(Discussion thread on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/3o96j5/happenings_project_socjus_update_gameplay_details/)

This week, we’ll take a more in-depth look at some of the planned gameplay features and mechanics for Project SOCJUS.

Playable Characters and Game Length

Project SOCJUS will feature four playable characters: Vivian, /v/, Gilda, and Freya. While the fourth playable character was initially going to be voted on from a shortlist, we’ve decided to make Freya the final playable character to simplify the development process, so that we’ll know in advance which characters we need to develop assets for.

Each character’s campaign will feature the same levels, but in different orders, with changes in the story and dialogue between each one. Each character will also have different fighting styles and abilities, to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting on each playthrough. It should take around 5-8 hours to complete each campaign, for a total of playtime of 20-30 hours; our focus will be on creating fun, satisfying core gameplay and engaging story content, rather than padding the game’s length for the sake of hitting a target number. Depending on our progress by next year, we may release Vivian’s campaign first, and release the other characters as DLC (Downloadable Content) later – completely for free!

Exploration

Exploration is going to be a major part of the game, similar to a Metroidvania; while the story in each campaign is linear, the player will be able to choose from different routes to reach their destination, and will be allowed to freely explore the interconnected areas of the city, finding hidden secrets, equipment, data files, optional bosses, and much more. After a certain in-game event, it will also be possible to find and recruit certain NPCs into Infinity, the resistance group that Vivian and the other main characters are part of (more on this feature in a later update; for those who asked last week, board-tans may appear as cameos here).

As the player progresses through the game, Vivian will gain new weapons and abilities (concepts for which can be seen here), some of which will allow her to bypass various obstacles or explore new areas that were previously unreachable. Some of the areas we have planned for the game include:

• Pleb Plaza

• Geofront Sector 4

• Cuckoo Media District

• Ministry of Knowledge

• SocJus Headquarters

(We’ll be posting concept art for each of these areas in the coming months, so look forward to it then!)

Combo Rank System

When performing a combo, you will receive a combo ranking; the ranking increases based on combo length, number of weapons used in the combo, special attacks, air juggling, and finishing move used. A combo will continue until you get hit, there are no enemies left in the room, or the combo timer runs out. The higher your combo ranking, the greater the reward when defeating enemies; enemies will give increased EXP (experience points), and have a greater chance of dropping rare items.

Blocking and Parrying

Inspired by Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Project SOCJUS will feature a parrying mechanic as part of the game’s combat. A Parry is performed by blocking an attack just before it connects, causing the enemy to be temporarily stunned, leaving them open to counterattacks. Parrying ranged attacks will deflect them towards the attacker. More skilled players can attempt to perform a Perfect Parry by blocking an attack at the exact moment it hits; while the window of opportunity is smaller, it will cause your counterattack to deal critical damage and grant bonus combo points, in addition to stunning the enemy for a longer period of time.

Once Vivian acquires the Shield, she’ll gain the Barrier Block ability, which will allow her to block any attack, including previously unblockable attacks, for a small Energy cost. Barrier Blocking uses up Energy for every attack blocked, but not every attack needs to be Barrier Blocked. Barrier Blocking will replace Vivian’s default Guard command, but it can be disabled for more advanced players, in which case Barrier Block can be activated by pressing Up + Guard, allowing the player to save Energy when blocking.

Parrying will also be a feature of boss fights. Parrying a boss’s attacks will not stun them; instead, it will raise their Stun Gauge. When the Stun Gauge is filled, the boss will be stunned for an extended period of time, allowing you to perform longer combos and increase your combo score.

(Note that current mechanic names are just placeholders; we’ll be replacing them with more thematically appropriate names in the final game.)

Cosmetic Options

Over the last few weeks, we received a lot of questions related to character costumes, which we’d like to address here. The four playable characters will have different costumes and accessories available to them; costumes and accessories will not affect gameplay stats, but will change the character’s appearance. So far, we’re planning to include:

• Hairband options for Vivian: Clover, Ribbon

• Hair color options for Freya: Blonde, Blue

• Costume options for /v/ (only available in /v/’s campaign or New Game+): Normal /v/, Punished /v/

• Armband options for /pol/: Original, Infinity Green, Infinity Red

Going Forward

That’s about it for this update, but before we finish, we’d like to take a moment to update you on our plans for the coming month! Our next milestone goal will be to make a quick video of the game’s platforming engine in action, which we’re planning to release sometime next month. Our original plan was to release the engine demo by the end of this month, but given that we’re only a month and a half into development, the engine needs a little more polishing, and we’re reluctant to show unfinished assets. Also, our team will be taking a short break during the week of Halloween, so there won’t be an update on Oct 31 (though our artist will whip up a little something to celebrate the occasion!).

That’s all for now! Have a great weekend, everyone!

