Retro Space Ball

...When a pixel art vertical shooter meets pinball!!! 
Navigate an energized orb to the top using powerups!
Fight massive bosses and get the highest score!
Go head to head against the AI
or a couch opponent in VS Mode!
Check out this FREE beta demo!
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(please, please, please) Wishlist on Steam!
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Join the newsletter! 
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I must say... THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR TIPPING! 
Please comment a small review and rate the game here on Itch!
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There are tons of ways that you can help the project!
Wish-listing and telling your friends helps just as much! 

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Join the Discord server to chat it up! Become a tester!
Follow me on Twitter!
Watch the game being developed on Twitch!
Check out previous devlogs on Youtube!
Check out my art and follow me on Instagram!
Wishlist on Steam!
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Beta 1.7.2 IS HERE!!!

Fixed top player missing in VS AI mode
Added spring joints to debris field in explore mode
Changes to enemy station turret fire rate
Enemy station turrets now have animation
Increased homing missile angle change rate
Changes to perimeter enemy's speed and fire rate
Fixed wide fast bullets stopping at orb obstacles
Removed accidental static starfield in explore mode 
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Beta 1.7.1 IS HERE!!!

Fixed issue where game data was not being saved!
Thank you Kixie, for finding this one! 😃
Explore Mode enemies have teleport animation!
Boost is available in Explore Mode!
Fixed Player 2 having a different fire button!
Fixed "sandfall" collider issues!

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Beta 1.7.0 IS HERE!!!

Fixed kills not showing on Scoreboard for some levels
Fixed issues choosing explore from space station
Fixed issue with not being able to teleport while exploring
Fixed issues with choosing “back” from zone menu
Fixed issues with navigation to planet 4
Added warning UI for danger zones
Updated tutorials in vertical levels
Player no longer teleports in on the first frame
Fixed bullets going through some large asteroids
Player collider is smaller allowing for rotation in tight spaces
Crashing in to the sun kills player
Getting too close to the sun has fire particles
Fixed bug that locks player movement in explore mode
Fixed death particles rotating 
Fixed sand SFX being too loud
Fixed large asteroid graphic details being misaligned
Fixed thrust particles acting funny with arrow keys
Fixed arrow on surface menu being off
Enemy generators in explore mode
Perimeter enemies now move
Perimeter enemies now fire missiles randomly

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Beta 1.6.9 IS HERE!!!

Frame rate is capped at 60 fps
Turret boss shots hurt ball now
Fixed goal moving different speeds for different systems
Sand levels 1 + 2 use new physics
Introducing sand level 3
New sand worm enemy with sfx
Fixed next zone button not working in bonus rounds
Low ball health warns player (fixed)
Break bricks have SFX (fixed)
Fixed enemy generator hatch physics layer issue
Fixed player flying up through goal sometimes
Kills are accounted for in scoreboard (fixed)
Hold to skip cutscene (fixed)
Added story mode data menu
Level unlock now unlocks planets
Added star to star system 1
Fixed scrolling at different speeds for different systems
Added highlighted corona at space station for easy return
Death sound effect only triggers once
Added SFX for hitting walls and obstacles with orb
Added planets 3 and 4
Added end goal SFX
Planet 2 enemies are easier to find
Planet menu now makes more sense
Added zone menu to planet menu
Teleporting back to space station removes velocity from player
Changed submit button from B to A
Fixed d-pad allowing rotation while in space station menu
Fixed player and orb SFX not adjusting to volume setting

Developer note:
Still working on fixing the physics and character select for vs mode..
Thank you for your patience!

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Beta 1.6.8 IS HERE!!!
MASSIVE UPDATE!!

Physics code revamped and graphics adjusted for first 12 levels
Ball physics are less floaty
Changed how ball looks when shot
Ball sprite is now animated 
Player moves faster
Sidewalls send ball in the other direction slightly
New sprite anim for squidge enemy
New particles for squidge enemy
Trail renderer for enemy shots
Trail renderer for player boost
Trail renderer for ball
Impact powerup is more noticeable
3 new levels (in beta menu)
Fire button is now South face button on gamepads
Boost button is now East face button on gamepads
SFX for player shot
New BGM track
Mech Enemy
Marble Enemy
Wall Laser mechanic
Tube mechanic
Spinner wall mechanic
Changed how level end animation works
Gravity pickup now provides 3 uses
Changed end to lev 1
Changed end to lev 12
Added parallax backgrounds to first 12 levels

Please note:
Tutorials temporarily removed
Bonus stages, old beta levels, and vs mode still use old physics temporarily
Vs mode character select is not working temporarily
Demo Mode is not working temporarily
Scoreboard “Kills” ui is not accurate temporarily

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Beta 1.6.7 IS HERE!!!

