Dungeon Painter by IanTheBee
In a pitch black dungeon, only your luminescent paint can guide you through... as you go deeper and deeper...
Link: https://ianthebee.itch.io/dungeon-painter
| Link | https://ianthebee.itch.io/dungeon-painter |
| Link | https://ianthebee.itch.io/dungeon-painter |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/dungeon-painter |
Ratings
| Overall | 120th | 3.906⭐ | 280🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 171th | 3.782⭐ | 280🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 102th | 3.924⭐ | 280🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 623th | 3.301⭐ | 279🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 292th | 3.685⭐ | 281🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 366th | 3.307⭐ | 274🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 247th | 3.608⭐ | 276🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 22🗳️ | 37🗨️ |
One issue I had with the game is it feels "too zoomed in". You can't really get lots of context for the map, just what's immediately around you. The safest way to progress in the game seems to be to go very slowly to make sure you see all the terrain. I didn't get the sense that there was an alternative play style to "slow and safe". Since you can't SEE anything you pretty much have to move slowly or memorize the map...
Great work!
@ehtd Thank you so much! I tried to juice this game up a little more then usual :sweat_smile:
@samurguy Thank you! Yeah, the drops were meant to be scary, and im glad you like the art!
@mdotedot Yeah... I should have zoomed out the camera to account for that. Sorry for the random drops!
@unpronounceable Yeah, that could have been fixed with a zoomed out camera
Thank all of you so much for the feedback!
@clemonades Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, it took pretty much the first half of the first day to pull of the painting mechanic. There's source code if you want to know how.
@vimlark Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.
1)The concept of this game was very innovative. You took a simple platformer game put an entirely new twist on it.
2)The tutorial was straighforward and way better than just reading instructions. I appreciate games that make learning the controls interesting, and you did a great job of that.
Overall, the game felt polished and was super fun to play. I agree with @the-neon-shark that it feels a little too "zoomed out", but that can easily be fixed down the road if you decided you want to keep working on this game.
The spikes seemed very sensitive though. A few times I tried to get as close as I could to make a jump, and it felt like I kept walking into the spike before I actually touched it.
Super fun, great job.
@alec Thank you! I started at about 10, and have been trying to improve ever since.
@interface Thank you! Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I probably should have made the spike hitbox a bit more lenient. Thanks for the comment.
@gonzalo-antuna Thanks for the feedback!

Pretty cool idea, and it enticed me to keep playing until the end. The main issue for me was that I really felt that the paint should stay on the level between deaths, so that there was a more of a sense of progression. Oh and I got a little stuck at the first 2-key door. I didn't realise that doors would need 2 keys by that point.
Overall, it's pretty good. Really awesome that you managed to include a boss in there as well, btw. and nice work with the music and sfx.
@joskerdu Thanks ^^
Even so, great job ^^ impressed~
Overall this was super fun to play!
@landerack Ah, got it. Thanks for the kind words!
The spikes could probably stand out more once they are painted. Maybe a slighyl different shade of purple, or some kind of shimmer effect, just to help differentiate hazards from safe surfaces.
I found the end boss quite difficult until I discovered I could hit him off screen in relative safety.
The volume on the death sfx was a little high in comparison to the other sfx, but other than that audio was great.
I could totally see this being a full fledged game with 100s of levels. Great job!
@smelly-games Thank you! I will definitely try to expand this game in the future, thanks for an idea.
@hestrateja Thank you!
The jumping controls were a little wierd. Space to just would be nice, or right-click since we're already using the mouse to paint anyway.
I think there could be some more mechanics to balance risk/reward.
Like maybe if the player had a limited amount of paint? or had to wait for recharging? That way they'd want to conserve paint or take their time, and wisely choose where/when to shoot.
I also think it'd be cool if the paint was leftover from your last life. Like, a new character comes in and has to follow in the previous one's footsteps. So your goal would be to complete the levels in as few lives as possible, but each lost life leaves paint for the next one to make it easier?
Just some suggestions, it's a very good game and I'm actually keeping a tab open to play again later today.
All in all though, really fun and I'm glad I had the chance to play!
@jokerbomb Thank you! I think the paint will stay after death if i update the game, and the camera will be zoomed out to remove blind drops.
Only thing that remains to be said is: Congratulations! An amazing entry.
@sarath Oh my gosh. Thank you so much! these words are so kind, and i'm glad you liked it!
Death sound is pretty loud compared to other sounds.
Great entry!
Overall cool stuff though, I really like the concept and I would love to see you expand further on it!
@sodaro Thanks for the comment! I will definitely keep the paint you produce when you die. Also, the spikes suffered from hitbox problems, making it easy to hit them as the player but not with the bullets. I will fix these issues in the future!
Great job! Simple and super fun! Love the idea Got to the end and destroyed the boss (after some tries). Super cool!
