Pachinvaders

Pachinvaders - v0.0.1

Pachinko/plinko meets Space Invaders — with roguelite progression

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🎯 What This Build Is

Drop balls through a pegboard battlefield and bounce your way into ascending invaders. It’s part pachinko chaos, part arcade shooter: defend your core, fill your XP meter, pick mid-run buffs, fight boss waves, then spend credits on permanent upgrades between runs.

⚔️ Core Gameplay

• Pachinko Combat: Aim and drop balls — they ricochet off pegs on the way down to hit enemies
• Space Invaders Pressure: Enemies advance toward your core if you don’t clear them fast enough
• Enemy Types: Squares (common), Circles (~25%), Triangles (~15%, unpredictable physics)
• Boss Waves: Boss fight every 10 waves
• Powerups: Piercing, Bounce, MultiShot - equip slots before a run, collect drops during combat, deploy from the HUD
• Score Multipliers: Chain kills to build up to a 5x multiplier
• Themed Visuals: Dynamic theme system with customizable sprites

🃏 Run Progression (During a Run)

• XP Meter: Killing enemies fills your XP bar
• Level Ups: When the meter fills, choose 1 of 3 run buff cards
• Rising Threshold: Each level requires more XP than the last
• Re-Roll: Spend credits to re-roll buff choices, cost increases each time you re-roll
• Continuous Waves: Waves keep going automatically no between-wave choice screen in this build

🏁 After a Run

• Post-Run Summary: See how far you got and how many credits you earned from your score
• Credits: Credits carry over for you to spend in the main-menu Upgrade Hub on permanent upgrades
• New Run: Jump back in and try a different build

🛠 Main Menu | Upgrade Hub

• Shop Tab: Purchase permanent upgrades with credits
• Loadout Tab: Equip purchased upgrades and set your powerup slots for the next run
• Drag & Swap: Mouse drag or gamepad carry/swap for loadout slots
• Detail Modals: Inspect, buy, equip, or unequip from a focused card view
• Gamepad + Keyboard: Full navigation support in the hub and modals

🎮 Controls

• Keyboard: Move with ←/→ or A/D, shoot with Space, powerups on HUD keys (1–3 / J–L)
• Mouse: Aim and click to drop balls
• Gamepad: Move with stick/D-pad, drop balls with South (Cross/A), powerups with West / North / East (□ / △ / ○)

🔧 Current Status

Early-access prototype focused on the roguelite loop: pachinko-style ball drops, invader waves, XP level-ups, boss fights, credits meta progression, and the unified Upgrade Hub. Systems are still being balanced and polished.

Feedback welcome! Reports on controls, upgrade hub UX, run buff balance, and boss pacing are especially helpful.

Known Issues

• Enemies and balls can occasionally clip into walls or get stuck on pegs
• Some cards or effects may not have full backend logic implemented yet
• Balance and UI are still being tuned across runs, bosses, buffs, and permanent upgrades