Greetings, Sky Sailors! In this Devlog, we will be doing a deep dive on the evil minions of Corruption, the enemies! Let’s get to it.
To learn more about these ferocious foes, we must first understand their purpose and why they exist in the first place, so let’s talk about Corruption.
The game’s antagonist, the Corruption, is a mysterious invader in the world of Aloft. It is an infectious parasitic fungi that aims to completely overtake an island’s ecosystem by preying on other fungi, but also on fauna and flora. Visually, Corruption is always disproportionately large and pulsating, with unnatural colours. It can reproduce and grow fruiting bodies that protect themselves through a variety of defence mechanisms.
The Corruption presents itself in 3 different strains: Mykter, Sportox, and Flogade. They each have a visual language and general rules that apply to each of their forms.
Mykter: is recognized by its yellow vines and small, fibery mushrooms.
Sportox: is recognized by its orange tissue and spore fumes.
Flogade: is recognized by its black tissue, spikes, as well as its red, scorching hot ooze.
The Corruption features central fruiting bodies called Nodes, which are the heart of the parasitic infestation. Nodes can alert nearby monsters when attacked, endure substantial damage, and even spawn new monsters to claim the upper hand. Cleansing a Node involves safely destroying its protective outer shell and inner fruit without spreading its spores, resulting in the restoration of the island and the death of all that once contaminated it. While destroying a Node prevents its immediate threat, uncleansed roots may lead to its eventual regrowth.
The Mykter Node, despite being the lowest tier strain, is a very powerful entity. It appears as a towering structure with the ability to fully corrupt an island. Using its solid cage-like shell and dangerous independent tentacles that aim to ensnare players, it is very successful at keeping undesirable intruders away from its spore-producing core.
Now that we have a better understanding of Corruption, its strains and Nodes, let’s learn about its sinister servants!
Who are the enemies you ask? They are mushroom-like monsters that serve as the keepers of Corruption. They can only be found scattered on corrupted islands, are activated when players walk near them, and by disturbances to the Node. They are combative creatures that aim to protect the Nodes at all costs! There are four enemy types (for now đź‘€) in the world of Aloft: the Guard, the Coward, the Shrieker, and the Devourer. Each enemy can exist in all three of the fungi strains, with more dangerous variants situated at the highest altitudes and inner rings of the hurricane. Fun guys, amirite?
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Guards are the frontlines of Corruption, and can be found dormant in large numbers on infected islands. Guards will awaken and attempt to overwhelm the player by their sheer number and relentless strikes. They pose a significant threat, especially when combined with other enemy types. The Guards will even go as far as leaping to reach players, but return to dormancy if they are unable to engage them. If that wasn't enough, higher strains of Guards can use their mushroom cap as a shield, hindering frontal attacks, and sometimes throw it at their foes to incapacitate them from a distance.
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Cowards, like their name suggests, are annoyingly cautious adversaries, preferring to avoid direct confrontation and fleeing when they feel threatened. Cowards become courageously confident when allied with other enemies or positioned advantageously, resulting in them celebrating minor victories and taunting players. Despite being one of the weakest foes, they rely on pestering players by throwing projectiles at them from a distance, aiming to maintain the space between them. This forces the player into pursuit to eliminate them, which distracts from other threats. Cowards can even hurl projectiles while the player is airborne, adding complexity to defensive strategies. Higher Coward strains may dodge projectiles, and can inflict damage overtime with their attacks.
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Shriekers, while capable of defending themselves, also prefer indirect conflict, and provide support to their allies. Often found attached beneath islands like starfish, they awaken to fly amidst enemy hordes, using their heads to inflate to an impressive size. They then use the amassed air to emit a piercingly loud shriek, bolstering their allies on the battlefield. Agile in flight, they pose a challenge when engaged in aerial combat, as they swiftly evade heavy airborne assaults. Using their drill attack, they charge at players and inflict damage upon contact. If this special strike is successfully dodged by the player, the Shrieker becomes temporarily immobilised, granting an opportunity for a counterattack.
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Devourers, acting as formidable mini-bosses, exhibit remarkable destructive agility and displacing abilities. Indifferent to their allies or environments, they inflict harm by periodically transforming into ball form, rolling towards their opponents. Their bouncy mushroom cap aids the player in gaining height during combat. Devourers can be tripped to expose their weak point using an upslash or charged leap attack, thus interrupting the roll attack, and rendering them prone and vulnerable. They struggle to regain footing in this state and are susceptible to further damage. Higher tiers of Devourer are more aggressive in their rolling behaviour and use of displacing abilities.
That’s it, folks! We hope you now have a better understanding of Aloft’s enemies and the Corruption for which they protect. We look forward to seeing our players engage in a variety of combat styles to defeat the enemies, cleanse the Corruption, and restore islands back to their original state.
All content and features presented in the Devlog are subject to change in order to offer the best possible experience to players.
Before ending the Devlog, we want to share some small updates with you:
We recently hosted a building contest on our Discord! Participants were given four categories to inspire their submissions: Sailing, Building & Decor, Gardening & Animals, and Machinery & Automation. Let’s take a look at the finalists!
For the Sailing category: fenir_d
For the Building & Decor category: drasticbubble12
For the Gardening & Animals category: caelnu
For the Automated Machinery category: reddonut
Congratulations to the winners!
Lastly, we’re happy to announce the official Aloft
Wiki! The Wiki is a community-run initiative, so feel free to contribute by creating new articles or expanding on existing ones. We have a dedicated forum on our community Discord to discuss all things Wiki.
Exclusive content, exciting contests, and a lovely community, oh my! Join our Discord for all things Aloft.
Aloft is participating in the London Games Festival as part of the International Innovators category! Many great games from London and around the world are partaking in the event. Check out the celebration on Steam from April 9th to April 25th! A gameplay video narrated by our game designer Nico, will be live on the London Games Festival