Cave Escape: Featuring Steve! by Isaac Hisey

[raw]
made by Isaac Hisey for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

Cave Escape: Featuring Steve!

Escape the cave as fast as you can.

Watch your stamina and don't fall!

Using swinging and clinging to climb your way out!

WASD, Arrows, Dpad, or Left stick to move

Space or South face button to jump / activate

Left Bumper / shift / left mouse button for hook / swing

Right bumper / ctrl / right mouse button for cling / grab

WASD and Jump to control the main menu.

Take a look at "How To" for useful information!

Ratings

Overall 679th 3.196⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Fun 648th 3.054⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Innovation 499th 3.143⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Theme 600th 3.393⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Graphics 653th 3.161⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Audio 415th 3.241⭐ 29πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Humor 492th 2.667⭐ 29πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Mood 659th 3.179⭐ 30πŸ§‘β€βš–οΈ
Given 26πŸ—³οΈ 40πŸ—¨οΈ

Feedback

LDJam user 301711
08. Apr 2025 Β· 00:32 UTC
Neat concept, but I couldn't figure out how to do the swing/grab stuff on the keyboard.
The music is great as well, well done.
kenevil1
08. Apr 2025 Β· 01:05 UTC
Cool designs, sad I couldnt get the grappling hook the work, but great game!
🎀 Isaac Hisey
08. Apr 2025 Β· 01:19 UTC
Thanks for the plays! For those experiencing trouble with swinging or clinging on mouse and keyboard try the mouse for the swing and cling and WASD to move.

Click on hold left button to attach to a hook point (the lanterns) to swing. Hold to stay attached and release to let go and get a little boost. Then click and hold again to re-attach to the same or next hook point.

Likewise to cling press and hold left mouse and jump towards the side of a platform. Your character will cling or "stick" to it. Then while holding cling you can jump in various ways.

A mixture of clinging and swinging will see you make it to the top. Its a bit tough to learn but very satisfying once you get the hang of it.

I fully recommend a controller if available. Mouse and keyboard are okay and its completely beatable but controller feels much better.
gqycloud
08. Apr 2025 Β· 02:03 UTC
Seems like grappling hook/swing is only available through controller input?
LDJam user 213574
08. Apr 2025 Β· 09:08 UTC
The tutorial was pretty well made + the little humour at the end. One criticism I have is that, I would like something to take me back to the main screen where I could check the controls again or like settings to reduce the music something like that. Feels stuck in the game. Not sure if there is a button for it though on keyboard atleast.
Pusheeneiro
08. Apr 2025 Β· 10:37 UTC
Great job, it is hard and requires skills, but that's what makes this game so cool
Senkoso
08. Apr 2025 Β· 19:36 UTC
the game is pretty difficult but still nice
Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 Β· 20:43 UTC
Couldn't figure out the controls right away (specifically how to start) – was clicking the cursor, but turns out I needed keyboard selection... Good game though!
DazyLude
09. Apr 2025 Β· 16:07 UTC
Very nice, reminded me Jump King quite a bit.
At first I played the game in the browser, and everything was fine, but then I accidentally clicked outside of the game window, pressed jump and, following the browser page, fell right to the bottom 🫠
The PC version, it feels, runs a bit smoother than the browser one, and I also discovered that the layout was randomized! That was quite a welcome surprise, considering the whole starting from the bottom part :)
Overall a pretty fun experience, thank you for making it!
🎀 Isaac Hisey
09. Apr 2025 Β· 19:46 UTC
Appreciate all the feedback from the previous messages!
Couple things I've taken away:
1. Some controls should have been placed on the start menu for navigation. Just a little message/gfx to say use the left and right button to move the menu selector and jump to select.
2. Coyote time, I should have put a bit in. Especially for the web build which runs at a slightly lower FPS for whatever reason.
3. A way to get back to the menu / check help mid playthrough
4. Options for sound volume control, which was a consideration I just didn't feel I had the time
5. It seems like my control choices where in general not great for web. Using ctrl + space opens stuff in Opera GX, clicking outside the window and pressing space seems to plummet the page to the bottom. I think I relied to much on the presence of a controller and didn't give the pc controls enough thought. I just thought what would feel natural from a WASD and Mouse perspective and neglected how they layout would interact with the webpage.

That said overall I'm really proud of this entry and it feels the most complete of all my game jams thus far! Any additional feedback is welcome and thank you everyone who has and who has yet to play the game!
jetaimais
10. Apr 2025 Β· 06:00 UTC
Great game, well done! The controls are a bit tricky, but it’s really fun!
MagnesiumNinja
10. Apr 2025 Β· 08:15 UTC
Hey, a fellow rope game! :D
The art is very charming, though I found it a little difficult to get the hang of. I wish the game had coyote time or one-way platforms to smooth out the flow.
isayneigh
10. Apr 2025 Β· 14:45 UTC
Fits the theme perfectly. I couldn't get the hang of swinging/grappling but did manage to figure out some basic clinging to walls and jumping. I'd say it's more due to my own impatience than an inadequacy of the game. Good luck!
muriel
13. Apr 2025 Β· 11:05 UTC
The game is a bit hard, but the music, the sounds the climbing mechanics brought me to some really old games that I used to play when I was a kid, haha I can't point why but I felt nostalgia.

Great entry, the art is nice, and respect for Steve!
InfinitusDigitalis
14. Apr 2025 Β· 19:05 UTC
While playing this game, I've remembered how I was playing an old Mario game long time ago. I can say surely that this was a pleasant experience for myself. Good job!
pranav.cl
21. Apr 2025 Β· 15:30 UTC
I feel the graphics are a bit distorted and weird (on the web version). The mechanics are great but I wish it would start off with easier levels and slowly let the player learn (first jumping, then grabbing platforms, etc.). But well done and congratulations on publishing this!