Bullet Sorceress

Bullet Sorceress: Shooting Action Carnage
Bullet Sorceress: Shooting Action Carnage is a 2022 vertical shooting game developed by DANGER HEART Entertainment. The game's art, design, and writing is done by Lyn-Marie Charlene Excelsia, with engine work done by Chloe Taylor. This is the duo's third game, following the in-development (as of 2021) character action platformer The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight, and the canceled action card battler Card Witch. The game emphasizes colorful visual style, loud personality, and fast-paced action as part of its core tenets.

As the titular, freshly-resurrected vampire "The Sorceress", the player guns their way through five to six stages in horror-inspired locales, chasing down a religious extremist named Father Johnson who is attempting to save the world from an Armageddon-level demon invasion that he himself summoned. At the same time, The Sorceress will find herself chased down by the reaper known as Death, as she attempts to take the soul of The Sorceress and drag her back down to Hell with her. "Bullet" travels through many locales of the isle of Gunsylvania, eliminating demons, ghouls and other assorted creatures that have taken comfort in her home since her banishment.

The game features a standard arcade mode, with the game's five stages split up into four "scenes" each -- scenes 2 and 4 of each stage serving as mini-boss and boss encounters respectively. There are also a selection of challenge stages and trials that offer unique arranges of stage layouts, all of which can be accessed via Stage Select mode. As of April 2021, the game is planning to include three additional modes: Mayhem Arrange -- featuring a constantly-increasing rank system, alternate control format, and new stages, Endless Attack -- wave-based stages with an infinite looping system, and Story Mode -- focusing on the story events of the game, with several chapters to pick and arranged gameplay (post-release update).

Gameplay Overview
Bullet Sorceress utilizes four buttons for its core actions. Two buttons are dedicated to her standard fire, with the other two serving as her auxiliary weapons that consume resources. The game utilizes a bomb system with a lenient activation window, and a hyper system that temporarily unlocks two highly powerful weapons.

Controls

 * A (Aim Shot): Fires the player's main weapon while locking the shooting direction.
 * When using the Aim Shot, Sorceress moves slower and fires her guns at a higher rate.
 * B (Revenge Trigger): Releases a bomb attack, dealing massive damage to everything on screen and instantly collecting any items on the screen.
 * While grazing bullets, bomb attacks are stronger. The strongest type of bomb is used by bombing the moment you take damage.
 * Using bombs lowers the game's Mayhem Level (rank).
 * C (Free Shot): Fires the player's main weapon.
 * Sorceress will aim in two directions at once if she is moving.
 * D (Carnage Trigger): Activates Sorceress's berserk mode, granting her access to a bullet-destroying laser and a screen-covering wide shot for a limited time. Requires at least Lv.1 shot strength (cannot be used at Lv.0), and spends 1 shot level on activation.
 * A (Laser Cannon): Fires a laser with an instantaneous hitbox. Deals constant damage to targets it hits. It is also capable of destroying enemy bullets, converting them into Score Gems. The Laser increases the rate that the Blood Carnage meter drains, but hitting and destroying enemies will slow down the draining rate.
 * C (Megaton-Caliber Chaingun): Rapid-fires a burst of large and powerful shots across an extremely wide radius. Up close, it deals devastating damage.
 * Activating Carnage Trigger also increases the Mayhem Level of the run.

The Catalysts (Shot)
Sorceress's primary weapons, her twin handguns that she forged herself 900 years ago.

The player can fire a large volley of concentrated shots forward, or drift their aim 45 / 90 degrees with one gun, with the second gun locked firing straight shots. Aiming is done by moving the character left / up-left (to aim 45 degrees) or down-left (to aim 90 degrees). To lock Sorceress's aim a direction, the player can hold Fixed Shot (A button) to lock to 0/45/90 degrees.
 * Split Shots from Sorceress's side handgun deal higher damage (3) than Straight Shots from her forward handgun (2).

Blood Carnage (Level)
Shot strength and properties are determined by a "three-tier" meter called the Blood Carnage meter (or Blood Level). The player starts at Lv.1, gains a level with every full bar of Blood collected, and loses a level with every hit of damage taken, or with every hyper used. When the player is knocked down to Lv.0, any following hit becomes fatal, causing the player to lose a Heart.
 * If the player earns another bar while carrying 3 Blood levels stocked, they will enter a temporary fourth state called Lv.OVER, where the handguns' fire rate increases beyond its normal speed until the Blood Carnage meter empties.

Violent Thirst (Vampirism)
"Do not approach Vampires, for even their mere presence drains fickle blood from your body."

Sorceress has full damage coverage around her body when firing her handguns, where she deals constant damage up-close. This can be used in conjunction with shots up close to deal massive damage.
 * When Violent Thirst is active, Sorceress slowly begins building up Blood Carnage meter. This makes aggressive close-range play beneficial for building up shot strength as well.

