Amorphous+

Amorphous+

Details
Name	Amorphous+
Author	innocuousGames
Genre	Action
Published	08-02-2008
In-Game Awards?	Yes
Gameplay Style	Top Down Slash'em Up
Upgrade System?	Yes

Amorphous+ is a top-down view action game that has you playing as a bald human in blue garb. You exterminate nests of creatures known as Glooples using an enormous sword: the SplatMaster3000. The game is a half-sequel half-update to the original Amorphous, both developed by innocuousGames.

Controls[]

Use the mouse cursor to move and change direction
Left click to make a sword swing
A/S/D to use Equipped Rewards
Spacebar pauses the game
X immediately exits to the main menu
N advances to the next music track
M displays the name of the current track

Gameplay[]

There are three modes of play: Single Nest, Bounty Run, and Practice. In Single Nest mode, you chose to fight through a nest of 200 (Small), 350 (Big), or 500 (Huge) Glooples. Killing the required number of Glooples (and clearing the field of any remaining) will result in victory and a "Clear Nest" score bonus depending on the size of the nest. In Bounty Run, you fight in an endless nest with the (implicit) goal of scoring as high as possible. There are three options for the spawning speed in this mode: Slow, Normal and Fast. In both of these modes, play begins with only Green Glooples able to spawn. However, over time, new Glooples are added to the spawning pool, with gameplay typically becoming harder as more are added. Glooples are unlocked in the Bestiary when first encountered in a nest, whereupon they can be fought at will in Practice mode. Certain Glooples do not spawn in Small or even Big nests, with all spawning in Huge nests and Bounty Run mode. Unlocking a Gloople in the Bestiary is also a requirement for Tips relating to that Gloople to be shown before a game.

Practice mode provides a controlled endless environment in which usable equipment recharges much faster and scoring is disabled. In this mode the spawning pool is fixed, instead being selected in advance by the player from amongst those Glooples encountered so far (i.e. those which are unlocked in the Bestiary)—even those which do not spawn naturally, such as Oozles. Additionally, almost all awards cannot be earnt in Practice mode.

During play, Awards can be earnt for achieving certain feats (e.g. killing an Oozle; reaching a score of 200). Each 10 Awards earnt gives the player Reward Key, which can be used to unlock any locked Reward: equipment which can be used to assist you during play (e.g. Reactive Armor).

Upon earning 25 Awards, Hardcore Mode is unlocked as a toggle in the main menu. When enabled, play begins with all encountered Glooples in the spawning pool, overriding the difficulty ramp. Note that some Glooples are still limited by other conditions, such as how far the player has made it into the current nest, and the size of the nest.

Scoring[]

You start a nest start with a score of 0. Score is accumulated by splatting Glooples, typically with blade swings. A single Gloople kill is worth score equal to its bounty. However, the score of a single swing which splats multiple Glooples is equal to the number of Glooples times the sum of their bounties. This makes combos by far the best way of reaching a high score, sometimes accumulating hundreds of points at a time.

Glooples[]

Green Gloople: The most basic Gloople and the only one that starts unlocked. These are always the first Gloople in the spawning pool of any nest. They enter play at a seemingly random angle and travel in a straight line until acted upon. Though they are completely incapable of directly causing harm, contact with one will stumble the player for a moment, preventing all action and movement and leaving you vulnerable to threats. Upon contact with a body, it will simply bounce and continue in another direction. When two Green Glooples touch, there is a chance that the they will merge by means of 'reverse mitosis', forming an Oozle after a moment. During their combination, they can be splatted as one entity for 2 bounty. This process can continue further between Green Glooples and their products. A Green Gloople is worth 1 bounty.

