Controls

The arrow keys move each character up down, left and right.

Z is used to switch between characters.

X to shoot a magic beam.

CTRL+R to reset the cartridge.

Rules

You control three characters standing in front of the gate of the Castle.

The enemy army marches toward the right - if a soldier reaches the steps, it's Game Over!

Player Characters

There are three characters on screen you control:

• The Warrior, who shoots at a low distance;
• The Wizard, who shoots at a medium distance;
• The Archer, who shoots at a maximum distance.

Each character must hit their corresponding unit to eliminate them (except for the Red Goblin, which can be eliminated by any of them.)

Walking into an enemy or letting an enemy walk into a character will eliminate them, but will incapacitate that character for a few seconds.

Character Switching

To control the next character, you press the Z button. The switching order is always the same - Warrior, Wizard, Archer. Try and remember it for the most ectic moments of the game!

An arrow above the character will remind you which one you are currently controlling.

Enemies

Enemies will walk from the left to the right, advancing by following their step rhythm. 

Destroying Enemies

Each eliminated enemy will advance their step pattern, increasing their walk and spawn speed. They will keep getting faster and faster with each elimination.

Barrier Magic

Behind the player characters a magic symbol will appear.

Making a character step on it will activate a giant wave that will clear the screen of enemies. This will also slow down their total speed, giving you some more breathing room.

Each time you use Barrier Magic, the symbol will take longer and longer to re-appear.

Game End

The game ends when an enemy manages to reach the steps of the Castle, and the castle is then invaded.

Your score will be shown in the end screen!

Behind The Scenes

I feel like I'm really getting into the pacing with Pico8 games.

And I hadn't worked on a tile-based game in a long while, so it really was a fun exercise to get back into this!

Credits

Game made in Pico8

Design and Programming by KaaSnake

Music and SFX by KaaSnake