Balancing Chaos: Introducing the Overseer

As development progressed, we ran into a problem familiar to many fast-paced arena shooters. Once players built up some momentum, the game quickly lost its challenge. Buffs stacked easily, enemies melted under heavy fire, and even large waves felt manageable. Combat lacked tension, and high-level runs became more of a victory lap than a test of survival. The balance between player power and enemy threat just wasn’t there, which made the gameplay feel one-sided and predictable.

To bring back the pressure, we introduced the Overseer, a support-class enemy that doesn’t attack directly but makes every other enemy on screen more dangerous the longer it survives.

The Overseer periodically sends out a buff pulse that increases nearby enemies’ max health, damage, and attack speed as shown in the picture below..

The first buff gives a big stat spike, making even small enemies tankier and more deadly. Subsequent buffs are smaller but still stack, turning the battlefield into a growing threat if the Overseer is ignored. As enemies receive buffs, they begin to glow, with the intensity of the glow increasing based on how many stacks they've accumulated. 

This not only gives players a visual cue to identify high-priority targets but also adds a layer of tension when glowing enemies start to fill the screen. It forces players to make quick decisions, manage positioning, and prioritize carefully. It's a simple change, but it's already made the game feel much more dynamic and unpredictable.