MCA3

Concept

The theme of this game is that there is an exorcist who enters the spirit realm with the goal of banishing as many demons as possible, so they cannot manifest themselves in the physical world. He wields a holy cross to carry out his righteous task, which can shoot prayer beams that banish the evil spirits (which appear as skeleton ghosts) upon contact.

Goal and Description

The player’s goal is to banish 15 demons in each level. They do so by shooting their prayer beam at these enemies, and if it successfully hits the enemy, they will be banished. At the same time, the player has to avoid contact with these demons, who will be chasing after the player, since they damage the player on contact. The player can only take a certain amount of damage before dying.

Core Mechanics

The mechanics include a score (number of exorcisms performed), which goes up by one for each demon banished. When the score reaches 20, the player wins the level. When demons are banished, they drop a random health vial, which stays in the level for 5 seconds. If the player picks up the health vial before it goes away, they will be healed a certain amount of HP, depending on the color of the vial. Green vials are 5hp, pink vials are 10hp, and yellow vials are 15hp. Enemy demons chase after the player at a constant speed, and deal damage upon contact. There is a damage cooldown so while an enemy is in contact with the player, they can only take damage every 0.5 seconds. The player can also interact with props around the game world by shooting them, which pushes them backwards.  When the player shoots a prop, they throw a rock instead of shooting a prayer beam.

Controls and UI

The player can move via WASD or arrow keys, and jump with the space button. The player can also move the camera by moving the mouse, and shoot their projectile in front of them by clicking the left mouse button. The UI includes a health bar in the bottom left corner, which depletes as the player takes damage, and there is a heart next to it to indicate player health. In the bottom right corner there is the score, displayed in text as the number of exorcisms performed.

Levels

The first level is a simple intro to give the player a feel for the controls and mechanics of the game. It is an open platform with fences around the edges and a few props strewn about. The player spawns in one corner and enemies will spawn just about anywhere on the platform (or above it) besides that corner.

The second level is more difficult because it is a long, thin strip, so there is less room to move around. Additionally, there are more obstacles, including both props and walls which must be crossed by jumping.

The third and final level is the most difficult because it contains a stronger type of demon, which is bigger, faster, and pink. It also deals 40 damage instead of 20. This level is more open than the previous level, but has more obstructions. It is essential that the player keeps moving, looking around them at all angles for approaching enemies, and makes an effort to collect health vials.