I've been adding a little bit more to this project bit by bit and wanted to show what's happened with it since. I'm going to be focusing on creating more puzzle elements both in a way to keep production simple and try to have the command system have a bit of an auto-aim to make hitting objectives feel more satisfying instead of busywork.
I built a little prototype last night in a couple hours. Here's the results.
So, as hinted at prior, I have been dividing my time between Game Maker and Unreal Engine 4. While the former mostly being prototyping until I get comfortable enough with the tools to sit down and get a basic project out; the latter is more to expand my VFX knowledge, specifically. So, without further ado: some screenshots of the VFX work.