👋 Hey everyone
After a ton of work, the first full boss battle in BitJump (my retro style platformer game) is finally done — and fully playable in World 1-4!
This fight has been a huge milestone for the project, combining multi-phase logic, dynamic music, attack telegraphs, and reactive hit behaviors — all in GameMaker. I would love to hear what you think — gameplay feedback, difficulty impressions, or any bugs you spot are super helpful! You can try it out in the latest build of my game prototype on itch:
Play the prototype yourself:
https://sofaspartan.itch.io/bitjump
See a video of the boss battle in action. Below the video you can read some details about the boss.
Below I've outlined some general information about the boss if you are curious!
⚔️ Boss Overview
Meet King Block — a massive floating cube with a crown and two giant hands.
Use your boomerang to knock out his hands, then strike his body to deal damage!
He’s got a wide variety of attacks:
- Fireball & Triple Fireball Volley — slow and fast variations that change by phase
- Bomb Drop — drops timed bombs that explode on impact
- Enemy Summon — spawns jumper enemies to keep you moving
- Lunge Attack — dramatic ground-slamming dive with full screen shake that leaves the boss vulnerable for close up boomerang attacks
- Smug Heart Drop (Phase 1 only) — sometimes drops a block that breaks open to reveal a heart, almost as if mocking you while showing off
He also adapts dynamically during the fight:
- If you’re beneath him, he’ll favor dropping bombs
- If you’re further away, he’ll summon jumper enemies
🟥 Phases & Music
Phase 1:
- Standard boss music
- Slower pacing, longer recovery for disabled hands
- Chance for “smug” heart drop
- Fewer triple fireball volleys
Phase 2:
- Faster, more intense version of the boss theme
- Hands recover quicker
- Lunges and triple volleys become more frequent
Phase 3:
- Ceases attacks entirely
- Plays a somber version of the theme
- Ends in a spectacular explosion and spawns the goal flag