Heya, wltr3565 here. One of the things one would ask when taking a look at a new shmup is how the scoring works and how will it affect survival. This devlog will explain Hell Blasters’ direction in terms of that aspect.
To explain the new readers due to the nature of how Hell Blasters was announced, being announced when it was as complete as possible near release, these devlogs are more like footnotes than progress updates, if anything. Think of it as a preview to headstart your preparation before tackling Hell Blasters!
Arcade Structure
There is no secret that of all genres today shmups tend to stick with the arcade formula the most. While Hell Blasters’ arcade mode is no exception, the difficulty is more in tune with console-exclusive shmups.
The main difference between arcade shmups (and the ports) and console-exclusive shmups mainly don’t lie in the stage design. Rather, it’s mainly on the resource availability. Arcade shmups tend to be stingy with it. You need the skill to gain the limited 2 score extends. Meanwhile console-exclusive shmups, notably Compile’s and Naxat Soft’s, their games give out extends very early and abundantly. Stage design-wise the difficulty of arcade and console shmups are not that far off. Hell Blasters is on the latter category.
Scoring to Survive, Survive to Score
The key of scoring in Hell Blasters is the Chain counter. The number directly correlates with the score gained. The higher the chain, the bigger the score gained. Combo / chaining systems for scoring like this is said to be intimidating to newcomers, but unlike the early adopters, in this game the chain count is designed to be very easy to maintain. A single damage dealt to a foe is enough to refill the Chain gauge. The Chain number will increase when you beat an enemy or destroy enemy bullets with the special shot.
At max you can only store up to 5 HP (Life), which is considerably more limited compared to the other console-exclusive shmups, but this will trigger the MAXIMUM state. At this state all score gained will be doubled! If you’re aiming for a high score make sure to keep your HP intact!
That’s all for now. Stay tuned on next Wednesday for the next devlog!
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