Unicorn Spell Descriptions #2

     When making sprites for Unicorn Quest spells I ended up with interesting new designs that changed the way I think of them. Each one feels more unique than ever. There's no point in having the electric and ice spells behave just like fireballs with new type advantages. My game design document spell descriptions have updated a bit so catch the new way spells work below the break.


Each spell levels up 3 times over a long period. Bar in pause menu fills up 3 times then is invisible.

6 main spells (10 spells total):

Ø  Blast – Basic energy shot attack. Lowest magic cost and does least damage.  3 active shots at once.

Upgrade 1: Knockback

Upgrade 2: Powerful big shot every 6^th shot. (reset count when walking, not teleporting)

Upgrade 3: Homing max big shot.

Ø  Slash – Strong attack. Some knockback, Shoots big razor beam like master sword. Goes until way off screen or hits wall. Higher magic cost.

Upgrade 1: Bigger

Upgrade 2: Spins. Much faster, pierces enemies.

Upgrade 3: Bigger, spinning. Boomerangs back to you when it hits a wall.

Ø  Pyre – Leaves short burn, used in puzzles, brute force attack. Unique effect on some enemies. Ball-shaped projectile. Causes enemy status “burnt”.

Upgrade 1: Stronger, lasting burn

Upgrade 2: Contagious burn (fire spreads on contact)

Upgrade 3: Flare explosion on impact (becomes an explosive attack)

Ø  Surge – Most physical attack. Cover yourself in electricity like Blanka. Surround attack. Hits one, goes to another if touching victim doing lower damage until reaches zero. Each bolt hops between closest enemies. Unique effect on some enemies. Causes enemy status “paralyzed”. Doing this with shield on bursts the shield.

Upgrade 1: Short stun

Upgrade 2: Long stun

Upgrade 3: Loses less power when hoping

Ø  Splash – Puts out fire (enemies and puzzles), knockback, and unique effects on some enemies.  Does no damage. Shotgun spread style. Causes enemy status “wet”.

Upgrade 1: Longer lasting wet status

Upgrade 2: Longer reach and spread

Upgrade 3:  Stronger knockback

Ø  Frost – Pushes enemies back (great knockback), used for wind puzzles, unique effect on some enemies. Slows down enemies by set number, slow down on enemies stacks until they’re temporarily immobile and slowly regain speed. Does no damage. Flamethrower burst spread style. Strong knockback. A defensive/evasive tactic. Causes enemy status “frozen”.

Upgrade 1: Bigger spread and reach

Upgrade 2: Gust ability (shoot out tornado and turn smaller enemies 180 degrees)

Upgrade 3: Instant freeze when using gust

Secret spells:

Ø  Hex – Release powder cloud that slowly drains enemy health once laid on them. Weak and slow at first, gains power and speed as you level up. The curse is a separate status from things like burn and freeze (an extra layer of damage).  Long lasting, but lasting time depends on enemy defense. Ball-shaped projectile that goes directly in front of you, then floats in place as a trap. Costs lots of magic energy. Step through it, and it breaks. Stops against walls. Can affect multiple targets if burst touches, but you are immune. Causes “curse” effect.

Stretch and play with cloud sprite.

Upgrade 1: Bigger.

Upgrade 2: Stacking (cast multiple times to increase draining amount and lasting time)

Upgrade 3: Initial impact transfers a quarter heart to you.

Ø  Decoy – Places a hologram pony turret at your feet that attracts enemies (ineffective against bosses). You lay symbol at your feet then move off the spot to activate the decoy. Decoy HP is small and work like an enemy’s. Can lay multiple, but each costs lots of magic. Their HP increases as you level up.

Upgrade 1: Decoy shoots level 1 slash spells forward at a slow rate

Upgrade 2: Decoy turns north, south, east, or west to face nearest enemy. Shoots quickly.

Upgrade 3: Decoy shoots level 2 slash spells

Ø  Shield – Safe bubble. Instead of damage increasing each level, it boosts its defense (HP). Shield health is displayed like decoy health. The increased collision box sizes makes you an easier target. Can’t cast again until active shield is destroyed. Protects against physical attacks too. Starts out very weak. High magic cost.

Upgrade 1: Knockback against all physical attacks. (pulsing)

Upgrade 2: Deflect weak projectiles in opposite direction (can harm enemies). Becomes hexagon.

Upgrade 3: Replenish magic 10% faster when using.

Ø  Bounce – Laser shot that ricochets on contact. Lasts for 4 bounces or times out after 3 seconds. Bounces toward nearest enemy (not counting the one it just touched). Only harms living things, bounces off of destructible objects (can’t break them). Power and speed double each bounce (glows brighter too). Bounces off enemies it hits and damages them. Damage increases as you level up. Weak as blast at first. Low magic cost. Can shoot rapidly.

Upgrade 1: Damaging explosion instead of just popping when finished

Upgrade 2: Power and speed triple each bounce

Upgrade 3: Big one (stronger) that splits into 2 1lvl below ones on each impact. 2nd flies opposite regular.