Also the level design is awesome. It was kinda scary to not know what's infront of you so you have to paint the walls like crazy o.o (I did that.) Seriously I was so happy that there where no restrictions for color usage XD Such a nice game, 5/5!!! :)
@nivbeth Thanks! I tried to juice up the boss kill, to make it satisfying to finally beat. Thanks for the review!
@jvolonte Yeah, the tension before that first death is real! Thanks for the comment!
One suggestion I have is to keep the paint around after death, and/or maybe limiting the amount I can shoot paint. Because I could fire paint infinitely, and because it would all go away when I died, I ended up going really slow and firing all around me. It was still a lot of fun even going slow though! Great work.
@evil-villain-games The construct project is on the Itch.io Page. Thanks for the comment!
If I had to make (minor) comments: SFX volume is a bit high compared to the calm music (dying one). Also found it a teeny bit tedious to re-paint the level every time I died, though I can understand the choice.
Paint disappearing gradually with a timer might work?
Anyways great game, had fun! Thanks for making it!
Really nice !
@bidentworks Thanks! The dying sound effect is a bit jarring, and the music a bit quiet. The paint will most likely stay, to give a greater sense a progression.
@lucky-trident Thanks! That's really kind of you to say :smile:
My main suggestions are:
- Keep the paint in the world after death (but this has been suggested a few times)
- Maybe have the outlines of shapes appear over the splat effect? I found myself dying a lot to shapes I just couldn't read because the splat effect lingered for too long.
- Reduce the number of blind spots, OR, keeping the persistent paint idea, make the paint you splat when you die red, so I know there's danger there on the next run.
Those are only suggestions though, this is a solid game for Ludum Dare, especially for your age! Keep going with game development, I think you'll be great at it!
A platformer with a great mechanism, I love it.
@stroe-andrew Thank you!
@zhi Got it. I couldn't really understand your comment that well, but I think you mean that the spikes are too random, and instill too much fear into the player? Thanks for the comment anyway!
I'm not exaggerating- you'd do well to consider a career in indie game dev. You've got a great head for it.
@yamzho Wow! Thanks!
@usenrame Basically, When the paint object touches a wall I make a splash, and make the part of the splash overlapping the wall visible. 
@todward Thank you! I'm working on the Post-Jam version right now.
@wandersen Never heard of that game. I will look that up later. Thanks for the comment!
@timtipgames Thanks! I'll be sure to introduce unique ways to use paint in the post jam game.
@krammetje Thank you! Yeah, spikes are a bit annoying
@devmerlin Thank you!
@phlebas Thanks! more particles could have been used, and I might add random colors for every room.
THANK YOU ALL!
@martin183 Thanks! Im kind of a huge beginner when it comes to music, so I tried to make the best thing I could. Glad to hear it sounded okay!
I presume there's a lot you can do with these mechanics though, so great potential there. Well done!
@devastus Thank you! The slow and steady feel definitely dragged down the experience.
Love it though.
@heidelbert Thank you!
It was well developed for a 'look before you leap' kind of gameplay, and I appreciated a lot that with the premise of that, you weren't too unforgiving with the placement of spikes - it wasn't the kind of game I felt was punishing for not inking positively every surface along the way! Much appreciated, and it certainly added to my experience that there weren't spikes coating every surface after they were introduced!
The boss fight was simple, but a fitting conclusion to what the game had built up along the way, and defeating it certainly lead to a much more satisfying conclusion than it would have had without - kudos to putting it together in a short two hours!
All in all, an excellent game, and I can't wait to see what other types of games you put together for further game jams! Great work! ☆☆☆☆☆
Well done!
@merlinnsound Thanks! I really tried to make a tight little experience as fun as possible.
@landosilva Thank you! I really tried to kick up the post-processing, particles, and juice for this game.
@caiolima Ha! Thanks. I've heard a lot about this 'Unfinished Swan' game. It sounds cool!
@daniel-whittaker Thank you! Stay tuned for the post jam version! My itch.io is IanTheBee.
@briibot Thank you! I'm expanding this game, and I see a lot of potential in this idea! I'm glad I didn't put more spikes. I've gotten some feedback that the game is a bit hard... even more spikes would have probably tanked my ratings a bit. The Boss was something I was hesitant to make, but it seems a lot of people appreciated it!
@f1refoks Thanks!
@nahuelito Thank you! I'm not sure how to make the spikes more distinct in the post-jam... will have to think about that.
@frokes Thank you! Yeah, will probably add a paint limit in the post-jam.
@galina Thanks! Some mechanics will be reworked.
@tanner-shelton Thank! The spikes are pretty hard to distinguish at times.
@olddog Thank you!
@zeha WOW! Thanks for the great rating my friend!
