​VitalGun is my first Ludum Dare game submission. VitalGun is a simple, top down shooter with a twist: you lose health every time you fire a shot.

The objective, is to defend a control point located at the center of the arena from a never ending onslaught of enemies for as long as possible.

Gameplay mechanics:

Health: As stated previously, you lose health whenever you fire a shot, however there are several ways to gain it back. The player can naturally regenerate health, however the base health regeneration speed is very slow. There are 3 types of health regen pads that the player can use to regenerate health quickly: blue pads, orange pads, and green pads. Blue pads will regenerate your health twice as fast, and are the closest health pads to the control point. Orange pads will regenerate health four times as fast, and green pads will regenerate your health 8 times as fast. Make sure to monitor your HP, and utilize the health pads as much as possible to stay alive!

Enemies: There are four enemy types in VitalGun: Walkers, Swarmers, Heavies, and Tanks. Walkers are simple enemies with a moderate amount of health and speed, and are tasked with damaging the control point. Swarmers have the same objective as Walkers, however they are much smaller and faster. Heavies are the player's equal, having a similar movement speed, and are tasked with chasing and shooting at the player. The last enemy, the Tank, is a massive, slow moving enemy with the same AI as the Heavy, but with a lot more health, and a higher damage weapon.

Weapons: The player has a small, but versatile selection of weaponry to choose from. The pistol is a semi-automatic, low damage weapon, useful for taking out Walkers and Swarmers without depleting too much of your health. The SMG has the same damage as the pistol, but is full-auto, and can quickly deplete your health. The shotgun, is a highly effective weapon, useful for taking out hordes of enemies, however it will rapidly deplete your health supply if spammed. And finally, the RPG. The RPG is a deadly weapon, specifically designed for taking out Tanks in just one shot!

(Important note: This was the first game jam I've ever participated in, so expect this game to be buggy and glitchy. I don't plan on updating this game, but I might in the future if it gets enough feedback. Also sorry for all the typos, I was typing this out as quickly as possible so I wouldn't miss the deadline lol.)