The Final Journey by kernon

[raw]
made by kernon for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

Pilot a damaged submarine as it takes its final and inevitable journey.

A simultaneously literal and metaphorical interpretation of the theme 'Deeper and Deeper'.

More than my first game jam, this is my first completed game!

  • Graphics and sounds are a mixed bag of licensed assets and my own attempt at drawing pixels.
  • Music is used under license https://darkfantasystudio.bandcamp.com/track/the-ocean-takes-it-all

Thanks for playing!

Ratings

Overall 1271th 3.31⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 1617th 2.793⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 1665th 2.603⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Theme 128th 4.259⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Mood 136th 4.207⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Given 34🗳️ 41🗨️

Feedback

LDJam user 237913
26. Apr 2021 · 03:28 UTC
Wow! The mood is unbelievable! Well done! With the sound and lighting effects. Brilliant. Made it to the bottom and settled to rest. This one hits you in the feels. Thanks for making it!
Martynas
26. Apr 2021 · 13:03 UTC
The mood really felt harrowing. Good job!
Substr
26. Apr 2021 · 14:11 UTC
One of my favourites so far, you really captured the mood here as others have mentioned. I love the attention to detail you put into it with the different lights, the air bubbles escaping etc. Very memorable!
Zhanna
26. Apr 2021 · 14:12 UTC
Pretty good work on music and mood. I happened to bug submarine out in one of the crevices so it didn't sink further though.
TwoWolf
26. Apr 2021 · 14:17 UTC
I really liked the mood. Gameplay may need some variation
chris-mondok
26. Apr 2021 · 14:53 UTC
This game has superb mood. The lighting, the sound, the creaking noises… I also really like the way the submarine slides along the steep edges if you bump into them.

I think it's a little too easy to "win", I had probably ⅔ of the purple meter when I hit the bottom, and I did hit a couple of mines.
🎤 kernon
26. Apr 2021 · 15:02 UTC
@zhanna I definitely had a few issues with the random wall generation, but technically if you wait long enough, you'll run out of oxygen and you still 'win'.
Maurice
26. Apr 2021 · 15:16 UTC
The music fit really well, I was doing my best not to hit things just so I didn't disrupt the mood.
Kevin S
26. Apr 2021 · 15:39 UTC
Great job! I love the mood that you set in this game. 48 hours isn't long enough to make a game :cry: but you managed to pull it off.

Keep up the good work
wizard sino
26. Apr 2021 · 15:52 UTC
very moody game. much like.
Vaanrile
26. Apr 2021 · 16:09 UTC
Really great experience ! Although the gameplay is as simple as one can get, the music and atmosphere make for a very memorable experience. Also, congratulations for being able to put two distinct meanings of "Deeper" into the same game.
Great job !
🎤 kernon
26. Apr 2021 · 16:15 UTC
@vaanrile Simple was what I was going for from a gameplay perspective. For me this was about actually finishing a game and I at least pulled that off! I'm glad to hear the mood is resonating with people. It was definitely where I spent most of my efforts. Well, that and the random wall generator that hated me. :laughing:
Baturinsky
26. Apr 2021 · 17:23 UTC
Very atmospheric. But white dots around the submaine remove a bit from the initial impression.
BubakGames
26. Apr 2021 · 19:09 UTC
Nice game. The music creates amaying atmosphere.
Thulium Games
26. Apr 2021 · 20:22 UTC
I really like the atmosphere.
asdehielo
27. Apr 2021 · 00:41 UTC
The music and the darkness really build a cool and sad atmosphere. I think you managed to capture the "last journey" vibe you were going for.

Just to give some feedback, the submarine sprite seemed a bit crusty, many white pixels around the edges.

Congratulations on your first finished game!
Fribolin
27. Apr 2021 · 06:55 UTC
In a way, the gameplay was really relaxing for me. The controls felt pretty good. I was a bit thrown of by the mines knocking you back up. The Ending is a bit sad, but a good ending.

Congrats on finishing your first game.
cpv
27. Apr 2021 · 08:37 UTC
Awesome! Dark mood, going deep into the unknown. And the music, sounds, darkness and the lights makes it very special. The ending surely fits the overall atmosphere.
JudgeClark
29. Apr 2021 · 20:55 UTC
Great job, the audio portrays the lonely depth really well
Raphiell
30. Apr 2021 · 01:34 UTC
Good use of the audio assets! At then I wish I was able to get to exactly 300 (miles? kilometers?), but I'll take 297 haha. Well done!
🎤 kernon
30. Apr 2021 · 01:38 UTC
@raphiell I had a heck of a time trying to get the sandy bottom to actually spawn in the right place with the wall generator and didn't even realize until it was too late that the collider maxed you out at 297. Ah well. I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless. :smile:
LDJam user 233347
01. May 2021 · 18:10 UTC
Awesome soundtrack, well thought out game. :thumbsup:
NoNumbersGames
02. May 2021 · 15:20 UTC
An enjoyable contemplative experience.

Submarine headlights and the danger are nice details, definitely enhances the atmosphere.

Lighting up only one side is an interesting choice - it adds feeling of the unknown depth, but not able to direct the light feels a bit too restrictive. Maybe would have been nice to be able to rotate the light cone with up and down arrow keys, or maybe would have felt weird. I guess it is better to not risk sinking time into a feature that might not work out.

Anyway, well chosen music and pressure sounds, added a lot to the feel of the game.

Overall, really liked the invoked feeling of inevitability.
🎤 kernon
04. May 2021 · 12:45 UTC
@nonumbersgames et al. Thanks for the feedback everyone! My one-page design doc had a bunch of things that would have been nice to add to augment the gameplay in one way or another, but I ended up focusing on the feeling of the experience. Some things that didn't make the cut include: rocks falling from above to dodge, a battery mechanic where moving/lighting would drain the battery, sonar pulse to make walls temporarily visible, using oxygen as a means to slow your descent with a burst, more random obstacles protruding from walls (sunken ships, etc.).. Alas, 48 hours is not a lot of time and so much didn't make the cut. :shrug:
There are several other sub games that I've seen from this jam that did implement some of these sorts of features so it's been fun to see how they play out. Overall, this jam was a great experience and I'm super excited for the next one!
Zeias
05. May 2021 · 17:44 UTC
A really great game (so I don't say that because I won lol). The atmosphere is excellent !!! Well done, it's great.