Amoeba Shmup
Singularis is a sort of shmup for amoebas. You play Proto, a protozoan with the unlikely ambition of becoming the most powerful being in the universe. Initially, you can do nothing more than move (which, in the default control scheme, you do by choosing direction with the mouse and pressing the Up arrow to move forward, or the Back arrow to move back). Later on, you gain additional abilities, including cilia to let you row yourself forward more quickly, and -- I did call it a shmup -- a gun. Or if you prefer, the ability to shoot destructive viruses at enemies.
The nature of movement takes a little getting used to, since you are, after all, embedded in a fluid; you have some momentum, but fluid resistance damps it slowly. Positioning yourself is a little tricky -- and also essential, since particularly in the early stages, when you have no weapons yourself, you defeat enemies mainly by dodging in such a way as to lead one enemy into another. There's quite a variety of enemies, each with their own characteristic behavior, so there's a certain amount of strategy involved, too -- figuring out how to exploit their behaviors to defeat them.
There are five "levels" -- each is, apparently, an animal whose body you have invaded, and you beat the level by getting to the central nervous system, taking it over, and thereby using it to get to the next animal. But each level is quite large, with typically 60 or so rooms -- and while you can always just move through the level directly to the boss battle, you're better off if you explore the level thoroughly, gaining the mitochondria that let you level up, the level map, and so on.
There's a surprising amount of depth and polish here, for a one-man project (nice techno score as well), and enough variety over time to keep you interested.
The developer says:
Obey Proto!
The protozoa Proto has an ambitious goal - he wants to become the most powerful entity of the universe! To reach his target, Proto invades animals, travels through their bodies and settles down on their central nerve cord, where he gains control over them.
When he has control over them, he uses his victims to get to the next, more powerful animal - until he gains control over the most powerful entity within the universe ... a floating, black cat!
Obey Proto's will and help him to reach his goal!
Full version includes:
- Over 300 maps, separated in 5 chapters
- Gain new skills through numerous evolutions
- Three levels of difficulty
- Stunning boss fights
- Hidden secrets and items to collect and explore
- Gain score points for defeated enemies and collected items, trade them for useful items
- A funny story about an evil little protozoa ...
Game Play Video