Controls

• ◀▲▼▶: Move
• Hold X: Fire main weapon (spreadshot)
• Hold Z/C: Charge secondary weapon (bomb) / focus mode.
• Enter: Pause/menu

About

Praxis Fighter X is a fast-paced single stage retro shoot-em-up for the PICO-8 fantasy console. Dodge bullets and fight off the militarized police force defending a corporate toxic sludge pipeline.

Inspired by old-school shmups/STGs, the game focuses on reflex-based action and satisfying destruction while including some modern comforts like a smaller player hitbox and a focus mode.

It's on the difficult side but with dedication and the power of 3 Continues you will persevere.

Scoring

Build your scoring multiplier and keep your combo meter up by taking out enemies and ground targets. Dealing damage also helps sustain your combo meter — once it runs out, your multiplier will begin falling.

Tip 1: Your combo meter depletes more slowly while charging your bomb weapon.

Tip 2: If your bomb collides with an enemy mid-air, you get your shot back with a shorter delay

Tip 3: Collecting a powerup you already have or a 1UP when at 3 lives will give you points instead of the usual

effect. Your current multiplier applies here too.

Tip 4: Your multiplier also applies during boss fights. Try to take out all the boss's destructible parts while continously dealing damage for maximum points.

Credits

Praxis Fighter X was created by Eric Billingsley.

Thanks to Krystian Majewski of Lazy Devs Academy for creating the Advanced Shmup Tutorial which inspired me to work on the game. Though I didn't use the solutions from the tutorial exactly, watching the videos was really helpful in understanding what makes shmups tick and what challenges I would need to plan for. Boghog's Shmup Workshop series was also really helpful.

Thanks to Otto, LokiStriker, Louie Chapman, Catto, Glimm, Trog, TheGacko, Jonah Davidson, and Jeep Barnett for playtesting and feedback.

Thanks to Aktane for feedback on my initially terrible bullet visibility and Heracleum for help with turret rendering tech.

And thanks Maria for your encouragement and for being there for me all along the way.

Update 2022/2/12

• Improved outline rendering for aimed bullets (should improve visibility)
• Added a pause menu option to disable shadows, as some players found them visually distracting/confusing
• Added a new background tile featuring green sludge leaking over a riverbank