Untitled arcade cover-shooter

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The formula:

  • 1 part Capcom beat-em-up
  • 1 part cover-based shooter
  • 1 part TV cop show

What do you get? This game, probably!

The play concept

Taking place from an oblique projection, this left-to-right belt-scroller at first resembles a Capcom beat-em-up like Final Fight or The Punisher, with the twist being that your character is always equipped with a gun of some sort. Melee attacks are certainly possible, but are riskier, since enemies also tend to be equipped with guns. The usual ever-present crates, nooks, and low walls are present, which you may use as cover by simply pushing the joystick into them. "Aiming" weapons requires nothing more than being aligned with the target. Your bullets travel quickly, while enemy bullets are bright red and travel slowly (a la Time Crisis).

Setting

Styled after a television crime show, our setting most resembles the typical beat-em-up city. Lots of alleyways, crowded shopping arcades with neon signs, the obligatory park and construction zone levels, culminating in a shootout in a penthouse tower.

Cast of Characters

Note: Names are for illustrative purposes only and subject to change.

Officer Miho

  • Most resembles a friendly Japanese police woman, or Edie from Elevator Action Returns in a uniform. Miho is a very idealistic police officer; when she got into law enforcement, she did it because she wanted to better her community by way of befriending the people of the city. While she passed every athletic and firearms exam at the academy, she hasn't had a lot of time to become jaded, and is a bit naive, but when it comes down to it, she can certainly shoot down some violent gangsters if she has to. She'll just insist on giving them all verbal warnings first.
    • She's the speedster, sporting a high-capacity, high-speed handgun that does comparatively little damage.

Harry Trigger

Trigger.png

  • Most resembles Mel Gibson's character from Lethal Weapon with elements of Dirty Harry. Trigger has a storied history on the force - most reports involve a blatant disregard for procedure, but an undeniable effect on results. If a local gang hears Trigger is on the case, they're likely to just run...which often doesn't stop him from squeezing off a few shots at them in the process.
    • Gameplay-wise, Trigger is something of a glass cannon - he can't take a lot of abuse, since he's older than most of the cast, but his Magnum deals high damage and tends to overpenetrate, enabling him to damage more than one enemy at a time with a single shot, but he does need to reload frequently.

Det. Lt. Falk

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  • Most resembles Columbo with an afro. Always disliked guns, for how noisy they are, and has a habit of paying other officers to take his firearms certification for him, but still has a natural talent for shooting even though he rarely carries his sidearm. He's a bit unconventional in how he handles things, much to his captain's distaste, but the crooks don't expect half the stuff he pulls, either.
    • As a slow and fragile character, Falk would be difficult to play under most circumstances, but he is the only character that will blind-fire from cover instead of peeking around it. This makes him effectively invulnerable while shooting from cover, but on the other hand, also makes him the only character whose bullets do not fly perfectly straight. His gun, an old-fashioned Colt .38, only gets five shots between loads, but is quick to both load and fire.

Shaft!

  • Most resembles a typical Blaxploitation hero like Shaft, or Snoop Dogg's character in the Starsky and Hutch movie. Sporting a leisure suit, flares, and a wide-brimmed hat, nobody would expect this guy to be a policeman, and that's where they're often wrong. Beneath the baggy suit jacket lies a pair of nickel-plated punishers, ready to let loose the second anything goes wrong.
    • Shaft's play style favors dodging and rapid fire. While he can stick to cover, he does not simply lean around the corner and fire, but will do evasive dives and rolls to exit cover while spraying downrange with his two guns. This means he takes a while longer to reload, and you must learn how his dives work, but highly technical players may favor him. He is one of only two characters who can shoot while moving.

Sgt. Moderne

  • Most resembles a cross between Sam Worthington and Keanu Reeves. Moderne has a lot of experience assisting SWAT and the FBI in busts, and uses a special shooting technique called Center Axis Relock (a la John Wick). Moderne doesn't do flashy dives and rolls, and doesn't just plant both feet on the ground when shooting. His procedure: always be pushing forward.
    • The Center Axis Relock techniques used by Moderne mean that he gains extra power and speed to his weapon as long as he is moving forward. While he can stick to cover to avoid fire, this reduces the power of his shots and increases the length of time it takes to reload. His reloads come twice as fast if he is currently moving.

Officer Bundy

Bundy.png

  • Most resembles Ed O'Neill. A big ol' fridge of a man, it is unclear how this officer passed the athletic exams at the academy, but he can certainly take a punch and seemingly not feel it. He's not the most mobile person in the world (all that body mass, you see), but this also means he's less likely to flinch in the face of danger.
    • Fits into the role of the Tank. Bundy can take much more punishment than any of the other characters, not just in raw health, but being able to absorb a bullet or two without recoiling in pain. He also carries a shotgun by default, which is the slowest weapon to both fire and reload, and requires him to stand still and exposed for a brief moment before it fires, but is much more forgiving as far as aim. Bundy is also the only officer that can throw enemies at melee range.