Know Your Enemies #2 news - Project Smallbot: Light

On the last Know Your Enemies, we went over the first 4 enemies found in the levels Frenzy Forest and Cave Tales. In this Know Your Enemies, we’ll be focusing on only enemies in the Open Field levels.

Unlike Frenzy Forest and Cave Tales, which only had 2 enemies for each level with 2 being returning enemies and 2 being brand new enemies, the Open Field has a total of 5 new enemies, with only 1 of them being a return monster! Just like the last batch of enemies shown off, each monster found in this level are unique, but this time around these new enemies are more dangerous compared to the enemies found in the last levels. Some can instant kill you with certain attacks while others are immune to your energy shield. It’s up to you to learn and remember each monster’s strengths and weaknesses as you progress through the level so you can pass and get to the next level.

A brand new enemy for Project Smallbot: Light, Plate-Doh is a fusion between a bunch of different things internally, but externally resembles a bunch of plates and cups glued together with playdoh being molded inside the glass bowl to resemble a slimy monster. Plate-Dohs are the first enemies you encounter in this level and are known for their ability to shoot lasers out of their sides thanks to the cannon installed on their sides. These lasers are really fast but they can be blocked with your energy shield. Just know that the energy shield’s energy is decrease with each successful block from a laser so be careful.

Plate-Dohs are the first enemies in the game to have different variations in the game. There are a total of 8 different versions of this enemy and each one of them have different AI. Some are normal and will just move around and shoot while others are immune to the energy shield or can’t be bounced off. Some can’t even shoot lasers at all while others just float in one area. There are also fusion versions, meaning that some Plate-Dohs are immune to both your energy shield and cannot be bounced on so they must be avoided at all cost. Each variation has it’s own subtle design change so you must really look closely at a Plate-Doh to see what it does and does not have in able to know both it’s strengths and weaknesses before attacking.

Jroggers are pretty strange in design, but simple when it comes to their AI. A mix between a spring, hotel bell, a television, and a frog, Jroggers are known for jumping glorious heights in the game. These enemies are immune to your energy shield so a good bounce on the head will end it off quickly.

One of the best parts about a Jrogger is it’s jumping ability as mentioned previously. If you time your bounce perfectly, Jroggers can help you up to hard to reach areas. Jroggers can help you reach new heights that were once unreachable with your standard double jump. With the right bounce, you can find all kinds of secret areas and hidden goodies!

Small and hard to spot, Energyflies are new flying enemies with a twist! Unlike Batatoes (Potato Bats) and Blow Birds from the previous Know Your Enemies, Energyflies will not chase you when you are near it. Instead, these enemies tend to either stay in one area or fly around in a pattern like resembles the infinite symbol. These guys don’t look too harmful, but don’t count them out just yet. Just like Jroggers, Energyflies are also immune to your energy shield thanks to those little yellow absorbers that are attached to it’s body. Even worse for you is that these guys will often enter it’s spiked state, where they change color completely and grow mini spikes on its body.

The spikes won’t instakill you like normal purple spikes would thanks to its shape and size, but in this state, Energyflies are both immune to your bounce attack and energy shield, making them very hazardous in the air.

The last new enemies in this level, Cananoes are very defensive creatures unlike the others. A fusion between a banana, a soda can, and ice skate shoes, Cananoes stick to the ground at all times, and never seems to stop moving like Steenhenges.

Just like Energyflies, Cananoes have 2 states. It’s normal state gives Cananoes the advantage over your Energy Shield, but it can be bounce off easily. Now here comes the most dangerous part about these creatures. Once you bounce off them they automatically change into their defensive state. In their defensive state, Cananoes grow a spike a its back as it tries to defend itself from the player. One touch of the Cananoes while it’s in its defensive mode will automatically kill you so watch where you land after bouncing on it. It’s also quick to note that the spike can hit you as you are bouncing off it too so I would watch where your bouncing if I were you too.

The key to defeating Cananoes are easy. In it’s normal state, it will have an absorber on its back meaning that it will be immune to your energy shield, but can still be bounced off as mentioned earlier. In it’s defensive state however, the cananoe will ditch it’s absorber for a purple spike meaning that you can only encounter it with your energy shield to defeat it.

The last enemy in this level are the Gloobs, which are making their return from Project Smallbot with a whole new design. Although it looks different, it still acts like the same from the first game, but with a couple additions. Gloobs are jelly like monsters who are immune to bounce attacks but can be killed with your energy shield. Just like Cananoes, be very careful when it comes to trying to defeat them, as Gloobs will try to react when its being attacked. When hit with an energy shield, a Gloob’s eye will begin to suck up it’s body and increase in size to form a big eye with purple spikes on its size. The eye will then begin to move and bounce off any walk it collides with, but only horizontally. Do not touch the eye when it is like this otherwise you’ll lose all your health instantly! Also watch out for the eye itself as it will be present for a while and bounce around constantly before it dissolves and disappears.

Another quick note to add is that Gloobs do not activate your knockback, and you could easily walk right through them without using your shield. Just know that it will hindle with speed and jumping as well as deplete your health the longer you collide with it.

Although I went over all the enemies found in the Open Field level, there are still plenty of more enemies to be shown off in the later levels. Don’t expect another Know Your Enemies for a while now as the game will still being worked on presentation wise, and I wanted to only focus on the enemies that will be in upcoming demo of this game first. But for now, we must end with these 5 enemies!

If you want to stay up to date with Project Smallbot: Light, then don’t forget to follow the IndieDB Page and check out the other updates as well if you haven’t already. You can also follow my Twitter for the latest updates and my Youtube Channel for video updates and trailers.