Why Rebrand, Why Now

Four things happened in sequence:

1. The knockback system shipped. The game’s identity shifted from “artillery with a void timer” to “Smash Bros meets Worms.” The void is still the kill condition, but it’s no longer the headline mechanic — knockback percentage is.
2. We already own geometryblast.com. The domain has been live and serving the game since launch. The product name and the domain name should agree.
3. The jam name limits us. “Void Artillery” describes one mechanic (the rising void). “Geometry Blaster” describes the entire game: geometric shapes blasting each other off a shrinking arena.
4. We have approximately zero audience. No established player base, no press mentions, no social accounts, no SEO rank. The rebrand costs us literally nothing.

This document is for Connor. It covers the full scope of the rebrand — name, brand, positioning, implementation, infrastructure — so we’re aligned before touching code.

The Name — Geometry Blaster

Semantic Breakdown

Every syllable earns its place:

• Geometry — Tanks are geometric shapes (triangle, hexagon, octagon). The visual identity IS geometry. Also rides the “geometry” search keyword from Geometry Dash (one of the highest-searched game terms on the internet).
• Blaster — You blast things. Projectiles, explosions, terrain, opponents. The core loop in one word. Also implies the energy level: arcade, not simulation.
• Geo (short form) — Earth. You’re blasting the earth (destructible terrain). The arena IS the ground beneath your feet.
• Blast (short form) — The knockback system. Every hit blasts you farther. “Blast” describes both the weapon effect and the kill mechanic.

Old Name vs New: 6 Dimensions

Usage Guidelines

Competitive Positioning

“Smash Bros Meets Worms”

This is the positioning statement. Five words that communicate what the game is to anyone who’s heard of either franchise. Here’s why it works:

• Smash Bros — Knockback percentage, DI, ring-outs, escalation. The damage model people intuitively understand.
• Worms — Turn-based, destructible terrain, projectile aim, artillery chaos. The genre.
• Meets — No one has combined them. We’re not competing with Smash or Worms; we’re occupying the intersection.

Market Landscape

Differentiator Stack

What we have that nobody else does — all at once:

1. Knockback percentage in an artillery game (first ever)
2. Rising void as the only kill condition (double escalation)
3. Ricochet physics for trick shots and wall bounces
4. Grapple hook for recovery and mobility
5. Browser-based with zero install (link-sharing)
6. Neon geometric aesthetic (visually distinct in the genre)

Brand Identity

Brand Feeling: Electric

The brand feeling is electric — arcade cabinet glow. Not dark and brooding (that was Void Artillery). Not cute and casual (that’s Brawlhalla). Electric. Neon lines on black. Shapes that pulse. An aesthetic that says “this came from a dimension where Tron met Geometry Wars and they had a baby in an arcade.”

Color Palette

Formalizing what already exists in the codebase. These are the game’s actual colors, promoted to brand-level status:

Logo Concept: Split-Color Text Treatment

The logo is text, not a graphic. Two words, stacked, each a different color. The geometric sans-serif font does the heavy lifting. Glow does the rest.

This replaces the current title screen rendering at src/ui/menus.ts:396, which draws “VOID” in magenta and “ARTILLERY” in cyan. We keep the two-line split treatment but swap the words and the colors: GEOMETRY in cyan (top), BLASTER in magenta (bottom).

