First Flight

First Flight is my first finished shmup, and it exists to be learned from: by me, and hopefully with your help.

One ship, one kind of enemy, one screen. Drones come down in waves, weaving side to side and firing straight at you. Your twin cannon only fires forward, so to shoot one down you have to get under it, right where its shots land.

That's the whole game, and the one decision that matters: how close do you dare to get? A kill from across the screen is worth +100. Point-blank is worth up to 3×, and the number pops up where the drone blew up. Every wave is a bit denser and a bit faster, and it never levels off. Three lives, no continues, a run lasts a few minutes.

Only the red square on your cockpit can be hit. The rest of the ship is safe.

WHY IT'S THIS SMALL

This is a learning project, the first step of a deliberate path: a series of shooters, each one a bit bigger than the last, working toward a full 90s-arcade-style vertical shoot-'em-up. Step one had a single job: be finished and released. No bosses, no power-ups, no stages. Those belong to the next games. It's free.

WHAT I'D LOVE TO HEAR

Honest criticism helps me more than kind words. Especially:

- Did any death feel cheap or unreadable?

- Was getting close worth the risk, or did you end up playing safe at the bottom of the screen?

- How does the ship feel to move and shoot?

Controls

Gamepad: left stick or D-pad, A to fire, Start to pause.

Made with Godot 4.7.2.