Cristyl King: Shattered

Cristyl King: Shattered is a 3D hack and slash game by Unmasked Software for the Nintendo Switch with an emphasis on a large weapon selection and a dynamic comboing system.
Being the first original game by Unmasked Software, it was approached with care and caution, aiming to put in as much effort as possible at the cost of slow-going development.
==Gameplay==
The bulk of the gameplay comes in the form of a hack and slash with a large variety of weapons, including more guns than typical for a game of this genre and several unorthodox weapons, like microbots that burrow inside enemies or whips that deal almost no damage but can attack incredibly fast. Enemies have moderate to ample health, but hitstun is unusually high for a typical hack and slash, allowing for attacks to flow into each other; with a little practice, one can take out fodder units and most heavy units without giving them a chance to react, and even minor bosses can be comboed nonstop depending on character/weapon choices.
===Combo Collection===
The player has full access to a list of combos that they can perform in-game, called the Combo Collection. This is accessed through the Cristyl Ball that each character carries. To add a combo to the Cristyl Ball, the player must experiment and perform a combo on their own, although there is a small set of combos already added for the default weapons. When looking into the Cristyl Ball, a menu appears to select a combo from a list. Selecting a combo, the player sees a short video of the combo in action, with the required equipment/characters on top of the video and the inputs below the video, the latter of which flashes at the point you press those inputs.
===Assists===
During the player's journey, they will come across many characters; some are friendly and will happily join the team, but some are more hostile and may require some persuasion. Regardless, many assisting characters will journey with the main party at some point. Assist characters can be assigned to the light assist, heavy assist, or both. Performing a light assist is generally used to extend or mix-up your combos, while doing a heavy assist usually makes for a good combo finisher. If you have one character in both slots, they will additionally provide a passive stat bonus.
===Controls===
Action 	Input
Move 	
Move camera 	
Jump 	
Crouch/sneak 	(hold)
Light attack 	
Heavy attack 	
Activate dual-weapon combat mode 	
Activate single-weapon combat mode 	
Activate hand-to-hand combat mode 	
Activate ranged-weapon combat mode 	
Light assist action 	
Heavy assist action 	
Toggle sneak mode (automatic sneaking, hold to uncrouch instead of crouch)	
Display a user-set list of combos from the player's Combo Collection 	(hold)
==Characters==
Name 	Description
Qwartz Qrusher 	Despite Qrusher's stoic nature, he can be a bit of a hothead, especially when his friends are in danger. Specializing in heavy-hitting attacks, combos aren't as useful to Qrusher, and his skills really shine when going unarmed, as when he's without a weapon he can literally pull himself apart and use the chunks of Qwartz as a projectile attack.
Saffyr Savior 	Savior's reserved nature leads many to wonder about her backstory, but she's never gonna tell anyone... right? Specializing in energy-based weapons, her combos are fast, freeform, and have many variations, as most of her attacks can chain right into each other easily. Savior's best combat mode is single-weapon, leaving her other hand free to blast through with waves of light.
Ekzotik Emeryld 	Nobody knows exactly how Ekzotik survived their unfortunate run-in with a black hole, but everyone in the Recon Corps is thankful for (and a little scared of) their newfound powers. With control over spacetime-warping energy beams, powerful neutronium plasma waves, and other various energy weapons, Ekzotik is not a force to be reckoned with, although they're still trying to get the hang of all their new powers. Ekzotik's best combat mode is ranged.
Kunzyte Kunoichi	Kunoichi had the skill and potential to rocket to the top of her ninjutsu class, but lacked the discipline to make it there. She wanted to become the very best dancer, but found her violent ninjutsu kept ruining her dance routines. Embracing this deadly fusion, plus a splash of swordfighting and gunplay, Kunoichi quickly became one of the top mercenaries in all of Cryst. She's mastered all forms of combat, but is especially good at dual-weapon combat, with a gun in one hand and a sword in the other at all times, and she relies heavily on her many combos to do major damage, as she's otherwise somewhat weak.
Bysmuth Beat 	Beat has devoted their entire life to the ways of music. From the moment they set eyes on the old pocket synth that would become their lucky charm, they knew that they wanted to make songs that would both spread joy and push the boundaries of existing musical ideas. Their music tends to stick to the high-energy range, although they have dabbled with calmer music before. Beat plays the jack-of-all-trades, as their versatile musical attacks work well with all combat modes but don't have significant advantages with any of them.
==Chapters==
* Roobi Revolution (associated boss: Ruined Roobi)
** Story: Ruined Roobi, an embittered veteran soldier of the Roobi kingdom, has gone mad, and is attempting to overthrow the government in order to fix imagined flaws and return the Roobi kingdom to its former glory. This would upset the balance of power, so he has to be stopped.
* Amber Ambush (associated boss: Acrimonious Amber)
** Acrimonious Amber takes advantage of the chaos left in the wake of the Roobi Revolution and rises up to take Ruined's place, aiming to incorporate the Roobi kingdom into the Amber Empire and grow incredibly powerful. His goals are ambitious, but he doesn't seem like he can handle the responsibility.
* Ichor Invasion (associated boss: Illusory Ichoria)
** Story: The Cristyl gods themselves call out for help, as grotesque demons whose names have not been heard for thousands of years begin to ascend the staircase to the top of the Cristyl Spheres. You must take a shortcut through the Astral Plane to reach the Spheres and defend the Thrones before the demons arrive. If you succeed in this mission, the gods have a special, powerful gift for you...
* Nephryte Nausea (associated boss: Nebulous Nephryte)
** Story: the Nephryte province, a close ally of the Qwartz kingdom, is under a disgusting curse causing everyone to vomit odd noxious poison. The leader, Nitid Nephryte, seems to be possessed by a spirit known only as Nebulos. After defeating Nebulous Nephryte, however, the spirit inside of her leaves, and Nitid knows nothing about what happened. You return back to base and wait for your next assignment.
