Hailscorn: Fire from the Skies

Concept Statement:

In ‘Hailscorn: Fire from the Skies’ become the pilot of an advanced warfighting aircraft and face off against waves of enemy forces invading your nation sent by the dastardly Generalisimo Cortoza. Upgrade your airframe by unlocking new weapons and shield modifiers to better combat your foes in a top-down scrolling shooter harkening back to arcade and DoS classics from the 80’s and 90’s such as 1943 and Raptor: Call of the Shadows.

Genre: Top-down scrolling Shoot-em-up.

This genre is typified by the player controlling a single object (spaceship, plane, car, etc.) on a scrolling level with movement limited to within the field of view of the camera. The player must shoot either static enemies placed on the scrolling map or dynamic moving enemies spawned from the edges of the map while dodging or otherwise mitigating incoming enemy shots.

Concept Creation Process:

The main drive behind the concept of this game is to indulge in the fantasy of being an ace pilot in a war to defend their homeland from the invasion of an evil oppressive military power. The genre of game, being that of a top-down shoot-em-up, was a popular genre through the 80’s and 90’s and one which I am also a fan. The aim of this project is to emulate the gameplay and feel of games of the genre from that period and is heavily influenced by titles such as ‘1943: the Battle of Midway’[1] and ‘Raptor: Call of the Shadows’[2].

Audience and Competitive Analysis:

The primary target audience for this game is that of the generation of gamers who grew up playing similar games of this genre during the 80’s and 90’s and aims to provide a nostalgic gameplay experience. With retro games making a comeback in recent years[3]  this opens up a market for new games in a retro style that can invoke that nostalgic feel.

Game Treatment:

You are one of the few remaining pilots capable of defending your nation against the invading forces of Genaralisimo Cortoza, the corrupt military dictator who has sent his army to invade your homeland. Flying a one-of-a-kind prototype combat aircraft, you must battle your way through waves of enemies in order to reach the Generalisimo’s command bunker and destroy it. Arrayed against you will be a variety of enemies on ground, air and sea which will increase in ferocity as you near your target. Upgrade your airframe by raiding enemy supply depots and purchasing new equipment between missions to improve your chances of success.

Key Features:

• Player progression through persistence between levels.
• Upgrade your craft by improving weapons and shield modifiers.
  • Shield modifiers can absorb damage or reflect projectiles on activation.
  • Activating shield costs additional shield energy.
  • Switch between available weapons on the fly.
• Separate Hull and shield health.
  • Hull can only be repaired between missions.
  • Shield regenerates over time in mission.
  • Shield modifiers change the rate at which shield are depleted/recharged.
• Boss enemies at the end of each level.
• Some weapons have limited ammunition.
• Difficulty Settings
  • Enemy damage scales with difficulty
  • Higher boss health
• Multiple controller support
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
  • Controller

Style and Concept Art:

The general aesthetic of the game will be that of a near future warzone set on a fictionalized representation of earth. The environments will be constructed using tile maps for the background terrain and the key features (buildings, static enemies etc.) will be rendered as 2D sprites.

The following images are examples taken from other games in the genre and intended art assets and concepts which represent the overall aesthetic of the game:

Still image from a scene in Raptor: Call of the Shadows providing an example of combat in the genre.[4]

A scene from the game 1943: The Battle of Midway[5]

Intended player sprites.

Art assets intended for use in the level design.

[1] https://online.oldgames.sk/play/arcade/1943-the-battle-of-midway/10027

[2] https://www.retrogames.cz/play_603-DOS.php?language=EN

[3] https://www.modernmississauga.com/main/2023/6/23/why-retro-gaming-is-making-a-comeback#:~:text=In%20the%20world%20of%20video,again%20resonating%20with%20gamers%20worldwide

[4]https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/336060/ss_3ebffefbc3154b21bdd30296b786b503df40c546.116x65.jpg?t=1653073341

[5] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/ARC_1943_-_The_Battle_of_Midway_Mark_II_%281943_Kai_-_Midway_Kaisen%29.png