The Depths by digital bacon
Drive your submarine to recover lost cargo from the depths of the ocean. Pick up improvements to increase your crush depth, repair packages to fix damage, and oxygen refills as you dive.
WASD or arrow keys to move, space to fire torpedoes.
Wasn't able to take time off work to get this into the jam, so submitting in the extra category (barely had time to do that, either).
| Link | https://digital-bacon.itch.io/the-depths |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/the-depths-1 |
Ratings
| Given | 15🗳️ | 21🗨️ |
On level 4 I got a bug that my submarine spawned inside a wall so I couldn't move, on a second run of the game it didn't happen
It was a fun little game, good job :)
The polish is very cute - the submarine, the bubbles, all the sprites have this distinct cuteness with them :heart:
I like how you've put the base for a much bigger game - it is polished. Those mechanics can be exploited in many more ways / levels, I am sure. Along with ideas that come for other similar mechanics - like creatures in the depths, etc.
A small feedback would be that the submarine maybe felt a bit slow to me, but that might be just me.
Good job ! : ))
You might as well increase the mine damage, as it is, you really don't need to use torpedoes, you can just truck through everything - even on the last level you'll be left with 1 hp.
As others said, this looks like a good base for a more complex game.
I found it very interesting that you used the 1bit palette in reverse. It's usually used with a black background and white lines. I liked this option. It makes the game look more lively.
I imagine that the lack of time prevented the game from having more levels. Let us know if you make more challenges.
Congratulations!
@ntmalichi : Fixed that bug, the submarine shouldn't get stuck in the wall any more.
@mavrick, @aleksey4adoff: I ran out of time to do more levels -- as it was, I was up well past midnight (on a work night!) getting level 4 "good enough". I've architected it so adding new levels is pretty easy -- just takes time -- but I have a list of mobile enemies and bosses I wanted to add.
@aweskybear : Easy enough to tweak those settings, although I've found if the submarine goes too fast, it becomes really hard to move through narrow spaces in the level.
@static-leap-studios, @she-wrote, @ditam : thanks -- the SFX I've had kicking around for a while, and used them in other projects, while I found the music on [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/music/video-games-8-bit-retro-game-music-233964/). And ditam, I've upped the damage dealt by the mines on level 4.
@oadt : I started drawing the submarine first, before I knew what I wanted the game to be -- one of those "game jam rules" that I usually don't break. I didn't want to simply flip the submarine around when it turns, so I animated it and learned how much I suck at 3/4 views! Hopefully the animation is fast enough, no-one notices :laughing:
@euler-moises : I spent so much time trying to decide on which way around to do the palette, but eventually settled on the white background because I wanted it to feel "lighter"
The overall aesthetic is very cute! Love it!
I liked the tutorial, made it very easy to get into the game, shame you didn't have time to put more levels together, but I enjoyed what I played - nice entry!
Gameplay's top notch, the polish is really great, music's amazing, overall it's a perfect entry!
So glad you took the time to finish it and still published it as Extra!

No geral o jogo me entreteve e me desafiou a pensar um pouco sobre o tipo de escolha difícil que eu teria que fazer em níveis mais complexos.
Foi divertido (a música escolhida combinou com a pegada do jogo e isso animou um pouco as coisas). Quis ter visto mais estágios, mas ainda assim foi bem bacana concluir até o final do quarto estágio.
Um ponto interessante em termos da mecânica de jogo foi precisar estar a certa altura dos objetos coletáveis para que eles pudessem ser pegos, vi que houve um cuidado nesse sentido.
O uso do tema foi OK.
Gostei dos gráficos, são confortáveis e combinam com o tópico do jogo. Quis ver um pouco mais da narrativa dentro do jogo, creio que me daria um pouco mais de conexão (integrando arte e gameplay).
Não creio que a ênfase seja no humor.
A ambientação foi de "desafios rápidos", o que não é um "clima psicológico" em termos muito aprofundados, mas deu para começar a engajar na dinâmica do jogo. Creio que com mais estágios isso se aprofundaria ainda mais.
Acredito que o jogo possa ter potencial para mobile, ao menos para usar como experimento dentro do contexto de reconhecimento de mercado. Trabalharia em uma música própria e na criação de mais algumas dezenas de estágios (com novas mecânicas, como algum tipo de broca vertical e a coleção de alguns itens). Quem sabe um minimapa possa ser liberado ou algo assim (nem que seja após reconhecer mais que 50% do mapa do estágio atual, ou algo assim).

Overall, the game entertained me and challenged me to think a bit about the kind of tough choices I’d have to make in more complex levels.
It was fun (the chosen music matched the game's vibe and helped liven things up). I wanted to see more stages, but it was still pretty cool to reach the end of the fourth one.
One interesting point in terms of gameplay mechanics was having to be at a certain height relative to the collectibles in order to pick them up—I noticed there was careful attention to that detail.
The use of the theme was okay.
I liked the graphics; they’re easy on the eyes and fit the game’s topic. I wanted to see a bit more narrative in the game—I think it would’ve helped me feel more connected (bringing together the art and gameplay).
I don’t think humor was meant to be the focus.
The atmosphere felt like “quick challenges,” which isn’t a deep psychological mood, but it was enough to start getting into the game’s rhythm. I think with more stages, that feeling could grow stronger.
I believe the game could have potential on mobile, at least as an experimental project for market testing. I'd work on a custom soundtrack and add a few dozen more stages (introducing new mechanics, like a vertical drill or collectible items). Maybe a minimap could be added too—perhaps unlocked after exploring more than 50% of the current stage map, or something like that.
The submarine is also fun to move, although flipping left and right could be smoother.
I was hoping that it could bob up and down while underwater or sink slowly.
Here are some minor nitpicks:
- Needs more feedback sound effects when lifting the cargo, bumping the ocean walls, etc.
- Cargo shouldn't sink into the floor when being carried.
- More levels, and a change in scene (maybe inverted colors?)
The instructions were well done, and building up skills were handled in a good way.
Music gives me Baba Is You vibes. Good choice!
@stending : I missed LD56 due to illness, so I was determined to get something submitted for 57, even if I didn't have time for the Jam.
@texugo : thanks!
@gustavo-christino : I originally wanted a winch to come out from under the bottom of the submarine to grab the cargo, but (surprise, surprise) didn't have time to implement that, so there are two small collision boxes -- one under the sub, one on top of the crate -- and the sub only grabs the crate when the two overlap. I've been thinking about a narrative, so if I continue, I'll probably add that it. I wasn't really trying for humour or mood, just wanted to get something vaguely playable!
@lloydlobo : the sub changing direction is probably faster than it should be, mainly to hide my crappy pixel art! A lot of the things you mention weren't include due to time limitations. Certainly want more levels, not sure about inverting colours but I'll keep that in mind. Had to look up *Baba is You*'s OST, but I see what you mean.
Yeah that OST is still my favorite by an indie developer. PS. Did you know that early prototype of Baba is You was created during a game jam!!
@lloydlobo : there's quite a few ways that I could play with colour, even while keeping to my quasi 1-bit style. I'm always impressed by how many successful games started as game jam entries.