Typography Candidates

The game currently uses system fonts for canvas text. For the brand lockup (title screen, social images, docs), we need a geometric sans-serif that feels electric. Four candidates:

HUD / Menu Polish Direction

Not in scope for the rebrand itself, but the rebrand establishes the language for a future polish pass:

• Consistent glow: Every interactive element gets a subtle glow matching its function (cyan for primary, magenta for destructive, gold for currency)
• Unified text hierarchy: Title → section headers → body → labels, with consistent sizing across all menus
• Geometry motifs: Borders, dividers, and decorations use geometric shapes (triangles, hexagons) instead of lines

Game Identity Reframe

Core Loop with Brand Language

Under the old name, the loop was: aim, shoot, drain HP, void rises, last alive wins. Under the new name and the new damage model:

6 Hooks with New Brand Language

The Double Pressure USP

This is the unique selling proposition that no competitor can match:

Tank Roster Reframe

Old frame: “8 tanks with different shapes and colors.” New frame:

The Tagline

The tagline sits under the logo on the title screen, in social previews, and anywhere the brand needs a one-liner. It should feel chaotic, fun, and slightly unhinged. Candidates:

The Winner, Paired with the Logo

What Changes — Full Inventory

Everything that says “Void Artillery” needs to say “Geometry Blaster.” Here’s the complete list, organized by audience.

What Does NOT Change

The rebrand is a name change and brand alignment. It is not a redesign, not a feature cut, and not a rewrite. Everything that makes the game the game stays identical:

• 41 weapons — from Mortar to Nuke. Every one intact.
• 8 tank cosmetics — Volt, Blaze, Phantom, Hive, Razor, Nova, Orb, Titan. Same shapes, same colors.
• Knockback percentage system — damage %, DI, scaling. Untouched.
• The rising void — still the only kill condition. Still magenta. Still terrifying.
• Cosmic Lottery — 5 cards per turn, rarity system, pity timer.
• Glitch events — gravity flux, arsenal glitch, elastic world, all of them.
• Physics engine — ricochet, terrain collision, ceiling system, gravity.
• AI system — angle calculation, target prioritization, auto-DI.
• Multiplayer — PartyKit netcode, host authority, state sync.
• 296 unit tests — all passing. The rebrand touches zero test files.
• 5 biomes — Cyber Void, Ice Field, Lava Core, Toxic Zone, Void Rift.
• Terrain system — 2D grid, cave overhangs, destructible ceilings.
• Grapple hook — 3 hooks per game, attach, swing, release.
• Mobile touch controls — d-pad, tap-to-fire, portrait mode.

Implementation Plan

Three phases. Phases 1 and 2 run in parallel (different owners, different files). Phase 3 is polish that can happen any time after.

Parallel Execution

Phase 1 (Connor) touches: package.json, partykit.json, party/index.ts, src/constants/index.ts, infrastructure dashboards.

Phase 2 (Ben) touches: src/ui/menus.ts, index.html, CLAUDE.md, Ben's Rules.md.

Zero file overlap. Both phases can execute simultaneously on separate branches.

SEO & Discoverability

The “Geometry” Keyword Strategy

“Geometry” is one of the highest-traffic gaming keywords on the internet, thanks to Geometry Dash. We’re not competing with Geometry Dash (completely different genre), but we benefit from players who search “geometry game” or “geometry browser game.”

Long-tail keywords we naturally match:

• geometry game online free
• artillery game browser
• worms like game online
• smash bros browser game
• knockback game online
• physics party game free

Title Tag

Meta Description

This description hits: free, browser, artillery, launch, bounce, knock, friends, map, weapons, knockback, shape. All high-intent gaming search terms.

Social & Meta Presence

Current State: Nothing

og:tags to Add

Add these to index.html inside the <head> tag:

Favicon Spec

Simple geometric shape on transparent background. The shape should be identifiable at 16×16:

• Option A: Cyan triangle (Volt’s shape) — simple, distinctive, looks good small
• Option B: Cyan hexagon (Hive’s shape) — more “geometry” energy, less sharp
• Option C: Abstract “GB” monogram in geometric style — more “brand” but harder to read small

Social Preview Image Concept

1200×630 PNG. Dark background (#0a0a0f). Split-color title centered. Tagline below. Subtle geometric shapes (the 8 tank shapes) scattered around the edges with low opacity glow. Not a screenshot — a brand card.

Discord/Twitter Link Preview: Before vs After

Risks & Concerns