“As long as weʼre growing, we’re always out of our comfort zone.”
In other words:
TRY YOUR BEST FOR MAXIMUM BEST!!
Cyclyc is a game about the challenges that help us grow, and the challenges that we in turn set to others. Cyclyc is a two-player game using XBox 360 controllers. The first player inhabits, on the top half of the screen, a game set in an illustrated outer space, taking on the role of (Space-)Ship Girl, Captain of the Ship. The second player lives on the screenʼs lower half, running along the ground as the pixelated Rocket Pack Girl. Ship Girl (Captain of the Ship) must “skim” close to enemies to charge up her laser with which she can defeat enemies; but if she brushes into an enemy, she perishes instantly. Rocket Pack Girl must use her spinning Wrenchblade to attack enemies on the ground and in the air; but the Wrenchblade has a very short range, and it attacks in the front and then the back, leaving her vulnerable on each opposite side in turn.
Each player also has a soundtrack. Ship Girl (Captain of the Ship) listens to acoustic/ electric rock, whereas Rocket Pack Girl prefers NES-style chiptunes. As each Girl fights better without perishing, her respective music will upgrade and become more complex. The background images on her half of the screen will also increase in complexity and saturation.
Cyclycʼs most distinctive feature is its difficulty, which exhibits a positive feedback loop. As enemies are defeated by one player, those enemies are sent to the other playerʼs screen. This augments the enemies that are introduced regularly through the duration of the song, leading to truly ludicrous numbers of foes. If only one player is playing well, the other will be swamped and killed repeatedly, effectively capping that first playerʼs high score potential. For the highest aggregate and individual scores, both players must do their best.
Cyclyc won second place overall, runner-up in sound, and “Best XNA Game”.