Devlog - 28

Hey folks. I want to take this devlog to fill you in on some updates going on with Hyper Echelon. First, a quick recap. In May 2022, my business partner and I signed a contract with Limited Run games for a physical release of Hyper Echelon on Switch and PS4. After a year of mostly radio silence, Limited Run suddenly terminated the deal, leaving our small team with little recourse. Having already done the tedious prep work for physical release we approached several other companies. Within weeks we got the ball rolling with 1st Press games, with the contingency that we add a new accessible arcade mode. Of course, we were very reluctant to make any changes to the game, especially a whole new mode that could undermine the entire story mode. Along with some suggestions from 1st Press, we did some brain storming and came up with some fun ideas we could all get on board with. In the end, we've been able to come up with an arcade mode that allows players to quickly power up with traditional pick ups and play through the game in one sitting without having to grind. Additionally, we've incorporated coins that drop out of all the enemies, which can be continuously collected to boost score multiplier(up to 3x) and also give points themselves. Along with kill chain coins and plasma coins, there are several ranked multipliers granted at the end of each level, which offers dynamic score chasing fun. Special weapons are also picked up and can be used without the need for plasma resource. All this fun still leaves plenty of unique features exclusive to the story mode, such as using wingmen, custom upgrades through currency, and the story dialogue scenes.

If all works out, we hope to have the physical release produced early 2024. The new arcade mode will also eventually be added to the digital version, so if you already own the game you'll be able to play it. However, awesome custom packaging, with booklet, comic, and collectible toy will be available with the physical release. All that said, we've been screwed over once before. Regardless if the physical release comes through or not, we have an awesome new arcade mode on the horizon. I will keep you updated on the status of this project in the future. In the meantime, it's back to Beast Planet.