Blackwater Depths by Okean

made by Okean for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

About

Your mission is simple - reach the anomaly detected deep within this submerged cave system. No contact has been made since the signal appeared. No explanations. No return transmissions. Your vessel, though small, is built to withstand the crushing depths. You, however... are untested.

Descend carefully. Avoid hostile fauna. And whatever you do - don't lose the light.

Controls

Movement - WASD
Diving - E
Surfacing - Q
Action - F

Preview

Screenshots

photo2025-04-0800-25-18.jpg

Try to avoid underwater creatures

photo2025-04-0800-25-18 (3).jpg

Keep an eye on the threat indicator

photo2025-04-0800-25-18 (2).jpg

Explore the underground waters, being careful not to destroy your submarine

Everything you see was created by our own hands. Enjoy:)

Code by @Okean

Visual by @RyuSoHyeong

Music, Level Design by Faustmangos

Link	https://github.com/RyuSoHyeong/Blackwater-Depths-Windows
Link	https://github.com/RyuSoHyeong/Blackwater-Depths-Linux
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/blackwater-depths

Ratings

Overall	424^th	3.577⭐	28🧑‍⚖️
Fun	586^th	3.154⭐	28🧑‍⚖️
Innovation	647^th	2.923⭐	28🧑‍⚖️
Theme	118^th	4.192⭐	28🧑‍⚖️
Graphics	275^th	3.981⭐	29🧑‍⚖️
Audio	148^th	3.84⭐	27🧑‍⚖️
Humor	675^th	2⭐	22🧑‍⚖️
Mood	159^th	4.019⭐	28🧑‍⚖️
Given		90🗳️	24🗨️

Feedback

levi kingma

08. Apr 2025 · 14:31 UTC

That fish is TERRIFYING

vangrail

08. Apr 2025 · 14:40 UTC

very good atmosphere! I had trouble finding the treasure, but I was genuinely scared in the beginning

izzqz

08. Apr 2025 · 14:43 UTC

i spooked FIVE STARS!

Anton Florey

08. Apr 2025 · 14:51 UTC

Wow! This game looks an feels very polished! I really felt like sitting in tiny submarine somewhere in the ocean depths. My only critique would be the gameplay itself: As far as I understand it, this is a stealth type of game. Due to the (visually stunning) limited visibility I could not figure out where to go and had a hard time studying the enemy fish behaviour. So it comes down to trial and error, which gets very boring very quickly because you are slow and always respawn at the start. Maybe someone more patient will figure out a winning strategy and post it here so I can finish the game :)

LDJam user 0

08. Apr 2025 · 15:07 UTC

Tried 5 times. Bad view to detect fish, and nothing to do when fish comes, which makes it a no-choice game.

Mutilated Sauce

09. Apr 2025 · 02:38 UTC

Visually quite impressive, and the deep sea atmosphere is also upheld really well. The audio is also fitting and well done.
I do wish I had more tools to avoid or combat the fish. Most of the times I died was because it came up behind me and there was nothing I could do about it.

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 05:50 UTC

@mutilates-sauce, yeah, there is a problem. Because of the lack of time it was very difficult to realize what we wanted:(

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 10:50 UTC

@izzqz, thank you so much!🤗

@vangrail, the exit from the level is very well hidden, so try to find it. I believe in you!🥳

@anton-florey, thank you for feedback. Yeah, there is such a thing... Initially, the game concept was different (with the ability to shoot back at fish in the depths of the ocean), but there were difficulties with the implementation due to deadlines, so we had to quickly redo it so that it would at least somehow work, look normal and play without errors🌞

ChrisBeck

09. Apr 2025 · 11:48 UTC

Really great entry! I loved the atmosphere, very immersive, reminded me of Iron Lung. I played a few times but unfortunately couldn't fine the treasure, but I'm sure someone more skilled will have better luck. Great job!

