Drainus

HISTORY

Drainus

Drainus is a horizontal shooting game developed by Team Ladybug. Originally announced at INDIE Live Expo 2022, it was released on Steam the same day: May 22, 2022.

From the Steam Store Page:

"This is a side-scrolling shooting game in which you take control of the "Drainus", the Kharlal Empire's most cutting-edge fighter with the ability to absorb energy bullets, and take down the enemy ships zipping through space."

The game is presented in a very detailed and vibrantly colored pixel art-style, making use of both 2D and 3D assets to great effect. Drainus is most notable for its Reflector gameplay mechanic, in which the player can absorb bullets with their ship in order to charge up and release a counter-attack on enemies. The game also features an upgrade system throughout its runtime, where the player is able to power-up their ship using resources collected within each stage.

For replay videos, visit the Video Index.

Gameplay Overview

The gameplay overview section starts out with the controls of the game, including all of the buttons used and what they're used for. It's recommended to keep the control layout simple and easy to understand. Feel free to note the directions that the player can move as well, if you wish or if it's notable (horizontal only, 4 way, 8 way, analog, etc). Advanced and strategic ways of manipulating the controls can be included in a following Strategy section, or wherever that information might be the most relevant.

Controls

Default controls:

A: Shot

B: Guard Reflector

X: Super Bomb

LB: Speed change

RB: Slow move

Characters

There are several major characters in Drainus, each important to the overaching narrative.

Irina:

A girl who was once stranded on the planet Halpax, along with her father and her sister Layla.

Determined to save her father, Irina steals the Drainus - the Kharlal Empire's most cutting-edge fighter ship - and heads for a faraway planet.

Layla

She`s Irina`s older sister, who was also stranded on Halpax as well.

Ever since she was a child, she joined the Kharlal Empire army to become their commander.

Gehnie

A frog-like humanoid soldier who has traveled back in time from the future in order to destroy the Kharlal Empire and prevent a devastating galactic war.

Izumo

Governor-General of the Kharlal Empire. Controlling the vast imperial army, Izumo is wholly evil yet also an extremely skilled general.

There is also Irina and Layla's father, who is a minor character in the overall story, but is key motivation for Irina, the protagonist, on their mission. The sisters' father was a slave to the Kharlal Empire, and has fallen ill under their current living conditions on Planet Halpax.

Weapons

Equipment

The Drainus is initially equipped with very basic armaments. A linear rapid fire shot, and a large screen-wide bomb.

Other weapons can be added to the ship, even between stages, expanding its functionality greatly.

The Reflector

The most defining element of the Drainus ship is the Reflector, its ability to absorb the bullets to enemies, and use the stored energy as a counter-attack. This is a key gameplay mechanic the player has access to throughout the game.

By holding the button, the ring around the Drainus will rotate to encompass it and glow green, indicating that the Reflector is active. During this time, incoming bullets will be absorbed and begin to charge a counter-attack. The more bullets absorbed, the greater the charge, and stronger the reflected attack will be. The Reflector can only be active for a short time however, so strategic use of it is crucial.

Additionally, energy absorbed will be stored in energy tanks, which can be used between stages to purchase upgrades for the player's ship. These upgrades can range from different shot types, bombs, and options, to more defensive functions such as auto-guard.

Upgrades/Function List

The following is a list of all the different weapons and functions that can be equipped once unlocked:

WIP

Items

This section describes any and all collectibles that you acquire in the game. An example being any Power Up items or Medals from Battle Garegga. Include secret items such as extra lives as well.

Loops

The game has a loop system, which is tied neatly into the story of the game as well. On the second loop, enemies are stronger, fire more complex and difficult bullet patterns, and the TLB appears after defeating the 2-6 Boss. Various story elements and events change as well with respect to the narrative. After defeating the TLB, the game ends.

The looping feature is present in all modes. There is a greater emphasis on a 2-ALL being considered a true clear of the game, unlike more other arcade shmups, where the story is not given as much emphasis throughout a playthrough.

Scoring

This section should cover a general breakdown of the scoring system of the game. Feel free to put the meat and potatoes here. A great example of a scoring section is the DoDonPachi page.

Strategy

See (Template Page)/Strategy for stage maps, enemy and boss descriptions, walkthroughs, and advanced play strategies.

This section details some particular strategic information about the game and its gameplay, such as hidden 1UPs and some basic scoring tricks. For anything particularly deep or highly complex, you can probably leave it in the Strategy page.

(Currently evaluating whether or not this specific section should even include information outside of the separated Strategy pages. Worth thinking about as a community.)

Story

The Planet Halpax is located in the far reaches of space, suffering from the oppressive rule of the Kharlal Empire. One of the slaves residing there is battling an illness. He must return home to the faraway planet of Earth to be cured of the disease, known as "Planetary Compatibility Disorder". His daughter, also a slave, is both devastated by her father's illness and helpless to do anything about it.

At that moment, a humanoid named Ghenie, who looks strangely like a frog, appears and says, "I have come from 50 years in the future. A galactic war is about to break out, in which more than 5000 planets will be annihilated by the Kharlal Empire. I have come to this time period to stop that war and the oppressive rule of the Kharlal Empire. I need your help."

Why me? What can I do? Irina had no idea what was going on, but her father's illness was worsening by the minute. With no time to hesitate and nowhere else to turn, she takes Gehnie's green hand and sets off...

Now she has begun her journey into a universe filled with the armies of the Kharlal Empire, and her quest to reach her distant home planet while taking the Empire down once and for all.

Development History

If available, you can include information here about the hardware, the development of the game, and its general reception. Try to have as much information in this section cited as possible.

Version Differences

Include information here about differences in a game between various versions. This includes regional differences, patch updates/bugfixes, and the like.

Trivia

Cool facts and random tidbits go here!

Gallery

See (Template Page)/Gallery for our collection of images and scans for the game.

Other

References & Contributors

Steam Store page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1975360/DRAINUS/

Contributors:

NuclearPotato

Boog22

Xeirla

Original Page Template by CHA-STG and Plasmo

STORY

The Planet Halpax is located in the far reaches of space, suffering from the oppressive rule of the Kharlal Empire. One of the slaves residing there is battling an illness. He must return home to the faraway planet of Earth to be cured of the disease, known as "Planetary Compatibility Disorder".His daughter, also a slave, is both devastated by her father's illness and helpless to do anything about it.

At that moment, a humanoid named Ghenie, who looks strangely like a frog, appears and says, "I have come from 50 years in the future. A galactic war is about to break out, in which more than 5000 planets will be annihilated by the Kharlal Empire. I have come to this time period to stop that war and the oppressive rule of the Kharlal Empire. I need your help."

Why me? What can I do? Irina had no idea what was going on, but her father's illness was worsening by the minute. With no time to hesitate and nowhere else to turn, she takes Gehnie's green hand and sets off...

Now she has begun her journey into a universe filled with the armies of the Kharlal Empire, and her quest to reach her distant home planet while taking the Empire down once and for all.