LudumData

Grave Situation by BangKerpow

[raw]
made by BangKerpow for Ludum Dare 58 (COMPO)

* Upgrade your towers with parts from your enemies. The more of the same parts you collect, the bigger the bonus. *

Mortimer the Magnificent, renowned wizard and world-class procrastinator, had one job: set up magical defenses to stop a demon from rising. The plan was simple. Fortify the graveyard in advance, perform the ritual, and enjoy a nice cup of coffee while the world stays un-apocalypsed.

Of course, Mortimer put it off…for weeks.

Now, with the demon’s minions pouring out of the underworld and the ritual already underway, Mortimer is forced to improvise. There’s no time for carefully crafted runes or enchanted towers. He’s grabbing whatever’s lying around the graveyards: broken tombstones, dead trees, questionable skeleton bits, and the occasional sticky ectoplasm. Using these leftovers, Mortimer must cobble together defenses on the fly, hoping his “creativity” will be enough to hold back the supernatural onslaught until the ritual is complete.

Controls: * Movement - WASD or Arrow Keys * Shoot - Left Mouse * Teleport - Right Mouse * Build Fence - 2 and 3 * Build Tower - 1 * Upgrade Tower - Space, while standing next to it

Link https://kerpowbang.itch.io/grave-situation
Link https://github.com/kerpow/GraveSituation
Original URL https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/58/grave-situation

Ratings

Overall 76th 3.545⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Fun 52th 3.614⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 159th 2.886⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Theme 191th 2.864⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 103th 3.523⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Audio 99th 3.238⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Humor 122th 2.643⭐ 23🧑‍⚖️
Mood 121th 3.182⭐ 24🧑‍⚖️
Given 15🗳️ 18🗨️

Feedback

ImmortalFox
Oct 05th · 22:34 UTC
Funny experience! But there was a small bug - if build a fence on the main entry, enemies would just wander around the map, while tower would attack them. Anyways, great game :) Also would suggest adding some screenshots right here on the main page
LDJam user 336676
Oct 06th · 00:55 UTC
gave me Diablo 1 vibes at first, was just getting a handle on fences :smile:
thejackimonster
Oct 06th · 01:05 UTC
I feel like there could be another source for stones. Maybe spawn some golems or similar. Otherwise quite fun!
lespaul59
Oct 07th · 19:06 UTC
cool idea! i really like tower defense styled games but this is the first where i can literally burn the whole map - so much fun - totally forgot to grill the ghosts :D
very well done!
An1s
Oct 08th · 11:32 UTC
It's a really interesting idea, but I feel that the upgrade of the defense towers could be more gradual. That might make it even better,good job！
heat
Oct 08th · 11:36 UTC
Good idea! The mobs' pathfinding broke when I put up some fences))
![ghost.png](///raw/d6b/06/z/6ee67.png)
chluebi
Oct 08th · 11:39 UTC
Very fun game! I like the building different towers and seeing the interactions of the upgrades
skale
Oct 09th · 14:10 UTC
Nice art and really addictive gameplay, super engaging!
woona
Oct 09th · 15:46 UTC
Cool game! I completed all 20 waves.

I think the fences break the game too much: you can surround yourself with them and the monsters can't get to you. Usually in tower defense there is either a path that can't be walled or monsters can chew through your defenses

I think drop rate balance is a bit off too. I didn't really feel excited when I got another essence thing of any kind. But getting more stone was really powerful.
🎤 BangKerpow
Oct 09th · 16:28 UTC
@woona @heat Thanks for playing! The monsters are supposed to attack the fences if they can't find a path and it works 50% of the time....it's a jam /shrug
José Bonilla
Oct 10th · 04:19 UTC
Nice fusion between TD and shooter! I think it's well balanced and the idea of collecting powers out of the enemies to upgrade the towers is cool. Kudos.
Avhatar
Oct 10th · 07:29 UTC
A tower defense in its pure form — all the classic elements are there. The music fits perfectly, and the sound design gives great feedback. The only downside is the lack of challenge — it all feels a bit too easy. Other than that, it’s really well made.

![Screenshot_12.png](///raw/6fc/d1/z/6f293.png)
LDJam user 280624
Oct 10th · 16:57 UTC
An unusual Tower Defense with a ton of mechanics. I loved the core idea of upgrading your tower using enemy parts. The graphics are also really vibrant. Excellent game!
cogcomp
Oct 10th · 18:14 UTC
I've never been much for tower defence games, but this worked well for me. It's the second time during this compo that I've played a defence game in which there's also a protagonist that can deal damage as well. I think that might a really good thing for that genre. Nice graphics too. Well done!
Frank Gevaerts
Oct 11th · 14:39 UTC
My strategy: block gap with fences, then build towers.

Quite a lot of fun, but maybe a bit unbalanced on the easy side of things? It feels like once you figure out the three gaps that need to be blocked, you can't really lose.

Impressive graphics and audio for compo, and other than the balance, the gameplay works quite well!

For QoL I think I'd have appreciated a preview for the fences, I can't for the life of me remember which of the buttons does which direction...

Overall, well done!
bereg
Oct 11th · 19:59 UTC
Interesting take on the tower defense genre! I quite liked it, although the progression could use a few tweaks - the last wave felt a bit too easy. Overall, the game’s quality is excellent. I enjoyed every aspect of it. Congratulations on a solid entry!
robert18
Oct 12th · 01:55 UTC
Really cool take on tower defense I enjoyed it, though it was a bit too easy, I didn't even realize I could build fences but didn't need them
commanderstitch
Oct 12th · 03:15 UTC
So cool Love the tons of ugrade otpions. I'm so... amazed. I can't believe it but i did something to where my turret turned into a machine gun and it chewed up everything and everyone. I felt so proud. Great entry
APDT
Oct 12th · 03:18 UTC
Cool tower defense. It was only on the penultimate wave that I realized that the towers were placed where the mouse cursor is
Jiri Hysek
Oct 12th · 19:10 UTC
The world is saved! I only need one tower (other two were out of range) and couple of fences on the right place :) After 10 round I realized, the game plays itself and I don't need to shoot them at all :) Graphics is very nice, it reminds me of Circle Empire. A small indie game I liked to play :)

![Screenshot 2025-10-12 at 21.07.16.png](///raw/221/c/z/6f53e.png)
thegrottman
Oct 21st · 17:47 UTC
4 turrets guarding the main entrance were enough to make the game self-play. And I'm not saying it as a con of the game! It was really pleasant, graphics moreso than audio, but still a solid entry! Great job!