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 11:57 UTC

@chrisbeck, thanks for your feedback!😊 In the game you need to find the exit which is hidden very well. Therefore, there may be difficulties with this. So sad that only 3 days were given😓

Ronalchue

09. Apr 2025 · 13:50 UTC

Visually the atmosphere is evocative, it is very pleasant to control the submarine. It is not always clear what to do, it is unpleasant to get lost.

gifarre

09. Apr 2025 · 13:52 UTC

Would be great if there were more operations in the submarine, ability to walk around feels redundant with only driving available(or maybe I couldn't progress enough?) I love the athmosphere and the sounds though, environment design is great, I am spooked!

gifarre

09. Apr 2025 · 13:52 UTC

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 14:50 UTC

@ronalchue, thank you for feedback! Yeah, even I could get lost after going down even deeper😄 But this is where the secret tunnel is😉

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 14:59 UTC

@gifarre, thanks for feedback!🎉 Yeap, the original concept of the game was different and walking around the submarine was justified. We wanted to add turrets to the side windows so that you could shoot back during battles with different kinds of fish, as well as explore the depths of the ocean and collect loot to upgrade the submarine and turrets. Eh, I had a lot of ideas at the beginning of development, but due to the tight deadline I had to redo the concept and was left with walking around the ship😞

Reed Molbak

09. Apr 2025 · 16:33 UTC

Great mood! I agree w/ some of the comments that the fish felt a bit out of my hands -- I tried sneaking around it a few times but couldn't ever progress too far. The mood is really great though, as well as the general experience

RyuSoHyeong

09. Apr 2025 · 17:39 UTC

@reed-molbak, thank you so much! Fish move in their own way. The main thing is to memorize the movement of the fish and try to swim past it. But I'm glad you enjoyed it!😉

icks

09. Apr 2025 · 20:58 UTC

Scary. Impressive how you manage to get across the claustrophobic atmosphere of a deep underwater labyrinth by limiting the controls.

Yatsu

09. Apr 2025 · 21:37 UTC

рыба жёстко доминировала надо мной и мне это понравилось!

JoyceIsDrawing

10. Apr 2025 · 03:16 UTC

Really loved the art style and atmosphere! Good one!

RyuSoHyeong

10. Apr 2025 · 05:49 UTC

@icks, thank you! You just haven't seen actual videos of people climbing into very narrow caves yet. It's really creepy😱

@yatsu, you have good preferences!😂

@joyceisdrawing, thank you! It would be nice if you wrote me what else could be implemented!🐱

DevilXrom

11. Apr 2025 · 11:04 UTC

Very impressive game with amazing atmosphere and sound design! I truly felt immersed in the depths of the ocean. Despite the challenge in finding the way and dealing with enemies, the game leaves a great impression. It would be awesome to see more opportunities for interaction with the environment and additional controls. Great job!

RyuSoHyeong

11. Apr 2025 · 11:52 UTC

@devilxrom, thank you so much! Due to the difficulty and lack of time, the game had to be significantly reduced in features. But I'm glad you enjoyed it!🌞

SayuriNyooko

11. Apr 2025 · 13:29 UTC

Cool horror-ish atmosphere! I like the visuals and the sound, the controls are smooth, not fast and challenging enough. Thanks for the game!

RyuSoHyeong

11. Apr 2025 · 15:23 UTC

@sayurinyooko, thanks for feedback! We have tried and tested the game to make sure you like it. Thank you for playing!🥳

Makache

12. Apr 2025 · 09:52 UTC

Pretty creepy and atmospheric — loved the vibe! I’d maybe suggest making the exit a bit easier to spot (I couldn’t find it at all), or even adding a little radar that shows where the hostile fish and the exit are. I think that way more players could actually make it to the end. Other than that, I had a great time — awesome game!

RyuSoHyeong

12. Apr 2025 · 12:49 UTC

@makache, thank you for feedback! There was no time to do the radar and the concept changed due to deadlines😓 The exit is where the third fish swims. You have to swim behind it and look carefully at the rocks🌞

The Stewarts

13. Apr 2025 · 13:16 UTC

Absolutely terrifying! Felt very much like a small part of a finished game, which is a great achievement for such a short game jam