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Crimson Resonance dev talks atmospheric shoot 'em up design

Shacknews gets the inside scoop on Crimson Resonance, the darkly atmospheric shoot 'em up release from Tweetal Studios.

Kevin Tucker

May 3, 2019 4:00 PM

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It's hard to beat the gameplay of fan-favorite shoot 'em up releases like R-Type, but a new game from Tweetal Studios is up to the task. Blending the classic arcade shooter gameplay fans have grown to love with a striking dark aesthetic and a few physics-based mechanics, Crimson Resonance aims to bend the boundaries of the shoot 'em up genre.

Shacknews was able to meet with Lars Warink, lead artist and programmer on Crimson Resonance, at Reboot Develop Blue in order to learn more about the studio's upcoming shoot 'em up release. Have a look below.

The feel behind Crimson Resonance is made clear: Inspired by classic shmups like R-Type, the team wanted to take arcade shooter gameplay and mix it with "the more cinematic or atmospheric" presentation of games like Limbo. To look at the gameplay footage, the similarities to the latter are obvious: The new Tweetal release sticks with starkly contrasting colors and plays with darkness or shadows in the foreground to hide certain types of enemies.

Beyond outright blasting enemies, the hero ship in Crimson Resonance does a fair bit of sucking — a vacuum-like tool enables the craft to not only interact with the environment, but also to suck up the ammunition it needs to stay on the offensive. The physics system seems to run quite deep, with the ship being shown interacting with levers, boulders, and even mining resources from glowing green crystals.

Interested players who want to get an inside scoop on the new release currently have a rare opportunity to see an early build of the game. Crimson Resonance was born as Crimson Recon, a Ludum Dare 40 entry that managed to land in the 14th spot of nearly 3,000 submissions total. The LD40 prototype of the game available as a free download over on the Tweetal Studios website, and fans are encouraged to keep up with the development of Crimson Resonance by following Tweetal Studios on Twitter.

For more interviews straight from Reboot Develop Blue and extended commentary from some of the biggest developers in the industry, be sure to stop by the Shacknews and GamerHubTV channels over on YouTube.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.