Pharos by Chaseplays

[raw]
made by Chaseplays for Ludum Dare 59 (JAM)

You play as a lighthouse operator who guides fellow sailboats to reach supplies and treasure throughout the dark ocean landscape.


Instructions:

  • Click to shine your light
  • Shine your light near boats to direct them
  • Shine boats directly to stop them
  • Go out to collect treasure and bring it back to the lighthouse

Make it through all 5 rounds and enjoy the game!


Made by: - Kiichiro Wang - Programming - Sebastian Pamudji - Art - Siyao Li - Music & Sound - Chase Peterson - Programming

Ratings

Overall 92th 4.054⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Fun 211th 3.707⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 212th 3.739⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Theme 126th 4.228⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 192th 4.185⭐ 48🧑‍⚖️
Audio 34th 4.256⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Mood 13th 4.533⭐ 47🧑‍⚖️
Given 57🗳️ 75🗨️

Feedback

Ajores
Apr 21st · 02:55 UTC
Really loved the art and sfx! Gameplay was very innovative to me--the core mechanic felt really solid, and I liked the challenge by the end.
breadstick
Apr 21st · 02:57 UTC
I loved the lighthouse-directing mechanic--the way that you pilot the ships by light is a fun take on both the theme and novel way to handle 3/4-view movement input.

I got some Dredge vibes from the enemies and atmosphere, but the music and rain sfx made it significantly more calming... really interesting and unique vibes!

Overall, nicely done
FoxEcho
Apr 21st · 03:04 UTC
Very well done. I finished it.

The atmosphere is great. Even though the music is very calm, the game still feels quite tense when playing. The gameplay is simple and effective, and the visual cues and feedback all work well.
LDJam user 372231
Apr 21st · 03:05 UTC
Loved the game! It's exactly my level of stress and enjoyment! Also I was avoiding to encounter two ship in order to avoid shipwreck, and only on the third round i understood that they won't interfere
Tomas Poblete
Apr 21st · 03:06 UTC
Such a lovely game. I really liked how peaceful the music feels despite the hostile setting. It’d be nice to see new hazards in the more advanced levels.
OldDog
Apr 21st · 07:40 UTC
A flawless masterpiece in every sense—visuals, atmosphere, gameplay, and detail. This is easily the highest-quality entry of the event. The level of polish is absolutely incredible
nyxkn
Apr 21st · 09:51 UTC
Absolutely gorgeous game! I loved the art and visuals so much. Atmosphere was great, and gameplay was fun and intuitive. The level of polish was outstanding! Really felt like a complete game. If there's one criticism it's that managing multiple boats at the same time was somewhat clumsy, and using a single boat was often the most reliable (but more tedious) approach. Anyway overall brilliant game! Thanks! :heart:
Aashen
Apr 21st · 09:57 UTC
One of my favourites so far! Looks amazing, the atmosphere and art direction are so cool! And the game itself plays very smooth!
Torukaii
Apr 21st · 14:52 UTC
Really cool atmosphere. Loved the music!
Danibeve
Apr 21st · 19:04 UTC
Fun, simple and creative game! Good job!
Rocotos
Apr 23rd · 07:38 UTC
Simple and up to the theme idea, great graphics and tone. Not hard, quite short - all of the ingredients for a neat game is here. Completed in several minutes and now feel satisfied.
Great job!
Xientra
Apr 23rd · 09:59 UTC
Really cool, very atmospheric :O
Rinzu
Apr 23rd · 10:43 UTC
The game is really cool. And I really like your concept.
VenomousMouse
Apr 23rd · 13:07 UTC
I like the sounds. And the music is super. Very good atmosphere and overall great game!
LDJam user 427605
Apr 24th · 03:18 UTC
It's funny that our team brainstormed a similar idea.
Well done for bringing it to fruition, because it turned out really cool, I loved it.

I especially liked the anglerfish's tricks.

The game is well-designed, with nice pixel animation and a pleasant sound.