Boost Shot (Charge)
When Sorceress is not shooting her handguns, she concentrates energy through them, augmenting the bullets within.

The player can stock up a maximum of six Boost Shots by not pressing either shooting button. When any Fire button is pressed, Sorceress releases the energy in powerful piercing bullets that hit several times per bullet and are able to fire through solid walls and objects.
 * Boost Shots charge up quicker while grazing enemy bullets.

Revenge Trigger (Bomb)
An explosive payload is launched from Sorceress's Conduit Coffin, which litters the screen in destruction.

Revenge Triggers cause all enemies to spawn Blood Drops on death, with Blood-type enemies dropping increased amounts of blood based on the type of bomb fired. There are three types of Revenge Triggers:
 * Standard: Fired by pressing the B button any time.
 * Excellent (Graze): Fired by pressing B while grazing against an enemy bullet. Blood generation by Blood-types is doubled.
 * Perfect (Just): Press B within 20 frames of taking damage to instantly regenerate 1 Blood Carnage level and fire an emergency bomb that is three times as strong. Player damage/death is canceled and blood generation by Blood-types is tripled.

Carnage Trigger (Hyper)
Fueled by a heart of destruction, Sorceress channels her bloodthirst and unleashes her Conduit Coffin, utilizing it as a power Laser Cannon and Megaton-Caliber Chaingun duo.

Enemies and objects destroyed by Carnage Trigger will drop Skulls, with Skull-type enemies dropping three times as many Skulls when killed. If the player has collected +3000pts of Skulls, all Skull drops become high-value Jackpot Skulls.

The Laser Cannon (A) creates an instant hitbox that is capable of destroying enemy bullets with concentrated fire, as well as generate a laser aura around the player that does additional close-range damage. Using the Laser Cannon causes the hyper gauge to drain quicker, but killing enemies with it will stagger meter drain.

The Megaton Gun (C) fires giant projectiles in a wide radius, covering the screen with high-damage firepower. Individual bullets deal high damage and have massive hitboxes, refire rate is very high, and it deals incredibly high damage to larger up-close targets (even higher DPS than the Laser up-close if all of the bullets hit).

Carnage Trigger requires at least a Lv.1 Blood Carnage meter, and spends 1 Level to activate. When activated, the player is invulnerable for 60 frames. If the player takes damage or uses a Revenge Trigger, the hyper mode is canceled early. Once Carnage Trigger is activated, the Skull Value of small Skulls no longer increases, locking their score value to whatever they were before the player activated hyper.

Items

 * Blood Drop: Adds a point to the player's Blood Carnage Meter.
 * Blood Vial: Adds 25% to the player's Blood Carnage Meter.
 * Heart: Adds a Heart to the player's Life Stock. The player can stock six Hearts at once.
 * Bomb Stock: Adds a Bomb to the player's Bomb Stock. The player can stock six Bombs at once.
 * Small Skull (Yellow): Collectable score items that increase in value exponentially. Adds 1 Skull to the Skull Counter.
 * Jackpot Skull (Blue): Special score items that appear during a Carnage Trigger Jackpot. Adds 3 Skulls to the Skull Counter.
 * Big Skull (White): Hidden score items that are dropped by destroyed objects and by destroying Formations that are set to drop Big Skulls. Big Skulls are worth 600pts multiplied by the value of the Skull Counter, and add 20 Skulls to the Skull Counter.
 * Score Gem (Small): Generic score item, hidden inside destroyed and enemy Formations, as well as generated by bullets destroyed by Carnage Trigger's Laser Cannon. Worth 40pts.
 * Score Gem (Large): Same as small gems, generated by bullets destroyed by Carnage Trigger's Laser Cannon aura. Worth 400pts.
 * Ice Cream Cone(s): Score item that appears in destroyed objects and enemy Formations. There are six different flavors, each worth different score.
 * Ice Cream Bowl(s): Mid-value scoring item that appears in destroyed objects and enemy Formations. The bowl covered in chocolate shell topping is worth the most score.

Rank
Bullet Sorceress uses an on-screen rank system, referred to by the game as the Mayhem Level. Mayhem level affects four core attributes of the game: bullet speed, bullet density, enemy spawns, and revenge bullets. The rank typically starts at 00, and it maxes out at 40 in the standard gameplay modes.


 * Bullet Speed
 * Increased every 3 Mayhem Levels. Bullets fired by enemies increase in speed.
 * Bullet Density
 * Increased at rank 20, 30 and 40. Enemies will fire progressively more complex and vicious bullet patterns.
 * Enemy Spawns
 * Increased at rank 5, 15, 25, 35 and 40. Enemy spawners that are locked behind rank begin to activate, causing more (or stronger) enemies to appear.
 * Revenge Bullets
 * Increased at rank 25 and several times after. Enemies begin firing bullet patterns on death. Revenge bullets can be sealed by being up close to the enemy when it is destroyed.

