Story:

The Va'nals Empire is sweeping through the galaxy conquering system after system with their fleet of vat-grown bio-mechanical spacecraft, and the Coryx system is next in the path of destruction. The peaceful people of Coryx VII have never known conflict or war, and are woefully unprepared to face the Va'nals' threat. In a last ditch effort, the greatest scientific minds of Coryx VII gathered together and created the prototype starship X2-SLP "Slipstream", to be piloted by a brave volunteer. Drawing its power from the dreaded bio-mech ships themselves, the Slipstream may be the people of Coryx VII's only hope. Take the controls of the Slipstream, and defend your people!

How to Play:

Defeat increasing waves of bio-mechanical monstrosities as you progress towards the Va'nals' command ship in the hopes of ending the Empire's threat once and for all. The overwhelming power of the Va'nals Empire might make the situation seem hopeless, but the brilliant scientists of Coryx VII have given you an edge. The Slipstream's weapon systems have been designed to convert the biomass of Va'nals' ships into temporary upgrades for the ship. Defeated enemies have a chance of dropping one of several powerups for the Slipstream.

Know Yourself

 X2-SLP "Slipstream"

Pico-8 Controls:

D-pad: Move the Slipstream around the screen

X: Fire Primary Weapon

O: Detonate Bomb (If available)

Keyboard Controls:

Arrow Keys: Move the Slipstream around the screen

X: Fire Primary Weapon

Z: Detonate Bomb (If available)

Powerups:

 1UP 

The Slipstream's nanotech can rebuild itself nearly instantly around your escape pod if you have one or more of these installed. 

  Shield 

The Slipstream projects a field around itself that stops enemy shots cold. Beware though, each shot will weaken the field, and enemy ships can still pass right through it. 

Bomb 

A devastating attack that does massive damage to any enemy ships and vaporizes any enemy shots within the Slipstream's visual range. 

  Spread 

The Slipstream's most powerful upgrade. Unleash waves of firepower as your shots are split in a wide arc in front of the ship. 

Know Your Enemies

 Drone

These ships are mass grown by the Va'nals Empire to attack in suicide waves. Approaching slowly in a wave, Drones will accelerate in a straight line when they've travelled far enough attempting to ram anything unfortunate enough to be in their way. 

Drops .

 Fly

These grotesque abominations resemble massive insects more than a spacecraft. Flies hover in place periodically belching caustic energy in the general direction of the Slipstream, hoping to catch you off guard. 

Drops .

Newt

Although newly released from the spawning vats and still immature, Newts still posses advanced targeting skills. Newts will maintain a distance from the Slipstream and target it with fairly accurate shots. 

Drops   .

 Weapons Platform

Advanced sensors ensures the Weapons Platform is a legitimate threat as it follows the Slipstream spitting energy repeatedly. The good news is that every Weapons Platform carries a payload that is automatically converted into a bomb.

Drops .

Sidewinder

These sneaky ships approach from the sides of the Slipstream's visual range. They will crisscross the Slipstream's path, attempting to complicate your movement. 

Drops .

Iris

The Newt's final stage of growth. More aggressive than the infant version, the Iris has given up directed fire in favor of bombarding the area with multiple shots as it circles the Slipstream. 

Drops  .

Mine

Nearly indestructible until you hit them, Mines are deployed behind the Slipstream. Avoid them at all costs.

Credits:

Defender of Coryx VII was built following Lazy Devs Academy's Basic Shmup Tutorial which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@LazyDevs.

Music was sourced from Pico Tunes Vol. 2 by Gruber. Watch his tutorials at https://www.youtube.com/@Gruber_Music. Boss music by http://sebastianhassler.de/ courtesy of Lazy Devs Academy.