Stickie: Found in any nest, Stickies move similarly to Green Glooples, with the exception that they enter play pointed towards the player's current position. They burst upon bumping into anything or when splat, though the former not count as a kill by the player. Upon bursting, a Stickie's yellow goo splat persists for 5 seconds. During this time, creatures that enter it (with some exceptions) are covered with Stickie goo, slowing their movement speed significantly. However, being covered in Stickie goo also has some beneficial effects relating to its insulating properties. In addition, Biters and Fuzzles are incapable of beginning a lunge while enveloped—becoming covered during a lunge will not stop it—and Torchies are extinguished. A Stickie is worth 3 bounty.

Biter: Found a short way into any nest, Biters turn quickly towards the player and will lunge when directly facing you at close range. Contact with a Biter during a lunge will result in death as the Biter knocks down and profusely gouges the player with its teeth. Biters are unable to begin a lunge while covered in Stickie goo, though a lunge which has begun is not made safe should the Biter be covered during it. When two Biters touch, there is a small chance they will combine into a Horror. The combination can however be splat while merging in one swing for 16 bounty. A Biter is worth 8 bounty.

Meltie: Found in any nest, Melties will slowly turn towards the player as they travel. Similarly to Stickies, they burst upon colliding with anything or when splat. Upon bursting, their orange goo splat persists for 5 seconds. During this time, almost all creatures that enter it will melt and disappear over the course of approximately a second, during which time their movement is slowed to a crawl, but they can be splat normally. Meltie acid means instant death for the player. A Meltie is worth 10 bounty.

Sharp: Found only in Big and Huge nests, Sharps will seek out the player similarly to a Biter, but more slowly and with a sharper (no pun intended) turning circle. When in front of a creature or a hazardous goo splat, a Sharp will extend spikes from its body. With its spikes extended, a Sharp is immune to goo splats and most forms of damage, and will burst most Glooples it collides with as well as impaling the player. This means that a Sharp can usually only be splat from behind or the side. When swung at with its spikes out, a Sharp is knocked in the direction of the swing, potentially redirecting it into another Gloople or out of play. Unlike swinging at a (hardened) Gray or Grinder, this manoeuvre will not stun the player. A Sharp is worth 12 bounty.

Clutter: Found in any nest, Clutters will approach the player while trying to maintain a safe distance. They will then periodically spit baby Clutters at the player. If a spat baby Clutter hits you, it will stick to you, slowing you down slightly. Otherwise it will splat on the ground or against any other body it hits. This slow accumulates with more stuck babies, eventually preventing movement (but not turning) and even swinging entirely. Spinning around rapidly will make baby Clutters detach more quickly. When loose, baby Clutters will rapidly grow into adults which will begin spitting as well. A baby Clutter is worth 3 bounty. Upon bursting, an adult Clutter releases between 1 and 3 baby Clutters. A Clutter is worth 8 bounty.

Inkie: Found further into Big and Huge nests, they will aim their path towards you. If they crash into you, you will be rendered temporarily blind. Upon death, they leave goo like Melties and Stickies. This black "ink" will make anything to walk through it slide across the floor for a short distance. An Inkie is worth 8 bounty.

Grinder: Found further into Big and Huge nests, Grinders are nearly invulnerable to all forms of damage. They are only defeatable if they are put into a weakened state prior to attack. This can be achieved buy having a Grinder hit another Grinder, hitting something that explodes (like a Torchie, a grenade, or by rolling over and damaging the SCAER), bumping into a Gray while it is in its defensive mode, or rolling through a Meltie's acidic goo. Once weakened, the cracks in their body will glow, and they can be killed in 5 hits. It is commonly considered a better tactic to not attempt killing them, and rather focus on other things while trying not to be run over. A Grinder is worth 100 bounty.

Fuzzle: Found further into Big and Huge nests, Fuzzles are like an upgraded form of the Biter. They lunge farther and more accurately and take 3 strikes to kill. 2 strikes will strip them of their fur and make them attempt keeping their distance long enough to regrow it. If it regrows, they will be at full health again, once more requiring all 3 strikes with your sword to be killed. Meltie acid goo will burn away their fur after a moment, unless they are covered in Stickie goo (in which case it will have no effect). The only negative difference from the Biters is that they pause briefly before lunging (though they can turn sharply while aiming). A Fuzzle is worth 14 bounty.

