Armed with Wings: Rearmed is a totally overhauled version of Armed with Wings 1. It borrows the same general level structure and storyline, but introduces new mechanics, levels, bosses, cutscenes, music, and much more! It is also the first game to feature the redesigned model of Vandheer Lorde. Armed with Wings has a look much more similar to Lone Warrior from Culmination as well.
The game is currently out on Steam, and information can be found about it on its Steam store page or on the Armed with Wings website.
Artwork[]
The promotional image above gives a taste of the new artwork style. The environments are much more polished and detailed, and the characters also have more detail. Most things are no longer pure silhouettes, and now have details colored in gray.
A forum post started a debate on the Sun-Studios site, where some players wished for highly detailed models, and others wanted the simple silhouettes. The vote for detailed models won, although it was decided that they would be toned down slightly. In newer models, the Lone Warrior looks more similar to how he did in Culmination, but with his scarf being the only different color on his sprite.
Cutscenes[]
Armed with Wings Rearmed features cutscenes similar to Armed with Wings 3, although they will be more detailed and slightly more refined. Beside is an image taken from a cutscene of the game. In the picture, Vandheer's new image can be seen as well.
Enemies[]
Many new enemies have been introduced into the game, including:
- Razors, a stronger soldier of the Royal Army
- Humanoid creatures of Blackmist with relatively simple attack patterns
- Plant-like skull enemies that shoot bursts of light
- Larger plant-like enemies that launch bouncing bombs
Both the Soldier and Royal Guard enemies have been updated to cope with the improved abilities of the player. All enemies have graphical updates.
Many enemies, particularly soldiers, now have stronger variants that can spawn, which are designated by particles of blackmist that they emit. These enemies are capable of blocking and dodging, and are generally more competent than their regular counterparts. Some of these enemies are colored white, indicating that they can drop new weapons for the player to use.
Bosses[]
The Minotaur boss has a few new abilities, but is generally easier and less gimmicky now that the player is able to jump and teleport. There is also a new Beast boss that can burrow into the ground and also curl into a ball and bounce around the arena. Vandheer Lorde, the final boss, now has two stages. In his first stage, he behaves about the same as in the first game. In the second stage, he draws a sword and gains several new abilities.
Mechanics[]
After each run through the game, the player's score is put towards unlocking new weapons and perks. These perks include things like increased power strike charge rate, faster movement speed, projectile attacks, and others. Weapons have different attributes: attack, defense, range, and speed, all of which are self-explanatory. Each weapon has different abilities built into it, with some allowing you to choose which abilities to use.
The player gains the ability to dodge, allowing them to avoid damage and potentially bypass some enemies without killing them. Although conventional jumping isn't available by default, chaining together multiple dodges causes you to jump forward. There is also a jump booster that can be chosen on certain swords, enabling a more traditional jump mechanic. This has affected the design of some puzzles and platforming levels.
The default combo has been extended, and can be further augmented by a sword booster. You can also hold up or down to change which attacks you use, similar to the Super Smash Bros games.
The eagle has been redone, having a look more similar to Armed with Wings 3, new items to handle, and a dash mechanic.
Playable Characters[]
Vandheer is a playable character in the game, with a new, unique moveset. He can be unlocked by beating the game as Lone Warrior. Reaching the final boss fight as Vandheer gives you some funny dialogue.
Lone Warrior in Armed with Wings form is also a playable character that can be unlocked by collecting every relic in the game and then beating a special challenge. For the most part, he plays similarly to Lone Warrior, but he moves more quickly, can teleport instead of dodging, and has a slightly different attack combo.
PAX Australia 2015[]
Armed with Wings Rearmed was showcased at PAX Australia 2015. For more on this event, see this blog post.