The Dimmest Dungeon by doomshmuck

[raw]
made by doomshmuck for Ludum Dare 50 (COMPO)

​You have stumbled into a very dim and deep dungeon, with seemingly no way out. It is only a matter of time before your light source burns out. You don't want to know what lurks in the dim depths of the dimmest dungeon!

There is at least one mystery (OK maybe just one) to find in those dim depths... Perhaps the secrets held within can delay your inevitable demise to the dimness. There is a total of 3 levels, and completing the 3rd will loop you back to the first. Sorry there isn't more levels / mechanics... but you know, game jam. Controls are shown on the main screen, but I will repeat them here in case you just clicked past it: * A - Move left * D - Move right * Arrow keys - Fire light in direction * Space - Jump

Created using: * Unity 2021.2.17f1 (Game engine) * JFXR (Sound Effects) * Bosca Ceoil (Music) -- Points if you can tell what I attempted to pay homage to here. HINT: it is a mash-up of two themes! * Asesprite (for my crummy developer art)

Small update on 4/5 to fix some bugs reported: * Made a small fix to the "grounded" detection for jumping, which should hopefully make the jumping feel less bad. * Adjusted the shot hit box so that it no longer collides with the wall when standing next to it. * Added a light to the level exit

Ratings

Overall 456th 3.194⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Fun 457th 2.974⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 298th 3.316⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Theme 559th 2.842⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 546th 2.711⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Audio 372th 2.972⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Humor 374th 2.5⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Mood 335th 3.184⭐ 21🧑‍⚖️
Given 21🗳️ 18🗨️

Feedback

kromeboy
04. Apr 2022 · 17:05 UTC
It's a very dark dungeon :-D i think i got lost in it and looped back trough the entrance door on the second level and then got stuck not able to pass again in the door.
Rinko
04. Apr 2022 · 20:25 UTC
Jumping makes it a little hard to play but i really enjoyed it. I like sound effects and graphics
🎤 doomshmuck
05. Apr 2022 · 14:02 UTC
Since I've seen a number of people have trouble on the 2nd level, I'll give a small hint here (in the comments in case people don't want to be spoiled lol):

At the very bottom of the level (after the little winding snake maze), there is an enemy that drops down on you. This enemy serves two purposes - 1 is that it will give you enough energy back to let you finish the level, and also get the secret if you are fast enough, and 2, it hints at where the exit is for the level. Pay attention to where the enemy starts, and that should give you the info you need to finish the level.

I am kind of realizing now, after the fact, that I probably should have given the exit gates a light source... but too late now.
LDJam user 234567
05. Apr 2022 · 15:58 UTC
Jumps are hard. The music is simple but in the theme of dungeon.
Str0nkyK0ng
05. Apr 2022 · 16:00 UTC
Cool idea to tie the player's health to their ammunition! I found the platforming sections quite difficult, but maybe that's just from my lack of dexterity. Great work though!
kristinamay
05. Apr 2022 · 16:37 UTC
I really like the core mechanic here of the lights being your ammo and your health (I think?) But goodness gracious jumping up platforms required the kind of dexterity that I just don't have, lol. I beat Celeste but was defeated by Dimmest Dungeon. :laughing: I know one of the mashed up tunes was the dungeon theme from Mario, I don't know the other one though! Anyway, great work!
StupidHobbit
05. Apr 2022 · 18:23 UTC
I like your game, very moody. Jumping is a bit hardcore, but I've managed to get to the third level
🎤 doomshmuck
05. Apr 2022 · 18:47 UTC
@kristinamay the other theme was "Tension" from Persona 5 :)
🎤 doomshmuck
05. Apr 2022 · 19:08 UTC
So, based on reading the rules, it looks like I may be able to do an update to the game to fix the jumping and bullet collision... If I have time I will look at fixing that up. The jumping is definitely a bug, for what its worth.
UkuleleFury
11. Apr 2022 · 16:20 UTC
:) Very fun game! I like the light mechanic, and you've lots of great little details, like your light radius decreasing when losing power. I was very happy that I re-spawned at the last battery when I died too! Nice simple art, nice very Mario-esque music. Good sounds. I like this one!
chrissou
11. Apr 2022 · 19:06 UTC
I like the idea of light as life and also reducing what you see.
The jump is weird and gravity is too low IMHO.

Overall it's a nice game, I finished it but not without a few deaths! Thanks for the respawn point!
realryanrogers
11. Apr 2022 · 20:17 UTC
I like the idea! Other people have mentioned, but the floaty jump was a bit tough to get under control. Other than that though, I enjoyed the little details, and the art! I appreciate you sharing!
eyedromeda
11. Apr 2022 · 21:38 UTC
Quite a nice game with a cool mechanic. The music is quite rough and the gravity is from the moon, although I actually liked this most of the time, since it made it easier to do cool maneuvers and save time. This is definitely something that could be fleshed out and turned into a full game with enough polish, and more levels of course.
Itskdog
12. Apr 2022 · 21:44 UTC
Nice job with the game. I liked the puzzle aspect of it. The movement could be worked on a little. I liked the audio as well.
Pawciu
13. Apr 2022 · 07:26 UTC
Solif puzzle game. Pleasant effect with turning on the lamps when you hit them.
tompudding
13. Apr 2022 · 17:04 UTC
The light gradually dimming around yourself was very atmospheric. I got a bit stuck on the third level, but I enjoyed myself getting there
Bernhard
14. Apr 2022 · 18:08 UTC
Almost gave up at the start of level 3 but then I figured it out, clever :-)

Great entry, I, too, enjoyed the bit of Mario 3 underground vibe I got from the music, ha ha!