NEW FEATURE: POWER-UPS

• Power-ups are a new gameplay feature that drastically changes how the game is played. From summoning a miniboss to slowing every bullet on screen, each power-up has a unique effect. We're treating these as a fun extra to play around with, or a boost to help players unlock or see everything in the game. As a result, we're making sure that when playing with power-ups set to "on" player scores are submitted to a different leaderboard. Initially we were going to turn off online scoring altogether when using power-ups, but it is kind of fun to try and figure out the best power-up build so perhaps some players will find more enjoyment in being competitive in that aspect. In total there are 18 power-ups to unlock, and more will be added later on.

MISC. BUGFIXING

• Fixed bug where Green, Blue, and Red Gunner did slightly less damage with focus shot
• Fixed bug where stages would only preload in training mode when using the back button to leave the menu and not when selecting resume
• Fixed bug where it was impossible to exit pause menu by pressing the escape key
• Fixed bug where life count would not reset in single level mode
• High score displayed in single level mode is now your personal best on that level, instead of your high score in arcade mode
• Shadow Gunner bosses now properly loop in training mode
• Some instances that didn't clear properly when restarting in training mode have been fixed

An exciting update today for score chasers. We're adding a weekly arcade leaderboard as well as Single Level Mode for those who want a more bite-sized approach to scoring.

NEW MODES AND LEADERBOARDS

• Single Level Mode has been added. Any level cleared in Arcade Mode is available in this mode. Each level has it's own leaderboards, making practicing individual stages a bit more fun and meaningful.
• Weekly Arcade leaderboard has been added. We may utilize this leaderboard for in-game rewards or special event contests in the future, but for now those who want to prove the consistency in their skill can use this leaderboard to do so.

MISC

• Updated the Medal Juggler achievement to require 5 seconds instead of 3.
• If a high score should fail to upload to Steam, there should now be an error message that pops up prompting you to resubmit. This is not the easiest thing to test, so if anyone ever runs into a score not being uploaded please let us know in the Bug/Crash Reports subforum.
• It is no longer technically unoptimal to trigger the 'Hero' achievement.

Focusing on game clarity and easing the early learning curve with this patch.

0.8.41.01 UPDATE - Fixed a bug where destroying asteroids or mines would crash the game.

NEW ACHIEVEMENTS

• FREE QUARTER: Get a game over
• MEDAL JUGGLER: Maintain an increased multiplier for 3 seconds after exiting system overload.

CHARACTER CHANGES

• Fixed bug where Violet Gunner started flashing for invincibility too quickly after their third special sword strike (which would make the third strike invisible)
• Violet Gunner's third special sword strike now clears bullets for 2 frames instead of one (this allows Violet to gain multiplier from the mines in Emerald Belt more effectively).
• Violet Gunner now gets bonus gems (~x1.25) from enemies they defeat with Shot 2.
• Fixed bug where Red Gunner's charge indicator displayed a full charge 5 frames too early.
• Added a sound effect when Red Gunner's charge shot hits a full charge.
• Changed Light Gunner's max charge sound effect.

MENU CHANGES

• Updated the stats on character select to show a 'guard' stat to better showcase character strengths and weaknesses.
• Updated pause menu to include an 'Options' submenu. Does not include all options found on the main screen, but includes the most important ones including: input type, Windowed/Fullscreen, FPS display, and master volume.
• Updated pause menu to include a Move List submenu.
• Fixed glitch where pressing the back button on pause submenus didn't return to the main pause menu.
• Fixed bug where pressing the escape key didn't pause in training mode.
• Fixed bug where entering training mode could potentially soft-lock the game.

Today's update adds training mode, character balance, and some changes to help keep the game feeling fast paced.

TRAINING MODE

• Training Mode has been added to the game!
• Modify a variety of options to practice any section giving you trouble, or to maximize your score!
• Available options to edit on the fly include: level section, section looping, invincibility toggle, auto special meter, multiplier value, bonus wave position, UFO level, current ally, game speed, and additional info display

CHARACTER BALANCE: MOVEMENT SPEEDS

Previous movement speeds (in pixels per frame)
Light Gunner: Normal (6) / Focus (2)
Blue Gunner: Normal (8) / Focus (3)
Red Gunner: Normal (7) / Focus (3)
Green Gunner: Normal (9) / Focus (2)
Violet Gunner: Normal (12) / Focus (4)

Updated movement speeds (in pixels per frame)
Light Gunner: Normal (7) / Focus (2)
Blue Gunner: Normal (8) / Focus (3)
Red Gunner: Normal (8) / Focus (2)
Green Gunner: Normal (9) / Focus (3)
Violet Gunner: Normal (10) / Focus (4)

CHARACTER BALANCE

• Shot 1 damage increased for all characters except Green Gunner by 25%, Green Gunner's is increased by 5%
• Light Gunner's missiles charge twice as fast now. DPS is roughly the same
• Light Gunner's defend reflects projectiles faster now
• Blue Gunner's shot 2 damage increased by 10%
• Violet Gunner can now hold down the shot 2 button to move at focus speed while attacking with their sword

GAME ADJUSTMENTS

• Textboxes that don't appear mid-gameplay now require a button press to move to the next dialogue box
• Added stats to the character select screen
• Removed hard mode bullets from Gamma Gunner's orange shot pattern as it caused massive lag for many players
• Adjusted the position where the Green Miners appear when assisting in Azuria
• Lord Hydra's health reduced in phase 2 and 3
• Changed Star Shooter's large red bullet to a lightning orb

BUGFIXES

• Fixed a bug where Light Gunner fired shot 1 at a faster rate than other characters
• Fixed a bug where certain bullets reflected at an incorrect angle with Light Gunner's defend
• Fixed a bug where phase 2 of King Crimson didn't properly target in two-player
• Fixed a bug where the game over music effect didn't play properly sometimes.

USABILITY/QOL

• Various tips have been added to the loading screens before stages.
• When selecting Hyperspace, the confirmation message now clarifies that it is the final stage.
• A confirmation message now appears when trying to quit the game after a game over.

BALANCE

• The Dark Minions that attack the data tower in Azuria have had their health slightly reduced (15 to 12). This is so that Light Gunner can deal exactly enough damage to defeat them with two fully charged missiles while not changing the section for the other gunners too significantly. It's still a really tough spot for Light Gunner to beat, but hopefully this makes it a bit easier.

POLISH, BUGFIXES AND OPTIMIZATION

• Drastically reduced the number of particle effects created when defeating popcorn enemies. • Particle effect updated when picking up flame-mobile parts and astral cores.
• The Dark Minions that attack the data tower now have the correct explosion animation.
• Molten Core's "slinky" bullet pattern has changed colors from orange to red, to make the fight more readable and better represent the behavior of said pattern.
• Fixed a typo on the Final Results screen that listed Crimson Peaks as Crimson Core.
• Fixed a few audio/visual glitches on some of the loading screens.