Vibin' & Survivin' — v0.27.0
Released 2026-08-26A major gameplay and combat readability update introducing a dedicated 2-step Full Inventory Weapon Swap view with 100% upgrade point refunds, a complete visual and audio overhaul for the Blaster, crisp enemy attack telegraphs with dedicated audio cues across multiple enemy archetypes, a dangerous Shadow Necromancer swarm overhaul, interactive live hazard tutorials, and end-to-end survivor ability balance integration.
Full Inventory Weapon Requisition & Swap View
Dedicated 2-step weapon swap view: When your inventory is full (6/6 weapons) upon reaching a milestone level, you now enter a dedicated side-by-side comparison screen showing the incoming weapon against all 6 equipped weapons with their current upgrade levels.
100% weapon points refund on replacement: Replacing an upgraded weapon now refunds all spent upgrade points (Lvl - 1) directly back into your point pool, immediately transitioning to the Weapon Tree level-up screen to let you freely distribute them into your newly equipped weapon or any other weapon.
Decline reward (+1 Weapon Point): Declining a weapon offer when your inventory is full cleanly awards +1 Weapon Upgrade Point to invest into your existing arsenal.
True 2D spatial grid navigation: Smooth directional gamepad and keyboard navigation matching the visual 3-column layout with controller button glyphs ([A], [B], [X]).
Blaster Audio & Visual Overhaul
Punchy dual-layer audio synthesis: Firing the Blaster now plays a layered sound effect combining a crisp mechanical transient snap with an exponential laser frequency sweep.
Aerodynamic plasma capsules: Replaced static circular laser dots with high-energy elongated plasma bolts oriented along their flight trajectory with white-hot inner energy cores and smooth tapering motion trails.
Muzzle sparks & recoil kick: Weapon emitter hardpoints now emit conical spark bursts, accompanied by a responsive micro-recoil impulse on the player ship hull.
Elemental theming: Cryo Ammo (10A) fires icy cyan plasma bolts with crystalline vapor wakes, while Thermite Ammo (10B) unleashes blazing orange-red bolts with flame trails. Ricochet (5A) features deflection flashes and bounce audio.
Telegraphed Enemy Attacks & Combat Readability
Vibe Shooter targeting laser: Shooters now project a 0.4s tracking aiming laser before locking their angle for 0.15s, giving you a clear cue to sidestep before firing.
Chaos Charger warning corridor: Chargers now wind up with a revving audio cue and project a directional danger corridor on the floor before executing high-speed rush charges.
Vibe Vanguard concussive stomp: Approaching a Vanguard triggers a telegraphed 150px danger circle before a heavy ground stomp slam delivering heavy area damage and knockback.
Doom Harbinger doom ring: Harbingers radiate a golden pulsing aura before slamming the arena and launching 8 slow-moving radial energy projectiles.
Overload Drone proximity fuse: Armed suicide drones project a 75px danger circle and emit accelerating proximity warning beeps as their fuse counts down.
Shadow Necromancer & Minion Swarm Overhaul
Telegraphed ritual channel: Necromancers now channel their summon ritual for 1.0s over glowing green runic ground seals. Landing a hard stun interrupts and cancels the ritual.
Dangerous minion swarms: Necromancers now summon a full squad of 4 minions per ritual (5 for Uber Necromancers).
Glitch Minion survivability & surge: Minion base HP has been increased from 1 to 20 so they scale properly into late waves, and minions now execute erratic high-speed glitch surges with lateral jitter.
Arena Hazards Live Simulation
Interactive tutorial canvas: Replaced static placeholders with an animated, 60fps fixed-timestep live simulation in both the mid-round tutorial popup and the Instructions encyclopedia.
Demonstrates hazard life cycle: Visualizes charging destabilised hazard tiles (caution hash stripes, radar pings, and countdown timers), evasive player dodging, and neon magenta detonation shockwaves that damage both players and pursuing enemies.
Survivor Abilities & Balance
100% end-to-end ability wiring: All 38 survivor tree abilities across all 5 survivors are fully wired, tested, and integrated with dynamic balance table configuration.
Universal loot magnet radius: Loot attraction for coins, gems, and chests now scales accurately with gear affixes, Vibe Web nodes, and survivor abilities.
Demolitionist explosion event system: Fixed explosion triggers across all explosive weapons to properly dispatch Chemical Napalm, Shrapnel Fragmentation, and Thermobaric Overcharge.