Mayhem Level is increased by the following actions:
 * Activate Carnage Trigger (+4)
 * Activate a Jackpot Carnage Trigger (+5)
 * Complete a stage without losing a Heart (+1)
 * Complete a stage without taking damage (+3)

Mayhem Level is decreased by the following actions:
 * Reduced automatically when Carnage Trigger ends (-1)
 * Use a Revenge Trigger (-2)
 * If Carnage Trigger is active, using Revenge Trigger will not reduce the Mayhem Level.
 * Lose a Heart (-6)

Scoring
The primary scoring mechanic of Bullet Sorceress involves collecting Skulls of varying size and value, inspired by medal-chaining systems in games such as Battle Garegga and the Raiden Fighters series.


 * Skulls start at a value of 100pts, and every time a Skull is collected, the value of the next Skull is increased by +100pts, up to a maximum of 3000pts.
 * Once the player has earned the +3000pts Skulls, they can activate Carnage Trigger to enable a "Jackpot!", which changes all small Skulls into big Blue Skulls. Each Blue Skull is worth +6660pts, and adds three skulls to the Skull Counter. When Carnage Trigger is deactivated, the value of Skulls is reset back to +100pts.
 * Note that activating a Jackpot! hyper will increase the rank higher than a normal hyper.
 * Lucrative scoring can be found by collecting hidden Big Skulls on stages after collecting particularly large amounts of Skulls.

All three type of Skull collectibles award bonus points per Skull based on the type collected. Bonus score is also awarded by achieving specific accolades, as well as the Mayhem Level of the stage when completed.

Strategy
See Bullet Sorceress/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.

The Vampire Clan
Long ago, in the land of Gunsylvania, existed a clan of vampires, secluded from the rest of society. The vampires kept many secrets, treasures, and libraries of knowledge; all of these various things humans found themselves morbidly interested in. Their curiosity led them to crusades across the seas and through the skies.

Originally, visits by humans were rare and peaceful. The vampires would answer some of their questions, although their libraries continued to be off-limits. Humans would learn of vampire culture and live relatively in peace. However, that curiosity continued to linger.

“What was in those castles? Where are their libraries of immense knowledge? Where are their treasures, their magicks? Could we discover what vampires truly are?”

The visits became more frequent. More invasive. More aggressive. Eventually they turned violent. And so the vampires had no choice but to deal with the problem by forbidding humans from entering Gunsylvania.

Then as the humans continued to persist and as their aggression increased, the vampires responded in kind, and humans experienced the deadly guardians of the land... the vampire-sorceresses, one of the many things they hoped to discover in their crusades -- or thought they would hope.

The sorceresses brandished their weaponized catalysts, and humans experienced dark magic for the first time, as they were incinerated, shredded, disintegrated, or turned into half-vampires. Their blood was bended from their veins, through their wounds, in front of their dying eyes, as the sorceresses absorbed their spoils through their mouths and the pores of their skin. The few survivors spoke of their horrifying experience, and the stories circulated awareness and fear of the vampires in human society.

Yet once again, their morbid curiosity would see many more massacres in their future.

The Angelus Clan
The Angelus are a clan of legendary demon hunters that protect the world from the invasion of evil forces. Over the course of human history, the Angelus have been a recurring force, passing on their skills to the next generation.

After stopping a massive demon invasion many years ago, the clan laid dormant for a while… until one day, humans began to approach them with fears of the vampires of Gunsylvania...

The Saints Above In the old ages, religion had a massive foothold on the subconscious of humans, and churches had an overwhelming amount of power. Through these various religious corruptions existed an order known as “The Saints Above.”

One day, this order approached the Angelus clan with a fabricated story regarding the vampires being “cursed humans possessed by demonic spirits”. This event would kick off a sustained conflict between the humans and the vampires, of which humans would attempt to take advantage of in order to bring themselves closer to discovering the secrets of the vampires.

Of course, the Saints had no concern with putting humans at risk -- the only thing they desire is to finally bring their image of God to life, and exercise rule over humanity. And this whole time, the demons were watching this unfold, making their own plans as well…

The First War
With the Angelus and the vampires now fully engaged in war, The Saints attempted to make moves to acquire the information and treasures they were looking for in Gunsylvania.

As the wars continued, the sorceresses continued to exponentially increase in strength. Every drop of blood from every dead creature, they bent into their body, their thirst unquenchable. Their magicks became stronger and stronger, and the more they killed and the more they drank, the more they craved. After years and years of peace, finally a furious feast had arrived, and they would savor every last morsel.

