The third and final prototype the team decided to approach was an extension upon Prototype 2: Tartarus. The third prototype came as a response to feedback and a general team consensus that Tartarus did not take its echo system far enough. Untitled Boss Rush was meant to explore what could be designed to take advantage of the Echo System. In short, our problem was that the Echo System was not core to the gameplay of Tartarus and we intended to make it so.

To explore new ways of utilizing the Echo System as a core gameplay system the design team began with the addition of Augments. These Augments came in the form of elements the player could apply to themself before entering combat with a boss. They were permitted to apply up to two. The Augments would then interact with one another to alter the player’s abilities and basic attack, causing various effects. These effects were designed with the goal of augmented Echo System gameplay as well as allowing player agency and strategizing across multiple instances of themself.