Oozle: Does not spawn naturally, but instead is formed by the reverse mitosis of a pair of Green Glooples. Oozles are slow but will follow you in an attempt to absorb you into their bodies. It takes 3 slashes to kill them, though being hit will not slow them nor alter their course in any way. It is therefore advisable to sidestep and slash from behind. If they touch another Green Gloople, they may initiate further reverse mitosis into a Gray. Slashing during the fusion cancels it, awarding a splat worth 2 bounty and returning an (undamaged) Oozle. An Oozle is worth 15 bounty.

Torchie: Found deep into Huge nests. Torchies will ignite when they enter play, remaining so for a moderate amount of time. While lit, they leave a regular trail of small flames which remain for a while, though they can be stamped out or swiped. After some time, they will naturally lose their flame, only regaining it upon contact with another source of fire (such as the small flames they leave behind). They will also be put out if covered in Stickie goo, if passing through Meltie acid (to which they are otherwise immune), or if frozen by a Frostie. Upon contact with any flammable creature, they will spread flame to it which will typically burn it to death after a number of seconds. Lit creatures will also spread fire to others they touch. Torchies will explode if killed while lit, killing most creatures in a moderate radius, so it is advisable to stay clear of them unless they can be safely extinguished first. They can however be slain to no ill effect while extinguished. Note that Inkies will also explode if they touch any flame (except the small flames left behind a lit Torchie) before bursting. A Torchie is worth 28 bounty.

Frostie: Found deep into Huge nests, Frosties are extremely fast and turn quickly towards the player. They will burst upon contact, causing them to freeze most creatures in their vicinity. Though the range of their freeze is larger than that of the SplatMaster3000, the duration of the freeze diminishes with distance, making it (somewhat) safe to splat them at maximum range. While a creature—including the player—is frozen, it will shatter upon any contact. Frozen creatures also award no bounty. The player can break free from the ice more quickly by alternating the cursor above and below the character. A Frostie is worth 8 bounty.

Gray: Found in any nest but only through the reverse mitosis of an Oozle and a Green Gloople. They attack by projecting a lance like appendage out of their body, trying to impale its target. It instantaneously hardens into an invulnerable state at any sign of harm and the only way to hurt them in to strike while they are in mid lance thrust. It takes 3 hits to kill them. They may also perform reverse mitosis yet again if it collides with another Green Gloople forming a Void Eater. A Gray is worth 35 bounty.

Amalgam: Found late in a huge nest and very rarely at the end of a nest of any size. They will actively chase you and absorb anything to come into contact with them. They grow and gain 1 hit point with every item they absorb, making them dangerous to both you and other Glooples. If they grow large enough, they will split into 2 amalgams. Occasionally, striking them will forcefully split one amalgam into 2. It is recommended you deal with one as quickly as you can, due to its very dangerous ability to grow and multiply. An Amalgam is worth 30 bounty.

Horror: Found anywhere but only as the result of the reverse mitosis of 2 Biters. They chase you down occasionally launching small teeth that can kill you, and transform Green Glooples into more Biters. They will also sometimes stop and split 4 flying toothed disks to fly at you in an attempt to literally slice your body in two. When these disks are flying, the main body is left with no teeth left, making it vulnerable to attack. It is killed in 1 hit, but is completely invulnerable in all other states. It may NOT perform reverse mitosis any further. A Horror is worth 50 bounty.

