Hello agent,
As many of you know who are familiar with R for Revenge, timing and movement are crucial skills in these top-down action games. I wanted to add an ability that plays with expectations and creates opportunities to outwit enemies. The new skill I've been prototyping allows the player character to temporarily duplicate themselves, spawning a clone. ✖️
Here's how it works - with a tap of the button, your character will split into two identical copies for a few seconds. The clone will instantly run forward making enemies that spot it will try to engage, taking valuable time to realize it's not the real player. This distraction can be used to flank opponents, draw fire away from yourself, or slip past unseen. It really encourages players to engage in taking risks and thinking one step ahead of your confrontations. ☣️
Balancing the clone has been tricky. It needs to be convincing enough to bait enemies but not too durable that it becomes overpowered. Right now the clone only lasts for 3-5 seconds before dissipating. I'm playing around with how much health/defense it should have if attacked as well. Right now the clone is purely a distraction, baiting enemies but not posing any actual threat. But what if later in the game, the player could upgrade their skills to allow the clone to fire their currently equipped weapon? 💪
Let me know what you think of this addition! As always, feedback is highly appreciated as I work to refine mechanics and balance for the full release. I'm really excited about how this duplicate ability could add another layer of strategy to the mayhem. Stay tuned for more dev logs detailing other innovations in "R for Revenge"! ❣️