemies. Finally! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been sick of fighting the same enemies over and over again. To start things off, we have the Jellyfish Mech.

This enemy is first encountered in the Underwater Research Lab dungeon. The default state for this enemy is to just wander around aimlessly - like most enemies. When you aggro it, it will start moving towards you and charge up an electrical attack. After charging up, the Jellyfish will release lots of electrical shock bombs in random directions that explode and stun Atlas. It’s best to steer clear of these shock bombs. However, hitting one of these shock bombs with a matching resonance will discharge and absorb it. Hitting it with the wrong resonance will cause it to explode, stunning you for a couple of seconds. After the Jellyfish releases the shock bombs, it will be vulnerable for a few seconds. This is your chance to dash through the shock bombs and finish it off. Trying to hit the Jellyfish while it’s charging up is not going to do any damage though, so be sure to only attack while it’s not charging. Also, if you run into the Jellyfish Mech while it’s charging it will knock you back and stun you for a short time.

SLIME

Moving on to the next enemy, the Slime! This enemy can be found in sewers and some other underground areas.

This Slime has a Dark Synth AI Core that is protected by a gelatinous, slime-like outer layer. It will shoot out slime balls that explode on the ground leaving behind a slimy residue on the floor for a few seconds. Running into the slime, the slime bomb, or slime residue will disable Atlas’s scanner for a few seconds. During this period, Atlas will not be able to see or hear resonant frequencies. Essentially, you’ll be fighting blind if you run into this stuff. The Slime’s AI core will be exposed for a short duration after firing off a slime bomb. A few basic attacks will make quick work of the slime. While the slime by itself is not a difficult enemy; in combination with other enemies, it can make an easy fight more difficult if you’re not careful.

GOLEM

The next enemy is the Golem, a Stone Construct, that happens to also be powered and controlled by a Dark Synth AI Core like Slimes. Golems can mainly be found in the mountains of Aeolia.

When you come across one they will appear as inanimate rocks and boulders until you get close enough causing them to spring to life and attack. Golems have two different attacks. One is a boulder that they hold above their heads and throw at you. Getting hit by these will deal some decent damage and knock you to the ground. The second attack is a jump attack. This deals even more damage and will also knock you down. If you’re close enough to the Golem when it lands it will still knock you down but not damage you. The only way to avoid this is to Dash right as the Golem lands. Golems have a lot of health so be prepared for slightly longer fights with these guys.

After defeating a Golem, it will collapse into a pile of Resonant Stones that can be used to charge up the Resonant Blade. This is actually why I ended up making the Golem enemy in the first place. I had already created the Resonant Stone objects and just worked backwards from that. I think this feature will make some puzzle solving more interesting because you’ll be required to defeat a Golem and use its Resonant Frequency to unlock a door or progress to the next area.

ASSASSIN

Assassins are a more advanced Dark Synth AI capable of deadly stealth attacks.

They will disappear and move randomly around the player. You can still track them with the Scanner. You won’t be able to see their Resonant Frequency color, but you will be able to see the echoes they produce in the air. You’ll also still be able to hear their Resonant Frequency. The Assassins have a chance of randomly shifting their frequency after being hit, just like Swordfighters. This means that you’ll have to wait until they appear so you can figure out which Resonance to use against them, or you can listen closely and match the Resonance that way. You will also be able to hit them while they are invisible. As soon as the Assassins decloak, they will dash through Atlas, doing two quick attacks with their daggers. This deals a ton of damage, so you’ll have to be careful and dispatch these enemies quickly

I added in an audio cue right before the Assassin decloaks to let the player know they’re about to be hit and also from which side the attack’s coming from. If you attack the Assassin during that brief period, you’ll end up canceling and interrupting the Assassin’s attack altogether, knocking them out of stealth. You can also evade the attacks by dashing if you time it right. If the timing is a little off, you can still get hit by one of the two attacks.

IMPACT SFX

I updated the default impact sound effect when Atlas hits an enemy. There’s a separate one for incorrect or dissonant hits, too. Some enemies will have more unique hit sound effects, too, like the Rock Golem (more rocky and crunchy) and the Slime (more splatty). Alright, that’s it for this week. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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