You guys are great, it's a great game!
IRKAR
Apr 25th · 11:53 UTC
Cool game, i love the mechanics and the art![photo_2026-04-25_14-51-35.jpg](///raw/25b/76/z/72ae5.jpg)
Gamayun.Games
Apr 25th · 20:49 UTC
what a nice entry! i like how you created a calming atmosphere having in mind the amount of monsters there :D
i would probably prefer that there was some penalty for the attacked or briken boat (or there is one?) i sometines took two boats together and we were going together for a treasure, as it was easier haha, or i just used one boat and collected all treasures with it. but i cannot say that this made the experience less engaging :) i also believe that if there was some extra info aboout the treasures that would be super fun! maybe i could see them on the ending screen or something like that. maybe there would be a super rich lighthouse keeper sitting somewhere :D

a cool game and the music is so smooth! i am still listening to it while writing a review :)
FLemming1k
Apr 27th · 00:00 UTC
Greatly executed atmosphere, I love it
elemel
Apr 27th · 14:08 UTC
Great mood, both cozy and menacing. Tricky to keep track of multiple boats at the same time. Liked the design elements with boats, reefs, treasures, and monsters.
finoliso
Apr 27th · 14:17 UTC
I thought it was beautiful. I loved the way he approached the topic. It's fun and it looks very polished.
LDJam user 407703
Apr 27th · 14:24 UTC
Great entry! This is probably the most polished project I have played in this round so far. The art style and sound design are both at a really high level. The gameplay loop feels relaxing and stressful at the same time, which comes across as very well balanced.

I could also see this working really well on mobile devices if you decide to keep developing it!
LDJam user 423872
Apr 28th · 11:26 UTC
Pleasant relaxation game. Cool atmosphere!
Alex de la Cour
Apr 28th · 11:44 UTC
Really liked the concept and execution! The way you control the boats is really cool and unique, and this was a fun play - very chill but also a decent amount of tension. Also loved the pixel art!
Melight
Apr 28th · 23:23 UTC
Well done! The game is really good
Mibi88
Apr 30th · 11:29 UTC
Really nice game! The graphics and the audio are really nice. I especially like the atmosphere of the game.
cesta
Apr 30th · 13:04 UTC
Fun game!! Its simple and easy to uderstand, good job!!
Fractal
May 02nd · 21:59 UTC
Nice idea and atmosphere! It was a bit too easy though, and I’m not sure why we get several boats, I just used one boat and let the other ones sink and it worked just fine.
NuclMe
May 03rd · 10:13 UTC
The soundtrack and graphics are absolutely excellent! Everything looks and sounds very polished, which creates a great atmosphere.

But most importantly - the core idea is just superb. I actually made a game with a similar concept for this Ludum Dare myself, so I have a soft spot for this mechanic! You’ve executed it brilliantly.

Great job on the entry!
zhangzhimu
May 03rd · 14:25 UTC
The atmosphere is great! The sound effects created are very realistic. This design is really excellent. I think the way it presents themes through clicking to create lighting effects is very innovative. I think it's a really good game.
Helgust
May 04th · 06:54 UTC
Art is greate, really like that way how you control the boats!
TinySalad
May 04th · 19:54 UTC
Fun quick cozy game, everything works together nicely and it doesn't outstay its welcome. It was fun guiding the lil boats around. Although I think a more posterized/stepped light circle would have served the artstyle better, the smoothness somewhat clashes with the pixel art.
remusnomos
May 06th · 18:51 UTC
Really polished entry! Sound effects were nice, graphics were on the spot (really liked the rain effect). And the gameplay was also quite cool while fitting the theme very well. :)
bobanko
May 06th · 21:47 UTC
nice solid gameplay, good decision to have second chance, when one boat was sunken, and you can complete mission with another one. nice music, but too chill for such gameplay.
good seamless levels.
it was a bit tricky how to control multiple ships, at first i thought it's possible to give different targets to different ships.

PS, and thanks for review!

![Screenshot 2026-05-07 at 00.45.40.png](///raw/74b/76/z/7326d.png)
Papaver
May 07th · 14:30 UTC
I like how the music and sound effects set the mood. At some point I hear some morse, but I couldn't decipher it that quickly ;)

Well done!