Combat System Update: Hit&Hurt Areas and Bumping Enemy

Hey ludonauts!

I'm excited to share this week's update to the Platformer Essentials Cookbook. We're diving into combat systems, specifically how to implement Hit & Hurt Areas along with a classic "goomba-style" bumping enemy. If you've been looking for a simple but effective way to add combat to your platformer, this is for you!

Why This Combat System?

When I was developing Kitchen Tales, I struggled with creating a reliable combat system that wasn't overly complex. After lots of experimentation, I realized the key was building a two-sided system: one component that deals damage (HitArea) and another that receives it (HurtArea). This approach keeps things clean and modular.

The beauty of this system is its flexibility. Once you have these two core components, you can attach them to almost anything in your game. Want a deadly trap? Add a HitArea. Need a destructible crate? Just use a HurtArea to process the player's damage. Enemies, projectiles, environmental hazards - they all work with this same foundation.

What's in This Update

This week's recipes cover two main implementations:

• Hit & Hurt Areas (Hazard recipe): The fundamental system for dealing and receiving damage. You'll learn how to set up hitboxes and hurtboxes that work together seamlessly and create a Spike object that deals damage to player leveraging this system.
• Bumping Enemy Recipe: Using a Moving Character combined with a HitArea, we create a classic enemy inspired by Super Mario's goombas. These enemies damage the player on contact, making them perfect for your first platformer adversaries.

In the following video (check out the devlog for the full tutorial), we show these systems in action with bombs, craters, and enemies from our Making a Playable Level tutorial. Everything integrates smoothly with the existing Platformer Essentials framework.

Getting Creative with Combat

One thing I want to emphasize is how these systems encourage creativity. Because they're modular, you can mix and match them in unexpected ways. In our examples, we created destructible crates using only the HurtArea component - no complex scripting needed. We also show how to set up bombs and environmental hazards that feel dangerous and responsive.

Adding hazards and enemies does more than just increase difficulty. They help bring your world to life and guide players toward the experience you want to create. A well-placed enemy can teach a mechanic, while environmental hazards can direct attention to alternate paths.

How to Get Started

The Hazard and Bumping Enemy recipes are available in all tiers of the Platformer Essentials Cookbook. If you haven't picked up the book yet, now's a great time to start. The $9.99 tier includes these recipes, and you can always upgrade to higher tiers when you're ready for more advanced content.

Head over to the full tutorial chapters to see step-by-step implementation guides. Whether you're building your first platformer or adding depth to an existing project, these systems will give you a solid foundation for combat mechanics.

Final Thoughts

I hope this update helps you add that extra layer of challenge and engagement to your games. Combat systems can seem intimidating at first, but breaking them down into Hit and Hurt components makes everything manageable.

If you found this useful, please share it with your fellow Godot developers. You can also gift the Platformer Essentials Cookbook through itch.io's built-in gift feature, or send interested developers my way for special offers.

Thanks for all your support, and I'll see you in next week's update!

— Henrique Campos