Void Eater: Found anywhere but only as the result of the reverse mitosis of a Gray and another Green Gloople. They have 2 attacks of extraordinary power. The first of which is a gravity well that draws all things towards its compacted body. When it detects that it has drawn something close enough, it will rapidly expand its body, causing a deadly shock wave. The second attack is to charge up and fire a gravity laser that will drawn in and incinerate all things in the area. To kill a Void Eater, it is recommended to stay far away until it charges a laser beam. At this point try to arrange yourself so that as you are drawn towards the beam, you are also drawn towards the body of the Void Eater. You may then proceed to swing your SplatMaster3000 into the creature. It is NOT recommended to charge at it during a gravity well, as it will simply kill you with the shock wave first. It is also NOT recommended to strike while it is idle because it had a tendency to quickly activate a gravity well/shock wave combo when you come close. It may NOT perform reverse mitosis any further. A Void Eater is worth 50 bounty.

Queen: May appear at the end of any nest. She is armed with large blade like weapons. To kill her, you must strike her in the main center body, not a blade. As she is on the game field, she releases small insects that bond with various types of Glooples as they touch. If there is an insect infested Gloople on the field when the Queen dies, the Gloople with mutate into a new Queen. A Queen is worth 75 bounty.

Razor Queen: May appear at the end of any nest on rare occasion, but only if you have a full bestiary. The Razor Queen is covered in blades, takes five hits to kill (with rewards like Grenade doing one damage), and has several weapons at her disposal. Firstly, she has a lunge attack, which is unblockable, but can be easily dodged. This is one of two times that one can attack her, by sidestepping, and slashing her when she's open. Sometimes she swings her tail at you immediately afterwards, so be careful. The duration of the swing is rather long, and sometimes the Queen's side-blades are open leaving another chance to deal another hit immediately after the first one. Taking advantage of this opportunity drastically reduces the amount of time spent fighting. However, the Queen may swing her tail yet another time after this, and usually covers her weak spot during the second swing. She has spiky larva, which are dropped regularly, that act as sorts of mines, exploding and killing you if you get too close. They can be destroyed with a swing, though. Thirdly, the Razor Queen has a turret mode, in which she is invincible (except to rewards such as Grenade and Box Gun). In this mode, she shoots out giant spikes, which may be dodged with some difficulty. Worse yet, she also spits out burrowing Razor Mites, which are especially deadly, and must be swung at in mid-attack to be destroyed. The Razor Queen also spits out spike balls, but they can be used to one's advantage, as the block spikes well. If you die, you may retry the battle a few times. A Razor Queen is worth 500 bounty.

Rewards[]

You unlock the rewards by using a key, which is gotten by either unlocking 10 awards (for the first 11 rewards) or by defeating the Razor Queen without using any of the rewards (for the last reward)

In order from left to right.

First Row:

Sprint: Allows you to run much more quickly for a brief period of time. Recharges while neither moving nor attacking.

Grenade: An explosive that is thrown a short distance in front of the player and detonates within a short period of time. Destroys everything within blast radius (except Grinders, but they are turned into their weakened state if hit - though interestingly enough they are immune to the grenade in that state), including the player if you are not careful. Starts recharging after explosion.

Lure: A small sphere that emits a gas when thrown and activated. The gas is apparently attractive to Glooples and will attract all Glooples except the Queen and the Razor Queen. The Green Gloople and the Stickie only travel in one path so they cannot turn in order to get to it. Starts recharging after the gas has stopped emitting.

Inhibitor: A small device that pulses thin rays of electrostatic waves that confuse the nest when activated, causing Glooples to spawn at a lower rate for a short time and allowing players a period of respite. Starts recharging once pulses stop.

Hazard Suit: A suit of very resistant fabric that allows players to go through hazardous substances unharmed while wearing it. While in hazardous substances it will slowly lose it's charge, until it is completely depleted, where it will explode and become inactive. It is resistant against: Stickie goo; Meltie acid; Inkie ink; Clutter babies; Torchie fire; Frostie ice; and the Void Eater's gravity pull (not the pulse or the gravity beam, those will kill you still.)

