PROTOCOL CORE-1 · SIGNAL STRENGTH 01

NULL|BOUND · THE LAST SIGNAL ·

> You cannot win. You can only last.

ENGINE GODOT 4.5 PLATFORMS PC · MAC · LINUX STATUS EARLY ACCESS DROP 2026
/dev/core1 · boot.log● ONLINE
[00:00:00] OK bootstrap protocol CORE-1
[00:00:01] OK mount /root... 64 rooms discovered
[00:00:02] OK scan cores... 6 detected
[00:00:02] !! integrity check... the Null is listening
[00:00:03] OK element channel [PULSE]
[00:00:03] OK countdown armed 15:00
> drop into /root _

Six protocols. Four elements. One countdown.

Each run is a mad dash through a collapsing procedural dungeon. Pick your weapon class, race the Null through bullet-hell rooms, grab cores, rest in safe rooms — die, return to user space, come back stronger.

01CORE

Countdown dungeon crawl

Procedural rooms on a 5/10/15-minute timer. Find the cores before the Null finds you. You don't have to clear — you just have to last.

02COMBAT

Composable weapons

Chassis + mechanic + projectile + damage spec — bounce, split, heavy, homing, AoE, lifesteal. Six protocols, infinite combinations authored in pure data.

03RESONANCE

Four elements + NEUTRAL

Pulse, Void, Static, Flux. Matchup table, status effects (Overload · Decay · Arc · Corrupt), cycle mid-combat with Q.

04LOOT

Rarity-tiered loot frenzy

Gear, charms, consumables, deployables, signature items. Deterministic seeded rolls. Drops constantly; banked cycles persist through death.

05META

Signal Strength 1–50

Store, mastery, protocol unlocks. Everything scales on level. Buy something after every death — late upgrades are aspirational.

06ARCHITECTURE

Data-driven. GPU particles.

All content lives in .tres files, auto-discovered at startup. Pooled entities, zero allocation churn during gameplay.

Drop · Explore · Collect · Die · Repeat.

A run is eight steps. Between runs, you spend cycles, level up Signal Strength, unlock protocols. The Null waits. So does the next run.

01

Prepare

Select protocol — weapon class. Configure loadout in user space. Stash what doesn't fit.

02

Drop into /root

Enter a procedural dungeon. 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Timer starts when you do.

03

Explore & fight

Room-to-room through a grid of locked doors. Bullet-hell combat. Threat-weighted enemies redirect on decoys.

04

Collect cores

Cores are heavily guarded but grabbable without clearing. Rest in a safe room — timer pauses, one visit only.

Six weapon classes. Six ways to last.

Each protocol is a different firing mode, active ability, dash flavor, and passive. Four shipped; two in active development.

01
CORE-1
STARTER · AUTO
The last active defensive protocol. Balanced auto-fire, phase-dash, pulse-amp passive. Start here.
● SHIPPED
02
Sentinel
TURRET · BARRIER
Drop walls. Plant turrets. Hold ground. Threat-redirect master — let deployables take the aggro.
● SHIPPED
03
Seeker
HOMING · PIERCE
Lock-on missile volleys. Pierce through waves. Low damage floor, high ceiling — scales hard with Focus.
● SHIPPED
04
Spectre
STEALTH · BURST
Phase in, drop the hammer, phase out. Threat-meter invisibility cue. Glass-cannon by design.
● SHIPPED
05
Swarm
SPREAD · SUMMON
Wall-of-bullets close range. Summoned drones divert threat. For players who want the whole room gone.
◌ IN DEVELOPMENT
06
Flux
CHARGE · CHAIN
Charge shots that chain between threats. Rewards patience and positioning. Static's favorite vessel.
◌ IN DEVELOPMENT

Cycle mid-combat. Read the matchup table.

Every damage instance carries an element. Four in rotation, one neutral. Each applies a status effect with its own visual signature.

Neutral
— no effect —
Baseline damage. No bonuses, no penalties. Default for most projectiles.
Pulse
Overload
Warm-gold energy pulses. Stacks Overload — at cap, detonates in a shockwave.
Void
Decay
Collapsing violet. Decay ticks armor and max HP. The Null's own signature.
Static
Arc
Cold blue. Arc chains between targets. Best in rooms with crowd geometry.
Flux
Corrupt
Unstable green. Corrupt turns enemies into liabilities — explosions, splits, redirects.

Screenshots & trailer

Gameplay from Signal Strength 10, Sentinel protocol. Final art in progress — all visuals subject to Null interference.

> dungeon_run.mp401:42 · CORE-1 · LONG RUN
Loadout panel — Sentinel protocol equipped
> loadout.pngLOADOUT · SENTINEL
NullBound main menu
> main_menu.pngMAIN MENU
Dungeon room — mid-run combat
> dungeon_room.pngDUNGEON · MID-RUN
6
Protocols
5
Elements
50
Signal Levels
Dungeon seeds

Early signals.

Playtester quotes from the 0.71 build. Attribute on request. Press kit linked below.

"I came for Vampire Survivors. I stayed because CORE-1 died with the cores in her hands and I was genuinely upset about it."

— PLAYTESTER · BUILD 0.71.4

"The threat-weighted aggro is the first time a bullet-hell has made me care where my turret is."

— PLAYTESTER · BUILD 0.70

"Cycling to Void mid-combat and watching three enemies decay into nothing — that's the hook."

— PLAYTESTER · BUILD 0.71.2
Press kit · coming soon [email protected]
SIGNAL DETECTED

The Null is closer than you think.

Wishlist on Steam. We'll ping you when the countdown starts.

Wishlist on Steam →
Steam · Coming 2026 · Early Access
TWEAKSv0.1