This is some great feedback! I definitely wanted to add more abilities but I hit the limitations for the amount of code that fits on a Pico8 cart (and my ability to optimise it😅). So I might need to consider porting the game to a different engine if I want to take this idea much further. Unlocking the different playmodes might be possible though?
- I agree I should probably just always let the player keep firing after the last charge in Onslaught+. It was a weird holdover from when I was first experimenting with having an infinite point scoring mode.
- I personally don't mind the Mimic sometimes re-selecting the same ability sometimes, as I feel that's the risk/randomness of performing a swap with that ability active (like a physical dice, sometimes you roll the same number twice). But I'll keep your suggestion in mind if I make future tweaks.
- I also agree that the visual design of the special enemies makes them look VERY similar and I sometimes forget which one does what if they aren't actively about to attack. Either that or post a little visual guide/cheat-sheet for identifying each of them