Saw Drone: A small 4-pointed star made of metal that will spin once thrown and activated. After spinning fast enough it will become a propeller and spin around, destroying everything in its path, including you. If it is hit by your SplatMaster3000/Razor Glaive or an indestructable surface (Grinder, Void Eater's beam, Queen's razors, etc.) it will explode immediately, making it more useful against weaker enemies. It will avoid you at all costs and chase down Glooples, making it hard to get killed by it. Once it is activated it will slowly lose its charge and deactivate once its charge is completely depleted. Starts recharging once destroyed or fully depleted of charge.

Second Row:

Instant Wall: Deemed useless by many, this small rectangular explosive will detonate when thrown and activated. During the explosion the rectangle will expland into a large stoney wall of the same shape. The stone wall has cracks in it signifying its condition, since if enough damage is done to the wall, it will break apart. The wall protects against some Glooples, while others can damage and destroy it. Your SplatMaster3000/Razor Glaive can damage it also and if you run into it will be as if you bumped into a Green Gloople. Starts recharging once destroyed.

Repulsor: A brightly colored stake that creates a large repulsor field when thrown and activated. The repulsor field allows the player to easily move throughout it but pushes away Glooples who try to enter the center of the field, creating a useful field against most Glooples. Grinders are so large that they can resist the push enough to crush you inside, while Queens and Razor Queens can lunge into the center and slice you, although they cannot get there normally. The stake can be destroyed by outside sources, which is unlikely because of the field it creates. Starts recharging once the field disappears.

Box Gun (SCAER): The SCAER is a portable turret emplacement that is tossed as a box when activated. When set up, it will periodically shoot the nearest Gloople, usually killing them outright. It can fire up to 30 rounds, after which it will self destruct, killing creatures in a small radius. It will also explode if destroyed prematurely by hard objects or rogue swings. Be careful, as despite its attempts to avoid shooting you, you can still be hit by accident if you move in front of the Gloople it is aiming for, or if a shot ricochets off a hard target. Starts recharging once destroyed.

Teleporter: As its name suggests, the Teleporter is a small box which acts as a receiver pad for a decentralised teleport. The first activation tosses and permanently places the receiver pad. Future activations will immediately teleport the player to that spot, which can be useful to get out of tight situations. The pad cannot be destroyed, and can be used only when fully charged. Starts recharging once activated.

Reactive Armor: The Reactive Armor [sic] is typically regarded as one of the most useful Rewards due to its power and its passive nature. When Equipped, the armour effectively acts as a second life. Almost all deadly attacks against the player will destroy the armour, resulting in a large explosion that kills all nearby Glooples (usually including the attacker) while leaving the player unscathed. It does not recharge. Note that some threats, such as Grinders Meltie acid, or the Void Eater's density beam will kill the player regardless.

Razor Glaive: The Razor Glaive cannot be acquired using a Reward Key. Instead it is unlocked using the Special Key, which is awarded for killing the fearsome Razor Queen, an extremely rare and difficult foe. When Equipped, this Reward replaces the SplatMaster3000 as your primary weapon. It resembles one of the front blades of the Razor Queen, though it is slightly larger, and has a handle attached to the base. While Equipped, the player's movement speed is slightly reduced. In return, the player is granted a much larger swing which is equivalent in power to 3 swings of the SplatMaster3000. In addition, a swing from the Razor Glaive can kill Sharps with their spikes are out and crack a Grinder's outer shell. It is a passive with no use limit, and is typically the most sought-after Reward—with good reason.

Reward Slots[]

You begin the game with one Reward slot with which to Equip them. A second Reward slot is be unlocked once you have earnt 55 awards, and a third and final upon earning all 110 awards. A common mid-game loadout is the Reactive Armor and Hazard Suit, providing excellent defence from most threats.

Trivia[]

The quickest way to fill the Bestiary is typically by playing Fast Bounty Run since Huge-nest−only enemies do not take long to appear.
It is possible to kill the Void Eater between gravity well discharges. Though the SplatMaster3000 has smaller range than the Void Eater's shockwave blast, you can charge towards it, quickly step back to avoid the shockwave, then run in and swing before it can discharge again.
The high scores for this game currently do not work.