I know you wanted feedback on the new ships, but how do I unlock ships? The game doesn't seem to explain how. Apparently I'm not very good because I couldn't get past the 4th or 5th flux rounds. I played about 10 runs, but didn't unlock any ships. Sorry!
The roguelike gameplay loop is tried and true and works well here. Upgrading the ship is fun and the randomness makes the runs not feel too repetitive.
The art is not bad! I think the easiest ways you can improve the art are:
- Implement visual hierarchy in your UI. Limit the number of fonts (try limiting to 2) and font-sizes (try limiting to 3 or 4). Use the largest font for the name of your game or menu titles, the large font for card names and important gameplay UI, the medium font for menu buttons and UI, small font for card text.
- Increase contrast. Some gameplay elements like spawn portals and barriers are hard to read. Use darker colors to contrast the background. Add drop shadows to your UI text.
- Iterate the visual/particle effects. Try longer engine trails for the ships that trace out the movement. Add subtle screen shake when your ship is hit. Add a screen overlay effect when your ship is hit.
- Add an accent color! The blue/purple color scheme works, but add a contrasting color (like yellow or orange) to give the screen more pop. Use the accent color to highlight important gameplay elements (like your health bar or enemy portals)
One gameplay critique: Make enemy ships have different movement patterns and speeds, don't always chase the player because otherwise the gameplay is just kiting enemies (running backwards while shooting) which can get boring quickly.
Overall great job! Keep it up.