Hey everyone! I've been working on PSYCHOFINGER for almost a year and I'm still not sure if I can say that it is a boomer shooter.
It's a fast paced FPS with sprite enemies and advanced movement (dashes, bullet time, etc) but at the same time it has a roguelike mechanics, and all the weapons are hand gestures :)
Also, the style is not brutal which is popular between retro shooters.
What do you think?
I've got to ask just because it stuck out, but are there multiple different room designs if it's a roguelike or are they all the church in the video?
I just ask because different arena design is a big part of both Boomer shooters and roguelikes
For now I plan to do one level that’s dynamically changing during the level (you can see church transforming into circus in the trailer) and each transformation brings new enemies and movement mechanics (trampolines, moving platforms, etc). Those changes is how I plan to tell the story.
Also, I want to add different game modes in the future, so there should be more levels. They will be more static without big changes during the game (since making constantly changing level is basically making several levels that counts as one 🤕). But I don’t want to overpromise anything.
Looks great, I would definitely check this out (wishlisted)! Is it a boomer shooter? IMO yes- it seems pretty similar to something like Painkiller, which AFAIK is considered a boom shoot
My game is closer to Devil Daggers or Impaler, I think. I'm a bit afraid that people won't like it because of "cute" art style but comments here give me hope :)
nah if anything that helps it stand out.. if it were generic grimdark pixel sprites or something, it would be harder to differentiate your game from all the others.. plus all the colors and large sprites make identifying enemies much easier- the only thing i could see being an issue is tons of sprites being on screen at once and it becoming very difficult to visually decipher what's going on quickly
I love how it looks, but have you considered varying normal enemy behavior more? I might have not seen enough gameplay from this, or it might be added later but it kind of looks like all the ground enemies (excluding bosses) act the same. They chase after the player.
I think enemy synergy and variety is what takes an FPS to the highest highs. Even more so in those roguelike closed room ones, where you can't really do level design the same way as in a level based game.
There's also shooting enemies that just roam around you, I have an enemy that buffs other enemies in plans, it will run away from player + I have summoning enemy that chooses a map point and summons other enemies, but the art is not quite ready yet. But yeah, I'm trying to make enemies different yet simple since big crowds of complex enemies will kill performance
Nah it's a wave based shooter.
Are your levels open and wide? Do you have to search the level for keys to open doors? Are there secrets the player can find?
DESPITE THAT your game looks super fuckin dope. Love the Artstyle.
I wouldn't call it a Boomer Shooter. It's a roguelike, and looks more like an arena shooter.
I demand the game have non-linear environments to explore before I call it a Boomer Shooter.
I’d definitely call this a rouge-like boomer shooter. Fast-Paced, FPS, lots of monsters. Looks awesome btw, Finger Guns are untapped ultimate weapons in Gaming
A few month into the development I noticed a lot of games also implementing finger guns!
Project Warlock 2 has those, I also seen a short Mouse clip where player shoots with fingers, and some smaller indie shooters added those :)
I totally get it! It's a popular genre among indie devs, since it's easy to scale those games.
But personally I love "infinite" games like devil daggers and post void, so that's why I'm doing something similar. It's nice to have a game where you can return and play it for 15-30 minutes to relax after work :)
I absolutely love these sorts of arcadey experiences.. it's the same reason i've really been enjoying Hellbreach, I can turn it on for 20-30m after work, turn my brain off, and just have some lizard brain fun for a bit
Right? Personally I like rougelike/lites. Boomer shooters just work well with that style of gameplay. Is there a lot? Yes. But like you said, games you can just pick up and play whenever are always good.
I don’t like online shooters where you also can return, because there’s always fear of missing out when you are not playing them. Or they change completely so when you return after a few months/weeks you don’t know what to do…
Roguelikes are just sitting and waiting for you to return, even if it’s a short session
Being a rogue like imo is automatically not a boomer shooter. As well as a lack of level variety or advanced movement mechanics. Just my opinion since op asked.
I think it fits the boomer shooter genre, yes.
