PARSEC47 (0)

Release

PARSEC47 was released for Windows, and as it is open-source it has been compiled for Mac and Linux as well.

Gameplay

PARSEC47 is a top-down bullet-hell shooter. The player progresses through parsecs (levels) while collecting treasures dropped by defeated enemies to get a high-score. There are four difficulty settings, and two gameplay modes (all options have separate high-scores). The gameplay mode determines the alternate fire mode of the player's ship. In “roll” it is a charge shot that surrounds the ship, collecting treasures. It will not damage enemies until it is fired. In “lock” mode the alternate fire is a lock on laser that helps to destroy enemies. Both alt-fire modes slow the ship's movement, aiding the player's ability to dodge shots.

The enemy fire patterns are completely random, but scale to the difficulty setting. There is a mini-boss every 5 parsecs and a boss every ten. Both types of enemy have multiple targets and complex fire patterns, an idea more fully explored in . After defeating a boss, the player can start from that point when beginning a new session, but she won't get the points from the previous levels.

Trivia

Creator of the game , Jonathan Mak, has cited Parsec 47 as the inspiration behind his game's aesthetic.