Howdy! Coming at you today with a new build of Shield Cat! This update focuses mainly on finishing up the Abandoned Mine stage, which is now complete (except for the boss is not yet present.) To celebrate, I'm letting everyone test out the cave! However, if you're using the Playtest Build, you'll have to fulfill some requirements in-game to get in. Speak to Roxy in-game to the west of the O'Fox shop to find out more. Again, if you're using the full version, you do not need to do anything extra! Here are all the changes that are in this build:

===== NEW =====

• There are now arrow dudes in the cave! They're more aggressive than other enemies I've put in so far, so be careful!
• A new puzzle type has been added! Keep an eye out for light-beam puzzles in the cave.
• The game will now attempt to validate it's install on startup. If a file required to run the game is missing, the game will produce an error saying which file is missing instead of simply crashing.
• Added a small jingle when you solve a puzzle, open a door etc, making my statement of "it's not Zelda I swear" even less valid than before.
• A debug function was added that destroys all enemies on screen.
• A new option has been added to disable extra visual effects. For now, it's limited to distortion effects on the screen as well as the glow on the new line puzzles.

===== IMPROVED =====

• Lance's interactions with diagonal walls has been fixed and modified to be more consistent with his interaction with straight walls.
• This change to wall collision also allows you to have more speed when spinning against walls than you did before. Walls will no longer slow you down by touching them.
• Opening and closing the map screen now has an animation to it.

===== CHANGED =====

• The cave has been expanded more. Please don't get lost in it!
• Changed how the minimap updates. Now it updates based on the center position of the camera, rather than where Lance is positioned.
• You now have 2.5 seconds (up from 2 seconds) to hit another enemy to keep a combo going.
• Lance's invincibility after being hit by an enemy attack has been reduced.
• Lance's hitstun time has also been reduced.
• Blur (of any kind) is no longer applied when using the palette-based retro shaders (it just made the edges of the screen look like soup.)
• Following this change and the addition of the toggle to disable special effects, special effects are now also disabled when using the palette-based retro shaders (for additional visual clarity.)

===== BUG FIXES =====

• Fixed a bug where Lance could still attack enemies which were doing their death animation.
• Fixed a bug where the game would crash if you used the gamepad and then unplugged that gamepad while text-based control prompts were on screen.
• Fixed trailing NULL characters being written to configuration and save data (this version of the game will automatically remove them when they're saved again.)
• Fixed a bug where Lance's abilities could hit an enemy that was supposed to be invincible.
• Fixed a bug where hitting an enemy would initiate the pre-combo meter without initiating the countdown to reset it (allowing you to start a combo much later than intended.)
• An update to Gamemaker Studio 2 fixed a bug with text rendering on certain fonts at certain sizes.
• Fixed some drawing issues in the menu related to subpixel drawing.
• Fixed a frame stutter issue when going between certain stages from the game dynamically preloading language data.
• Fixed a bug where healing items would not actually heal Lance.
• Pressing the cancel button when talking to Roxy no longer has a chance to crash the game.
• Fixed a bug where the game would attempt to show a map in areas where there wasn't one.
• Fixed a bug where O'Fox would say he didn't have bombs when he was selling them.
• Fixed a bug where Fish Scales were not counted right on the file select screen or pause menu.

Thank you!

Demo Coming Soon!

Shield Cat – the Game!

Abilities

• Tubular Twister: Lance's spin attack! Use this move to get over big gaps, attack enemies, hit gears and levers, open treasure chests, and much more. Lance will never get dizzy, so use it as much as you like!
  
• Shield: Lance can throw his shield to hit enemies from far away. He can also use it to solve puzzles, and upgrade it to give it more distance and range when he throws it.
  
• Cards: Lance throws a continual stream of cards from a seemingly endless deck. He can use this ability to take down multiple enemies at once.
  
• Dagger: Lance can aim this dagger and hit enemies from a great distance. This ability is good for people who like stealth – enemies wont even know what hit them!
  
• Boomerang: Lance throws a boomerang which circles around him, protecting him from incoming enemy attacks. He can also use this to hit things around corners that he couldn't otherwise get to.
  
• Passive Abilities: You can find and equip passive abilities which grant you bonuses as long as they're equipped, such as increased movement speed, surviving enemy combos, increasing the drop rate of goodies, and more! Be warned though – Equipping these passive abilities takes from your magic for as long as they're equipped. Watch your magic meter!
  