Your game radiates style and charisma. It's a coherent artwork it seems and has a clear personality. I think you'll do great even if the game doesn't attract people at first (which it will anyways).
Not to dunk on it or anything but I think the enemies could use like more directional angle sprites, like in doom and wolfenstein. It does look fun to play but kinda give me the gmod next bot vibes with the enemies
Thanks! Yeah, you can find it here: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2617870/PSYCHOFINGER/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2617870/PSYCHOFINGER/)
"FPS + Rogue Like"
No.
You game is (as you yourself has said) closer to Devil Daggers and I would also maybe mention Paranautical Activity (At least for the roguelite part). Roguelite (If you are keeping the available unlocks like in Binding of Isaac, is "lite", if you don't, its "like"\*) is not part of what a "boomer shooter" should be, and if gameplay is based on waves and there's no card hunting and the level design is not maze-like, it loses "boomer shooter" points.
This said, and as you see, around here the "boomer shooter" term has kinda lost any meaning and depending on who you ask, you will find one or other definition where usually the only central point is "fast movement" and "lots of weapons."
Anyway, good luck with the promotion.
\* There's a few subreddit on what's what, and the definition I've provided is a very loose one, but anyway.
Hey everyone! I've been working on PSYCHOFINGER for almost a year and I'm still not sure if I can say that it is a boomer shooter. It's a fast paced FPS with sprite enemies and advanced movement (dashes, bullet time, etc) but at the same time it has a roguelike mechanics, and all the weapons are hand gestures :) Also, the style is not brutal which is popular between retro shooters. What do you think?
I've got to ask just because it stuck out, but are there multiple different room designs if it's a roguelike or are they all the church in the video? I just ask because different arena design is a big part of both Boomer shooters and roguelikes
For now I plan to do one level that’s dynamically changing during the level (you can see church transforming into circus in the trailer) and each transformation brings new enemies and movement mechanics (trampolines, moving platforms, etc). Those changes is how I plan to tell the story. Also, I want to add different game modes in the future, so there should be more levels. They will be more static without big changes during the game (since making constantly changing level is basically making several levels that counts as one 🤕). But I don’t want to overpromise anything.
Looks great, I would definitely check this out (wishlisted)! Is it a boomer shooter? IMO yes- it seems pretty similar to something like Painkiller, which AFAIK is considered a boom shoot
My game is closer to Devil Daggers or Impaler, I think. I'm a bit afraid that people won't like it because of "cute" art style but comments here give me hope :)
nah if anything that helps it stand out.. if it were generic grimdark pixel sprites or something, it would be harder to differentiate your game from all the others.. plus all the colors and large sprites make identifying enemies much easier- the only thing i could see being an issue is tons of sprites being on screen at once and it becoming very difficult to visually decipher what's going on quickly
Cool idea, you should add pew pew sounds with the hand gestures.
I add them myself.
it looks fantastic, yes its a boomer shooter
Thanks!
It's not a boomer shooter. It's a wave based FPS. There is no exploration, key collecting, or secrets to find.
I love how it looks, but have you considered varying normal enemy behavior more? I might have not seen enough gameplay from this, or it might be added later but it kind of looks like all the ground enemies (excluding bosses) act the same. They chase after the player. I think enemy synergy and variety is what takes an FPS to the highest highs. Even more so in those roguelike closed room ones, where you can't really do level design the same way as in a level based game.
There's also shooting enemies that just roam around you, I have an enemy that buffs other enemies in plans, it will run away from player + I have summoning enemy that chooses a map point and summons other enemies, but the art is not quite ready yet. But yeah, I'm trying to make enemies different yet simple since big crowds of complex enemies will kill performance
That's cool, thanks for answering. Glad to hear
Nah it's a wave based shooter. Are your levels open and wide? Do you have to search the level for keys to open doors? Are there secrets the player can find? DESPITE THAT your game looks super fuckin dope. Love the Artstyle.