* Benityte Blizzard (associated boss: Brittle Benityte)
** Story: The tropical Lake Agate has frozen over, and the cold is not only messing up the ecosystem, but it's actively harming the Cristyls that live nearby. Bubbly Benityte, the leader of the small Benityte clan that inhabits the watery region, is possessed by Blizzos, another spirit that is perhaps related to Nebulos, and unfortunately this time you can't save Bubbly, as he's become too brittle and cold to continue surviving.
* Onyxian Automation (associated boss: Omniscient Onyx)
** Story: the Onyx region is building some awfully disconcerting AIs, and you need to eliminate the threat. What you weren't briefed on, however, was that one of those AIs was transplanted into the brain of the Onyx leader, Opulent Onyx. She dies before you can ask her any questions, and the ramifications of killing both the Onyx and Benityte leaders don't sit easy with you as you return back to base.
* Wretched Win (associated boss: Cristyl Conscience)
** Story: You've eliminated the Onyx AI threat, but at what cost? It's revealed that the Onyx leader was unwillingly merged with the Omniscient Onyx, and your ruthless actions have led to the five of you being kicked out of the Recon Corps. Wandering vagabonds, you retreat into your own minds, and the chapter takes place entirely in your own mindscape. Argue with your conscience to convince it that you had no choice, and escape the depths of your mind to get back on your feet and fight off the very real threat of whoever was masterminding all these disasters.
* Saffyr Soulsearching (associated boss: Rejuvenated Roobi/Scarred Saffyr)
** Saffyr Savior reluctantly admits that she has some unfinished business in her homeland, and since a natural disaster seems to be brewing over the Saffyr kingdom, you head off to take care of both problems. When you arrive, you discover that Ruined Roobi is behind all of these disasters, even the demons attacking the Thrones at the top of the Cristyl Spheres! Now under the moniker Rejuvenated Roobi, he's teamed up with the Saffyr kingdom's dictatorial leader, Scarred Saffyr, in order to conquer all of Cryst.
(story coming soon)
==Bosses==
Name 	Chapter 	Description
Ruined Roobi 	Chapter 1: Roobi Revolution 	An embittered old war veteran, he's got some problems with how he thinks the government is running things, so he starts a revolution to make the Roobi kingdom more powerful than ever. He has no care for the balance of power as long as it's balanced in his favor, and this revolution could cause turmoil throughout the entire planet of Cryst. His mystical powers seem to be enhanced by his addiction to NRG, a popular illegal energy drink throughout Cryst, so perhaps you could choke his supply line...?
Acrimonious Amber 	Chapter 2: Amber Ambush 	A young, somewhat misguided individual who aims to create a more perfect world. Unfortunately, his massive ego is causing him to attempt to create this "more perfect world" in his image, and cull anyone who attempts to get in his way. Despite all his rash decisions, he seems to be causing quite the threat, which may shatter the already unstable Cryst. His acidic powers can melt you down immediately, so try to stay out of the way while you fight him.
Illusory Ichoria 	Chapter 3: Ichor Invasion 	This demon from the underworld aims to silently kill the gods of the universe, and with her demon siblings, take her wrongful place at the Thrones of the Cristyl Spheres. Unfortunately for her, Saffyr the God of Kindness managed to send out a call for help right before she was taken hostage. Her powers are based on illusions, so stay sharp and try to keep your eye on the real demon.
Nebulous Nephryte 	Chapter 4: Nephryte Nausea 	Nitid Nephryte, an old childhood friend of Qwartz Qrusher, has been possessed by a nauseating specter, and this seems to be causing the horrid disease rapidly spreading across the Malachyte Forest. It's clear that Nitid has no willing hand in this, so you need to try and remove Nebulos (that seems to be the spirit's name) from Nitid's body without harming him. Stay away from that vomit while you're at it, it looks pretty toxic.
Brittle Benityte 	Chapter 5: Benityte Blizzard 	Bubbly Benityte seems to be possessed by another spirit, Blizzos. In a similar manner to how you saved Nitid, you must remove Blizzos from Bubbly's body without harming him, although considering how brittle Bubbly has become, that may not be possible. Blizzos's chilling breath and freezing ice beams will make you extremely fragile, so be careful.
Omniscient Onyx 	Chapter 6: Onyxian Automation 	The Onyx region's lavish lifestyle puts them at odds with most of Cryst, and this AI problem only enhances the threat that the Onyx pose. Upon arriving in the area, however, you discover that the most powerful AI they've yet created was merged with Opulent Onyx, the Onyxian leader. The stakes are higher than ever, as there's no telling what the limit to this AI's power is.
Cristyl Conscience 	Chapter 7: Wretched Win 	After defeating Omniscient Onyx, unfortunately killing Opulent Onyx in the process, you are kicked off the Recon Corps for the killing of an innocent leader, upsetting the worldwide balance of power. You retreat into your own mind, wandering aimlessly while you wonder what to do next. Your own conscience turns against you, endlessly bashing every decision you make. You have to convince yourself that you made the correct choices, fight back your conscience, and return to reality.
Scarred Saffyr and Rejuvenated Roobi	Chapter 8: Saffyr Soulsearching	Piggybacking off of Scarred's power, Ruined Roobi (having renamed himself to Rejuvenated Roobi) is taking advantage of the Saffyr kingdom's influence to eventually take over all of Cryst. Meanwhile, Scarred Saffyr seems to be oblivious to Rejuvenated's scheme, and has descended into a blind rage upon the sight of Savior.