• Upgrades: Lance can find upgrades to his health, magic, and attack that permanently boost his stats.

Collectibles

• Pretty Petals: The currency of the Cat Kingdom. Use these to buy abilities and upgrades at shops.
  Fish Scales: Each stage has a fixed number of Fish Scales. Use these to access new locations by train. Can you find all of them in each stage?
  
• LANCE Letters: Each stage has 5 LANCE letters for you to find. However, the stages are pretty big – you'll have to check every nook and cranny if you want to find these!
  
• Cat Coin: Special currency of the Cat Kingdom. Use these to open doors and gain access to new areas.
  
• Key: Each stage has a set of keys that are only useful for that stage. If you find a locked door, keep an eye out for a key!
  
• Treasure Chest: Find treasure chests scattered throughout the land. It is a mystery what each one contains, but it (most likely) will aide you on your quest! If you find an ability you already have, you can sell it at the shop for Pretty Petals!

Locations

• Cat Castle Town: The central town of the Cat Kingdom. Here you will find many shops with items that will help you on your journey, as well as mini-games to pass the time with.
  
• Roo Express: The train that serves the Cat Kingdom. Ride this train to get around to different areas!
  Underground Forest: A place underground with plenty of trees and views of the sky above.
  
• Mt. Bophades: A volcanic mountain in the snowy north.

Friends

• Parker: Lance's partner and also lead engineer of the Roo Express. Parker is a Kangaroo/Deer with a love of trains and the power to create magic portals.
  
• Ruby: A yee-haw beaver who has power over water, Ruby is in charge of the Aquatic Exhibit and studies marine life and liquid Metamagic.
  
• Suzette: A stoic leopard gecko who has power over the earth, Suzette can tunnel through the earth with ease. She lives in the Underground Forest and studies rocks and other hard Metamagic. Despite being so grounded, Suzette's girlfriend Olivia is a bird who flies in the sky!
  
• Trent: A mischievous fox with the power over fire and ice, Trent lives in Mt. Bophades and helps keep the volcano under control – a job Trent does well, despite being slightly irresponsible.
  
• Olivia: A cockatiel who flies through the skies and has power over the wind, Olivia is the leader of the Sky Cat Airship Fleet, the Cat Kingdom's air travel service.
  
• Claire: The leader of the Knights of the Shield Cats, Claire takes her job seriously and does whatever she can to help protect the kingdom.
  King King Cat the Cat: The king of the Cat Kingdom, King King Cat the Cat was elected to rule and, despite being clumsy and forgetful, does his job well.
  
• Willow: Willow is a magical fox that appears to some people. It is said that she can record your journey and come to you in times of trouble to give you a second chance.
  
• Marcus: A digital fox that lives inside of the Fox Box, a small communications device that citizens of the Cat Kingdom use to talk to each other over long distances.

Game Modes

• Difficulty – Chill: An easier mode where enemies do less damage and are less aggressive, and drop more items and whatnot to help you on your journey. For younger players or players who just want to enoy the game.
  
• Difficulty – Regular: The intended game experience, exactly as it was designed.
  
• Difficulty – Tough: Enemies are tougher and also tougher to defeat, and drop less items and whatnot. This mode is for people who really want to test their skills.
  
• Difficulty – Wild: In this mode, Lance's attack is doubled, but so are enemy attacks! This mode is for people who like fast paced action and is the ultimate test of players skills.
  
• Difficulty – Custom: Experience the game the way you like! Change Lance and enemy modifiers, drop rates, and more! Note that achievements cannot be obtained in this mode – It's just for fun!
  
• Speedrun Options: Various options can be enabled for speedrunners, including an in-game timer, automatically skipping cutscenes, reduced scene transition times, and a quick restart button that erases your file and starts from the beginning.

Platforms

• Windows: The game is supported in Windows 10. Older versions of Windows may work, but are not officially supported and no help can be given with these versions. The game supports XInput and DirectInput gamepads, as well as keyboard and mouse input.
  
• Linux: The game is supported in Debian-based versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint. It also works in Arch Linux, but may not work in Red Had Linux. Some additional dependencies may need to be installed depending on your version. The Steam version of Shield Cat only supports x64 builds of Shield Cat for Linux.

Thank you!

• OS: Debian Based
• Processor: 64Bit RequiredMemory: 2 GB RAM
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 Compatible
• Storage: 1 GB available space