Bouncy Brawl · published · build 26360031
The Arsenal Update
This is the biggest update since multiplayer launched, and it brings Bouncy
Brawl very close to its full release. Only one or two more updates to go!
Progression and the Arsenal
Every match now earns XP. Level up to earn Sparks, then spend them in the new
ARSENAL in the main menu.
- Unlock weapons and skills with Sparks, then upgrade them.
- 27 weapons in total, with a starter set ready from your very first match.
- Your level, XP and Sparks are always shown in the main menu.
- The Arsenal also has info pages for every enemy and platform type.
- Match rewards are saved safely before you leave the score screen.
19 skills
Skills now appear on platforms as pickups:
Protection, Triple Jump, Spare Mag, Rebound, Second Wind, Spike Shell,
Mirror Shell, Ground Pound, Haymaker, Air Dash, Rally Jump, Force Push,
Lifeline, Bubble Shield, Shield Link, Grapple Hop, Bounce Pad, Frost Nova,
Gravity Well.
- Common, Rare and Epic rarities, each with its own colour, frame and pickup
sound.
- Active skills go on the right mouse button; the others trigger on their own
at the right moment.
- Common skills can hold two charges.
- Many skills have upgrade tracks in the Arsenal. Second Wind, for example, can
now catch you earlier and launch you higher.
- Team skills like Rally Jump, Lifeline, Shield Link and Bounce Pad help your
friends too.
New enemies and two bosses
Grunt, Hopper and Brute are joined by Sentry, Rammer, Spiker, Lobber and
Blinker. Each one has its own colour, size and behaviour: the Lobber fires
arcing shots, the Blinker teleports, some enemies are protected by a shell, and
attacks are telegraphed so you can react.
Two bosses wait in their own arenas: the Juggernaut and the Warden, a support
boss.
The first two minutes of a run are gentler, so new players can find their feet.
Special platforms
Crumbling, phasing, spring and hazard platforms now mix into the climb. They
carry you just like normal platforms do.
Light PvP
You can now push other players. Normal bullets push them at half strength, and
Mirror Shell bounces shots back. Enough to cause chaos, not enough to ruin a
run.
Lobby and multiplayer
- Choose your ball colour in the lobby and see everyone else's.
- Text chat in the lobby.
- Rooms hold up to 4 players.
- Steam connections are more reliable, and the game recovers from failed joins
instead of getting stuck.
- When you fall, the screen shows who you are spectating and how to switch.
Feel and HUD
- A brand new HUD: skill bar at the bottom centre, weapon tiles with
silhouettes and family colours, and a weapon level badge.
- Hit markers, kill confirmation, camera shake and a squishier ball.
- Weapons on the ground show the real gun with a coloured outline.
- Drop through platforms with S or by pushing the stick down.
- New match results and high score screens.
Steam
- 46 Steam achievements for unlocking weapons and skills.
- The game window now says Bouncy Brawl and has its own icon.
Performance and fixes
- Effects are prepared in the menus, so the first explosions of a match no
longer stutter.
- The match now ends correctly when a player disconnects.
- Controls come back properly after closing the in-match quit popup.
- Many smaller fixes and balance changes.
What's next
The Revive Beacon skill is on its way, so you can bring fallen teammates back
into the fight. We are only one or two updates away from the full release, and
your feedback shapes what goes into them.
A note from the developer
This update was made with a lot of help from Claude Opus 5.5 by Anthropic. I
personally checked and reviewed all the C++ code and the architecture it wrote.
Thanks for climbing with us!