@solweak Yeah, the slow and steady nature isn't exactly the most 'fun' thing. Thanks for the comment!
@arancutter Thanks! The death sound has already been lessened in the post-jam version, and maybe i'll have a random shoot sound effect every time you fire :thinking:
The problem is that you have to run very slowly to anticipate the spikes, that's kind of frustrating. The theme is not very strong as well.
Good entry overall ! Congrats !
@charliegray Wow, really? I'll check your game out! Thanks for the comment!
This is an impressively well-rounded entry. It has an effective graphical style, an interesting core mechanic, nice sounds, and even music. I was surprised to see it's your first Ludum Dare, but I checked on itch and saw that it's not your first game jam.
I mostly liked the controls. They definitely didn't get in the way, and were solid. I'll mention a couple of minor things that I would have appreciated having: I always like when the jump is a bit more expressive by letting me vary the height based on how long I hold the button down. The other one is "coyote time" where you can still jump for a just a moment after you leave a platform. I definitely got bit by that one a few times in this game. No big deal, just a couple of minor feelbads that didn't really get in the way of the fun.
The slippy-slidey inertia, which I don't like in most games, I think I liked here because the character is a ball of wet paint, so I think the charming characterization of sliding was worth the lesser control.
I started out in level 1 by playing carefully and taking specific shots, and moving through areas that still had a lot of dark. But once I started dying to spikes I wanted to get much more coverage before proceeding, so I started experimenting with the shooting controls and discovered I could just hold it down. I probably never let go of the button again, which was convenient but I missed that cool experience of walking through half-painted terrain. I wonder if spikes is really the perfect hazard for this game. Maybe there are enemies that encourage you NOT to paint, like they wake up when they get wet or something, I dunno.
This is a really good entry with a strong core and a lot of charm, really well done.
@fpi'Thank you!
Moving on to the review, the controls & base mechanics were well implemented and have a nice feel.
Graphics despite being simple & minimalist work well due to the particle effects, and the small animations on the character.
Title & end screens were also pretty.
For the downsides :
- As i think it was said already dozen of times, being able to spam without limits kind of kills the whole 'discover level' mechanic as we can just shoot everywhere to make the whole level visible.
- The level ends weren't obvious until the later levels with keys as there's no way to know whether we're in front of the level's end or another part of the level.
- It also lacked a way to know how many keys were needed to unlock the path to next level.
- Boss starts attacking you before he first appears on screen on last level. Makes you wonder why you died, would be better if there was some sort of cinematic or other to warn you (the bipping sound of the attack isn't enough as you have no clue as to what is it at first).
- On a last point, i feel like the game doesn't relate much to the theme. Ok, you could say you go deeper into a dungeon, but it's pretty weak by itself.
Still, a good compo game overall. Mechanics & game feel are good and if you decide to keep working on it after the jam, it's a great base that can be made into a bigger & better game.
@vladadamm Thanks! I saw your game, and I agree the mechanic was very similar. Thanks for the feedback on the graphics. I added many particles, and lots of post-processing. Being able to spam has been removed in the post-jam. It was something that kind of bothered me, but didn't have time to remove. The level ends didn't have a sound effect, fade out, or anything. That should have been fixed. Boss starting was something I also didn't like, and is something I also couldn't fix in time.
The controls are solid and the level design has all of the good things you want. I especially liked that for one of the levels i see the key as i fall in so that i know where i need to eventually get to.
The boss fight doesn't use anything the player's learned from the levels other than shooting, it would be nice to see painting and platforming being a part of the fight.
Great entry, congrats!
@skosnowich Thank you. I'm glad you were fine with the very small 200px200p resolution. The spikes were a bit unfair, so I made the camera 1.5x zoomed out in the post-jam. The music was whipped up in beepbox in 10 minutes. Glad you still liked it!
@tanis Thanks!
@tezza48 Thank you. I wanted the player to paint over the bosses eye to block it, but I couldn't figure it out. Maybe in the post-jam.
@asdehielo Thank you. The music was only 4 measures looping, I made it waaaay too late.
I couldn't finish because i had a weird bug (HTML version) where the second door that requires a key wouldn't open even though i had the key. But great job !
В черных глубинах неизведанных пещер покоятся секреты, недоступные простому смертному. Лишь самые смелые и отважные герои, способные преодолеть непроглядную тьму, смогут достичь конца и выжить.
Спасибо за игру ^_^
The one thing I'm personally missing is urgency. You can (or have to) take it very slow thus giving the entire game a slow pacing. I personally would've enjoyed it more if the pacing was faster, which certainly would cause more deaths, but your paint stays when respawning.
Might just be personal preference though.
The boss fight at the end was a little cramped, but I beat it by hugging the wall, dodging and shooting paint at it till it exploded.
Overall really well made! Good work :D
Great game, good job.