After making some last minute story and graphics changes, I have finally finished release candidate #2 for my latest game, Jack’s Beach Blitz. It started out as a simple re-skin of Pumpkin Man for Halloween, but eventually turned into a completely different game, roughly based on the same game engine. The main character was Special Agent Jackson Orange on vacation. He still is the main character, but now disguised as a beach ball. The beach ball was chosen because it looks less like a pumpkin (and more beachy) and I was trying to keep those two games separate. Plus, it allowed me to modify the color scheme of the game somewhat. The collision detection has been modified from rc1 to make enemy hits to the player not as strict, but make player missiles hits to the enemy easier.

Here is a full screen shot of RC 2, level 14.

The story has changed somewhat, here is the latest full game description:

You are Special Agent Jackson “Jack” Orange, on break from battling the evil Irata organized crime family and on vacation with your lovely girlfriend, Penny Plumb. She has been kidnapped by Irata goons, and that has royally chapped your hide. Jack has disguised himself as a beach ball, but the baddies are on to him.

As an Jack, you travel the beach setting levels, collecting power-ups and ammo to blow the bad guys to smithereens. On most levels, your girl friend will be trapped inside some type of locked chamber. You will need to find a way to get her out and then find the exit on each level. Keys will open doors and sand buckets will clear seemingly unbreakable water walls. Umbrellas will transport you to towels of the same color . Be on the look out for ice cubes that will temporarily freeze the enemy and SPF lotion that will provide you with temporary protections from them.

If you have the unfortunate luck to accidentally walk on TAR, you will be slowed to a crawl until you wash off in the shower or find a protection power up.

You will also have POW power-ups to upgrade your weapon and ammo, BONUS multipliers to find, and KILL power-ups that will knock out all of your enemy for a period of time. Your ammo is limited, but there are candy and treats on each level that will provide you with a small re-supply. Also, each Jack starts life and the next level with 25 ammo added to what you previously had. This will help on those levels where you fire your last shot to hit the exit or die a valiant death with no ammo remaining.

Keep collecting 10 POW power-ups in a row without dying and will have a massive super weapon at your disposal! When you die though, you lose your upgrades.

The shells that generate and re-generate enemy can be destroyed with a number of hits, but watch out as you are vulnerable from all sides while concentrating on blasting them.

Also, you can shoot through the small spaces between any two un-walkable objects. Use this to your advantage.

Every time you kill an enemy without dying, you will help increase your bonus multiplier. The higher the bonus multiplier, the higher your score and bonus. The higher your bonus earned on any one level, the better the chance you will earn and extra Jack to help out on your quest. Also, each level contains a bonus timer. You will earn extra bonus for all of the time left on the timer when you complete a level.

The Arrow Keys move up down-left and right. The Space Bar fires. M will mute. The sound, and P will pause.