Settle For Less (Niko15)
Settle For Less is a second level made by Niko15. It includes a boss Flicker.
Layout
This level contains lots of text objects, which color is unaffected by color palette. Harming objects are usually in yellow color. Most of the time background is teal.
Start
Level starts with a text above the player "Pollen" specifying nanobot's name in this story. Camera is descending until two massive leaves, yellow and orange, appear in frame. On a yellow one there is a circle (an egg) in shades of light blue with a white snowflake. In the background there are many smaller leaves on the wind. Orange leaf from the front starts soaring away to the background. Soon after that a yellow leaf turns to yellow indicating it's future fall. An egg then rapidly tilts and stretches. In reaction Pollen summons a yellow glowing sphere, that warms an egg turning it's colors to grey.
From an egg hatches a green circle with dark grey ring inside. It periodically moves on a leaf four times and shifts it's shape to a triangle, hexagon and a square. Everytime object moves, it leaves 2-4 bullets in different shapes. After 5 cycles shape starts violently descending and reappearing at top four times, everytime spawning two visualizers on top and bottom and biting off part of a leaf. When a leaf is completely eaten object falls onto another leaf while camera follows it. After landing object continues to shift it's shape, move around until it starts to cross map again. This pattern is repeated once more but after fourth time a hexagon, triangle and a square spawn in the place of a circle.
Checkpoint 1
All four shapes begin to move around the map in single file. Every time they get out of the shot, they reappear from the opposide edge. In due time they will move in a similar way as previously, in one direction and summoning one visualizer. This all is repeated four times, but after the second loop, a triangle separates from the line and moves from repeatedly left to right, summoning multiple vertical beams, that pierce through it. Loop ends when all four shapes align in a veritcal line and screen fades out.
Checkpoint 2
Screen fades in. A cocoon is located in center with a torso inside. When music starts playing, it starts attacking. The first attack is a series of missiles coming from cocoon's center. The second attack – severeal vertical beams coming from right and left side. Third attack – another series of missiles but in groups of 4-6 orbiting.
After these attacks a chrysalis will start developing legs and three pairs of arms. Meanwhile six orbiting circles spawn and change their distance from the center. In a moment they cross the center one by one and disappear from the shot.
Then three individual circle helpers come out of the chrysalis on left and right. They burst multiple bullets, each direction is evenly tilted.
Checkpoint 3
A figure emerges from a cocoon, a dark grey humanoid with six arms, black antennae and massive, black and white wings. A moth named Flicker. Despite taking almost 50% of the screen, she deals no contact damage. From this point, only bright yellow objects deal damage.
Shortly after emerging, Flicker's antennae start glowing yellow (and deal damage). She turns and moves to right and left, spawning few missiles, heading up and down. Then she pulls her antenna back gathering the energy in her hands and summons an increasing ring with seven runes and two rows of six circles orbiting inside. Ring and runes are disappearing from the shot, while circles are still rotating and change distance from the center at Flickers will until they disappear.
All colors but bright yellow turn darker and Flicker's antennae start glowing. Few runes also appear on her wings and all orange turn bright yellow. Flicker then dashes across the map horizontally and vertically spawning visualizers. After stopping, yellow area hides and Flicker summons two increasing rings. She gathers energy in hands and waits until new checkpoint with glowing antennae and blinking runes.
Checkpoint 4
A pulsating orb is kept in Flickers hands as she sits down in lotus position. When music shifts mood, thelve helper circles with rune on it come out of the orb and begin to orbit in group of six on two obits. Background also slowly turns darker with grainy effect. With every note a few random helpers start harming. After a while the inner orbit shrinks and the outer orbit increases out of the frame.
Flicker then suddenly stands up and summon an increasing ring. She throws three circles on left and right and spawns another three more distant on each sides. She pulls them down and make them circulate around the map. Soon brighter circles start circulating. By the time she had yellow hands which can deal damage. Later she summons a circle in the center and a visualizer that passes through right, bottom and left edge of the map. Meanwhile beams that cross the circle spawn in the middle. In next attack she summons six circles on both sides. Five of them align in a vertical line while the remaining sixth explodes with smaller circle outlines. Sooner the rest explodes and Flicker summons an increasing ring. In final fourth attack six circle helpers orbit Flicker. They have four smaller circles inside, one rune and a direction indicator. Circles will start shooting splinter missiles in pointed direction, but the fourth shot (aimed at the center) was stopped before hitting Flicker and repelled.
Checkpoint 5
Flicker stops attacking, sits down and meditates. At the beginning only her antennae are glowing yellow. Colors are dark again, but yellow piaintings are blinking in the background (they deal no harm). Snowflakes are coming from the right side and their centers are a little harming circles. Soon Flicker will start repeatedly shooting three circles from eyespots on her wings. Before the checkpoint ends she stops shooting and opens her eyes.
Checkpoint 6
Colors are bright again. Snowflakes appear more often and their size is pulsing. Flicker is shivering in the cold. She summons a shield and returns to background. Snowflakes are now big and fast. Flicker's shield breaks a little and when she looks at the player, it breaks completely, pushing her out of the shot. For the rest of the checkpoint snowflakes are coming.
Checkpoint 7
Flicker rises with a visualizer. She's constructing a hollow sphere to protect her and the player from snowflakes. Snowflakes lose their size to fit through the gaps. At the end Flicker shoots five beams that seal the sphere
Checkpoint 8
This checkpoint contains special thanks. The sphere is shrinking and camera is turning dark.