Rock Hopper (Prototype)

Rock Hopper is a game prototype by Josh Hirshfield. In this demo, you are able to fight through four refined combat scenarios, filled with a slew of enemies.  Rock Hopper is still in active development. You will more than likely come into contact with loads of bugs and problems. The version is the most refined build thus far, developed over the last year as a part of NYU's Project Studio course. 

This prototype is a vertical slice gauntlet designed around what this game might feel, look, and play like. It features 4 combat arenas and 6 basic enemy types. 

Rock Hopper aims to combine combat flows of classic shooters with bullet hell elements. In this demo enemies fire basic patterns and the player has several tools at their disposal, including a double jump and a blip dash.

Each of the different maps was designed to test a different kind of gameplay idea. There are so few as I decided to use his time to shoot for quality over quantity for this short prototype. 

Rock Hopper is very much still in development! This means there will be lots and lots of issues, but it also means there's more development to come. Please excuse the bugs in this game - as a solo developer I've attempted to balance both the design, development, and artistic portions of this production process, but that also means making sacrifices in different areas of the game. As players have reported bugs I've done my best to fix them - but I assure you there are definitely loads left in here that I've not discovered yet.  If you share bugs here I will do my best to fix them. Thank you for understanding - I hope you enjoy the prototype!

I'm is always looking to fix bugs and problems with the game as a whole - please leave feedback if you find something, or just have thoughts about the way the game plays right now. There are several elements which I have not been able to flesh out extensively due to time constraints and the limitations of being a solo dev, such as enemy variety, player upgrades, different weapons, and more complicated bullet hell patterns. Much of the development process was experimentation and system refinement. Going forward the majority of updates will be focused on making this into a more engaging experience. If you have any feedback or critiques, feel free to post them below or in the dedicated feedback channel of the Discord server. Every comment matters. Thank you!

Accessibility:

WARNING: There flashing lights in this game! If you are sensitive to flickering or flashing visuals when playing games, I highly suggest not playing! 

Join the Rock Hopper Discord for more updates and sneak peeks:

Since Rock Hopper has been made as a part of my academic career,  I've had a ton of help from my instructors and peers. I'd like to extend a special thanks to:

Mitu Khandaker and Hosni Auji for their guidance in the development of this Prototype. I truly would not have managed to get as far as I did without your guidance - thank you for helping me shape this game.

Zack Anderson for programming assistance. 3am gamer moments figuring out physics programming. Thank you Zack. Your help means a lot to me.