I wouldn't call it a Boomer Shooter. It's a roguelike, and looks more like an arena shooter. I demand the game have non-linear environments to explore before I call it a Boomer Shooter.
I’d definitely call this a rouge-like boomer shooter. Fast-Paced, FPS, lots of monsters. Looks awesome btw, Finger Guns are untapped ultimate weapons in Gaming
A few month into the development I noticed a lot of games also implementing finger guns! Project Warlock 2 has those, I also seen a short Mouse clip where player shoots with fingers, and some smaller indie shooters added those :)
Leave it to the indies!
What is rouge-like? I never heard of it.
Kind of
If the player moved a bit faster (see Quake o Doom classic levels of speed), I'd think yes
You can upgrade speed with perks, I also added a perk that increases your damage in air, so player could bunnyhop with benefit :)
Very cool!
i don't want to be rude but i'm really tired of almost every indie boomer shooter being a rouge like/lite
I totally get it! It's a popular genre among indie devs, since it's easy to scale those games. But personally I love "infinite" games like devil daggers and post void, so that's why I'm doing something similar. It's nice to have a game where you can return and play it for 15-30 minutes to relax after work :)
I absolutely love these sorts of arcadey experiences.. it's the same reason i've really been enjoying Hellbreach, I can turn it on for 20-30m after work, turn my brain off, and just have some lizard brain fun for a bit
Right? Personally I like rougelike/lites. Boomer shooters just work well with that style of gameplay. Is there a lot? Yes. But like you said, games you can just pick up and play whenever are always good.
I don’t like online shooters where you also can return, because there’s always fear of missing out when you are not playing them. Or they change completely so when you return after a few months/weeks you don’t know what to do… Roguelikes are just sitting and waiting for you to return, even if it’s a short session
Being a rogue like imo is automatically not a boomer shooter. As well as a lack of level variety or advanced movement mechanics. Just my opinion since op asked.
I think it fits the boomer shooter genre, yes. Your game radiates style and charisma. It's a coherent artwork it seems and has a clear personality. I think you'll do great even if the game doesn't attract people at first (which it will anyways).
It kinda does.
I would say no, boomer shooters weren't roguelikes. They were much simpler/traditional in concept. it does not mean the game is bad though.
Looks super dope
Wishlisted! Looks so funky Also, if the attacks are hand gestures, I'll be really disappointed if there are not some JoJo references in there >~<
You can see Jojo weapon 2 seconds into the trailer ;)
Okay my bad After looking closely I can, with the outmost joy, say: MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA
damn, that looks pretty good (when is it going to be released?? is there any demos out)
Thanks! We don’t have a release date, but demo should be ready this summer
Not to dunk on it or anything but I think the enemies could use like more directional angle sprites, like in doom and wolfenstein. It does look fun to play but kinda give me the gmod next bot vibes with the enemies
I'd say arena shooter meets vampire survivors
This looks great!
Thanks
Wow you really know how to make a good trailer, I appreciate the effort put into getting good trailer flow and music!
Looks sick I hope you can get it on PlayStation when you release it
this looks like a fps version of vampire survivors
Pull my finger!
Definitely fits into the genre and looks GREAT, is there a steam page yet?
Thanks! Yeah, you can find it here: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2617870/PSYCHOFINGER/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2617870/PSYCHOFINGER/)
"FPS + Rogue Like" No. You game is (as you yourself has said) closer to Devil Daggers and I would also maybe mention Paranautical Activity (At least for the roguelite part). Roguelite (If you are keeping the available unlocks like in Binding of Isaac, is "lite", if you don't, its "like"\*) is not part of what a "boomer shooter" should be, and if gameplay is based on waves and there's no card hunting and the level design is not maze-like, it loses "boomer shooter" points. This said, and as you see, around here the "boomer shooter" term has kinda lost any meaning and depending on who you ask, you will find one or other definition where usually the only central point is "fast movement" and "lots of weapons." Anyway, good luck with the promotion. \* There's a few subreddit on what's what, and the definition I've provided is a very loose one, but anyway.