In the bloodshed of this war, one particular sorceress began to rise above her peers. “She with no name,” she was given the moniker of “Bullet” by her clan, as a signifier of her above-average precision with which she deals destruction to her enemies. Nobody is sure how or why, but this particular sorceress became especially notable for the incredible levels of strength that absorbing blood granted her.

Bullet’s strength soon became something that humanity feared more than even the rest of the clan, and the Angelus quickly found themselves in a losing battle. The amount of warriors dying on each side was too disproportional for them to ever have hope of “restoring them to their former humanity”. But one day, they had a chance visit that they never would have expected… the Demon King, Diabolous,	 arrived with a message of teamwork.

“We do not come to fight you, humans. We are both presented with a problem… The Sorceress. She is as much of a problem for you as she is for us. It is clear you do not have the strength to fight her alone. As we do not either. But if we unite our forces together, our overwhelming might just be enough to finally take care of The Sorceress. And then the vampires will be no more, and you can finally discover what it is you wish to claim. We have invaded your world in the past, but if The Sorceress is allowed to continue her onslaught, both of our worlds will ultimately be annihilated in her thirsty wake. Surely you recognize that this is not an option either of our worlds can realistically ignore.”

Desperate and bruised, the Angelus had no choice but to agree. This colossal moment of both human and demon history was recorded in the annals of time as “The Great Unity of Light and Dark.”

The humans’ attack on the vampires one day suddenly slowed to a crawl, then stopped. Little did the vampires know that this escape was nothing more than a ploy to get them to drop their guard, allowing the United to perform a successful infiltration several weeks later. By this time, the humans had been given powerful demonic weaponry and defenses, and the Angelus were taught the art of demonic alchemy... as well as having the entire demon army on their side.

After a successful, synchronized assassination of nearly all but a few of the vampire-sorceresses, the forces of the United all began to attack at once. With many of the vampires' line of defense weakened, Bullet took lead and continued to bring carnage and vengeance to the United’s armies. Even with their forces joined together, they were still unable to kill her, as she continued to siphon a disproportionate amount of bloody power from the swathes of warriors falling in her wake.

Knowing there was no way to truly stop her, the United joined together in order to create a binding curse that would force The Sorceress into slumber for eternity, trapping her spirit in another dimension. This spell was created with the combined might of the Angelus and the demons, and with its casting, The Sorceress’s flames of destruction were finally quelled, and the humans would finally have the treasures that they so desired… except, by the time The Sorceress was sealed away, the remaining vampires had already taken many of their most prized possessions, and hidden themselves from the location. Humans would take this as an opportunity to settle on the land. Meanwhile, the demons returned home, with the humans unaware of their plan to return to claim the land again…

The Sorceress Resurrected
She is a vampire-sorceress; a member of the vampire clan with an exceptional skill and talent in the dark arts. One of the most feared sorceresses in the world.

Some say she forgot her name. Others say she cast it -- and her very self -- aside in pursuit of mastering the dark arts. A few say that she never had a name in the first place; she was known only as either “The Sorceress” or “The Vampire”. The few close to her called her “Bullet”, a reference to her seemingly unnatural sense of speed, focus, and precision -- and her deadly nature.

It is said that The Sorceress’s abilities were so strong, her mastery of the dark arts so complete, her dexterity so incredible, and her thirst for blood so extreme, that the forces of light and dark were forced to temporarily unite with each other simply just to take down a lone woman, a time which would come to be known as the “Great Unity of Light and Dark”. And even then, they were simply only able to seal her away with a curse…

She had an arsenal built around two of her favorite things; blood -- bended from her victims’ fresh corpses into her veins, and skulls -- her magical conduit of choice and her favorite “collector’s item”, shattered into bullets and fed into the magazines of her two custom magic handguns, The Catalysts. The coffin she slept in was itself a weapon as well, and she carries it with her into battle, washing carnage and corpses over every land she walks upon with explosive firepower.

Hundreds of years later, slumbering in the gungraveyard of Gunsylvania, she finds herself jolted awake, and thundering from her coffin. She looks around at the many demons and undead that have already started roaming the land, and the sound of her guns cocking is heard.

Development History
Development of Bullet Sorceress started in early September of 2020. It was originally designed as a sort-of "jam game" that was meant to be started and finished in under four months, with its first demo originally releasing on Halloween 2020, but as the game began to shape into form, it necessitated additional development time for game polish. As of April 2021, the game is still under development.

Trivia

 * The inspiration for the game came about because of a mockup on PixelJoint, featuring Bayonetta fighting the angel Fortitudo in a 3/4 top-down shooting game perspective.

Gallery
See Bullet Sorceress/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.

References & Contributors

 * 1) DANGER HEART Entertainment: https://danger-heart.itch.io/
 * 2) Written by the developer (CHA-STG)