Mineral/Gas Container UI are back on
Fixed end demo UI highlight 
Player bullets explode when hitting Green level boss
lev 12 boss now checks if mouth is closed 
now more of level 12 boss is visible 
fixed lev 2 tutorial animation
fixed pause menu showing zone 5 in during bonus zone 6
Changed enemy1 bullet
teleporting while in planet corona turned off
Enemy1 bullets explode when the hit the wall
Boost dash is more effective on enemies
Fixed win menu not fitting on certain screens
Teleport player menu is explained
Fixed some bugs with pinball in explore mode
Removed exploder enemies for now
Fixed missing UI at planet 1 in explore mode
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Beta 1.6.6 IS HERE!!!
Planet 2 is now discoverable to play zones 6-12 in story mode
Fixed zone 12 boss firing too many bullets with full health
Fixed Some UI issues (across the game)
Temporarily removed galaxy map to ease confusion
Prevent player from pausing during win animation
Fixed issue in solar system map causing it to lock up
Fixed issue where ball was knocking player off of the screen
Fixed zone 6 and 10 not working in demo mode
Gravity circle power up can be picked up by ball or player
Added more enemies to zone 8
fixed zone 6 and 7 player sprite remaining after death
Fixed vs mode UI issue where highlight would stay on
Fixed safe wall under zone 10 boss not turning on
Fixed lighting sprites sorting on top of pickup sprites
Fixed clear data button removing highlight in options menu
Fixed some sprite issues with large asteroids in explore  mode
Space station waits until the player is active to show UI
Added downforce to problematic walls near zone 12 boss' arms.
Added more bumpers to zone 10 level end
Fixed space station menu from changing when not at the menu
Time now stops when the teleport menu opens
Polished end of cutscene 1 and get ready UI
Fixed issue where player cant shoot in explore mode
Fixed issues with pinball in explore mode

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Beta 1.6.5 IS HERE!!!
Fixed soft-locking bug, when restarting before unlocking lev 1!
Lots of decoupled scripts, speeding up dev time in the long run!
Small changes to explore mode!

Thank you @skillznkayplay for finding the bug!

Check out the awesome video they made!
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IN THE WORKS:
The physics are being overhauled!
more fresh game music!
more Vs mode Levels!
more narrative direction!
 Expect many more updates!
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Now you can find out when the game gets released via newsletter! 
Join our friendly discord  community!
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ALL FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!
Thank you, not only for your patience, but also for all the help I've received from players and the indie game dev community! 
THANKS SO MUCH FOR PLAYING!! :) :) :)
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Retro Space Ball  is currently in OPEN BETA. 
This means that it is not a finished product and that it's subject to change. 
Games can take a long time to make.
Thank you for your patience! :)
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CONTROLS:
(W) or (Up Arrow) : Fire (hold for continuous)
(A) or (Left Arrow)  : Move Ship Left 
(D) or (Right Arrow) : Move Ship Right 
Boost - (spacebar or gamepad button) 
Boosting will temporarily shield the player's ship, increase horizontal movement , and increase the fire rate for the player, but boosting can cause the ship to overheat, and it will need to cool down if so.
Esc key to pause & access options (back button (right bottom button) on android)
Gamepad controls may depend on your controller type. On a Playstation controller the left analog controls movement, (X) button shoots and hold (O) button while moving to boost. Start button pauses. Testing on Xbox controllers soon!
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GAME INSTRUCTIONS:
Get the orb to the top!
The player has a cyan shield that can be taken by enemies and their shots. 
The orb has an energy level that is depleted by enemy shots and increased by player shots. If the orb runs out of energy, it dies, and so does the player. (a blinking red-orange orb has low energy, a blue orb has high energy)
If the orb falls to the bottom of the level, the player will die.
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POWER UPS:
magenta =spread shot (15 seconds)
green = bullets get faster (15 seconds)
yellow = larger bullets (15 seconds)
orange = impact on ball increases (15 seconds)
red = fire rate increase (15 seconds)
blue = shield +1 
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The first 7 levels have hidden bonus rounds attached! 
Find the hidden gold medal in those levels to unlock the bonus round!
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I recently changed the itch page from discussion board to comments!
Please comment your feedback below! 😃