Ad Infistitum Pretense: Algorithm Machine vs the Universe



Ad Infistitum Pretense: Algorithm Machine vs the Universe is a prequel to Ad Infistitum created for the second Lapis Weekly Challenge, pitting a small group of entities against the entire rest of the existing universe, and the universe itself.

Chapter 16: The Beginning Ends, Ending the End of the Beginning and Beginning Again
Playable character: n/a

Upon dispatching the fellow members of Algorithm Machine, Lord Helix begins his coup of the pantheon, slowing down the Lawfuls and the Neutrals by going on a galactic killing spree, taking out important beings quickly and without mercy. With no one but his fellow Chaotic gods left to stop him, Helix charges into battle, warping as fast as he can to the center of the universe with the Harvester to finally fulfill his plan and become the sole god of the universe.

As he reaches the core of the known universe, Helix is stopped by a mysterious force - a force he recognizes as the unborn god of Neutral Good, manifesting to prevent Helix's ascension. As he attempts to use the Energon Harvestor to repel the new god, a blinding light begins to rip apart the world around him, with the last sight of him being a horrified look into the light.

Chapter 1: Hit Single + 11 Other Songs
Playable character: Sentinel Prime

Lord Helix, god of Chaotic Good and loyal follower of his fellow gods, organizes a meeting for his indie band Algorithm Machine, at their usual meeting place - Space Starbucks. As the band arrives one by one, Lord Helix is quick to enthusiastically explain that he has very recently come up with a unique concept - a new single with several other songs on it. Marceline's quick to point out that this would technically be the band's first album, but Helix insists they're still just making singles, and that these singles just happen to have a lot of other songs.

While the rest of the band bickers about whether Helix's idea is good or not, Anna notices that rival band Mechanoid Schmechanoid has arrived for their gig. As the band begins to play, the door of the store slams open, with Sentinel Prime arriving. Berating Bill Cipher for interacting with the mortals so much, Sentinel quickly eggs on Bill to challenge him, leading to a fight between the two Neutral gods. Helix takes the chance to kick Mechanoid Schmechanoid off stage and begins an impromptu beat-boxing session in order to make some quick cash. As the fight quells, Sentinel drags Bill back to the Pantheon's base as Helix considers Sentinel's prejudice against the mortals.

Gameplay
Algorithm Machine vs the Universe is a traditional 2D fighting game, focusing on combos and specials with each character possessing a unique set of skills and traits they can use to their advantage. One of the main additions to the traditional gameplay is the Chaotic Shift, a sort of super meter that builds through use of specials. Once filled, the character automatically gains new traits, which come in three types - Fade, Cresendo, and Tempo. Fade Shifts are over in a matter of moments but tend to have stronger effects, Cresendos last for a set amount of time with the power of the Shift increasing up until the end, and Tempo Shifts do not go away, but tend to only buff passive things such as movement speed.