Hey everyone!
I’ve been working on something a little different for the next update: the Mecha-Gorilla.
This is the first unit in the game that isn’t just sitting in one place and shooting at the horde. The Gorilla actually gets dropped onto the map, patrols its assigned area, and gets right into the middle of the fight.
Getting the movement to feel right took quite a bit of work. I wanted it to feel heavy without making it painfully slow, and the punches needed to have enough impact to actually sell the idea that this thing is basically a walking tank.
So what does it do?
Basic attacks
It patrols its area and attacks nearby zombies with quick punches. Every now and then it throws a much heavier haymaker that can send multiple enemies flying.
Meteor Slam
When too many zombies surround it, the Gorilla can jump into the air and slam back down onto the ground. It deals heavy AoE damage and knocks back and stuns anything that survives.
Reactor mutations
This is probably my favorite part.
The Gorilla’s equipment changes depending on how you build your Reactor grid, so you can actually see your setup affecting the unit:
Shoulder Gatling — Adds a small automated turret that targets enemies independently while the Gorilla is fighting.
Sawblade Gauntlets — Adds heavy blades to its arms, giving its attacks a much more aggressive close-range focus.
Rocket Thrusters — Boosters on its back activate when it charges enemies, making it faster and adding explosive impact to its punches.
Elemental variants — Depending on the setup, it can leave magma behind, chain lightning through groups of zombies, or freeze enemies on impact.
And there's one more thing...
Colossus Protocol
If you manage to get 3 Golems into the same setup, they enter a special overdrive state.
They become much larger, their slam ability can be used extremely frequently, and they basically turn the frontline into a wall of metal.
The core mechanics are already working. Right now I’m mostly focused on polishing the procedural animation, hit reactions, screen shake and VFX.
I’m really happy with how this one is coming together, especially considering this started as a simple idea for a melee tower.
I’ll have more to show soon.
What do you think? Would you actually use the Mecha-Gorilla in your setup?