The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Mactabilis

Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We at Joystiq believe no one deserves to starve, and many indie developers are entitled to a fridge full of tasty, fulfilling media coverage, right here. This week, Bruno Beaudoin of Blazing Bit Games takes us on a spaceship ride through shmup hell — and maybe back — with Mactabilis.

What’s your game called and what’s it about?

The game is called Mactabilis and it’s a modern take on shoot ’em ups, or shmups. In it, you control a spaceship and engage hundreds of enemy ships in a 2D sidescrolling fashion. The game keeps the feel of the classics, but adds all the modern features you’ve come to expect like achievements, unlockables, online multiplayer and even RPG elements.

The main feature here is that, at all times, there are two places that you can be in: the background or the foreground. Some levels have a top-down view and in this case, you can switch between the ground and the air. Also, the game is a lot more accessible than most bullet hells and while it has features for experts, you can complete the game without too much trouble.

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