The Deepest Descent by ssiannas

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

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Welcome to the Deepest Descent...

Those pesky prudes in Heaven cast you out, but you'll show them!

If they dont want you then you will reach the DEPTHS OF HELL!

Be careful though there are many dangers and evil creatures that will cause you harm...

How deep can you Descend?

▶️ Play Game (itch.io)

▶️ Post-Jam Living Version (itch.io)

Controls:

A/D, Left/Rigt Arrow Keys - Move player left / right

Space - Dash through obstacles

Team:

@ssiannas - Programming, Music / SFX

@athospap - Programming

@metaksonio - Artwork

Ratings

Overall 384th 3.627⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Fun 335th 3.524⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 679th 2.861⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Theme 252th 3.97⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 365th 3.825⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Audio 234th 3.657⭐ 85🧑‍⚖️
Humor 154th 3.613⭐ 82🧑‍⚖️
Mood 424th 3.585⭐ 84🧑‍⚖️
Given 105🗳️ 159🗨️

Feedback

JavaSaurus
07. Apr 2025 · 11:41 UTC
Nice entry ! I loved the intro cutscene, the screaming was hilarious. Gameplaywise, the game seems simple at first but there's just so many things that went into it, giant fireballs, moving bat-monsters. I love it, definitely on my "play this again" list ! Well done !
🎤 ssiannas
07. Apr 2025 · 12:30 UTC
Hey @javasaurus, thanks for playing our game!

We tried to get everything done in two days because we all had to work on the third day of the jam but we felt some tweaks were necessary before the deadline. So we:

* Adjusted difficulty scaling to better ease in and not scale in a game breaking way
* Reworked scoring to feel more badass
* Fixed a couple of bugs
* Headbanged to the soundtrack :D

I'll try to tweak the main soundtrack a bit and add a couple more SFX if I find time
ImmortalFox
07. Apr 2025 · 12:56 UTC
Good experience! I am on the top of leaderboard now :P Cutscene is a different type of awesomeness. The game play is common dodge game, but still a very nice theme for it.
Palerus7
07. Apr 2025 · 13:07 UTC
This has a really nice touch and feels very good to play! I espicially liked the art style ^^
Sharky3188
07. Apr 2025 · 13:11 UTC
Love that intro cutscene! Overall pretty good game, my only complaint would be, I wish the character wasn't at the top of the frame, maybe more one third off from the top. Overall good audio, art and gameplay.
LittleGamer
07. Apr 2025 · 13:29 UTC
Scored 2nd on the leaderboard on my first try !
Very well made, beautiful graphics and nice music. The intro is real nice too !

Only complaint is that it sometimes gives unforgiving patterns, but that's part of this kind of games.
cherrybcake
07. Apr 2025 · 14:28 UTC
That was actually quite fun! And the art style is cute! Nice animations too XD
baychowski
07. Apr 2025 · 15:26 UTC
Animation is fire!
OadT
07. Apr 2025 · 15:52 UTC
That intro was hilarious :smile: The gameplay was also very good! Maybe some hitboxes felt a tad to big, but the music and graphics were cool!
🎤 ssiannas
07. Apr 2025 · 17:07 UTC
@littlegamer thanks for rating our game! Yeah I agree rng can be bad sometimes and I wish we had time to make up some more sophisticated algorithm for that. Hopefully dodge roll is enough to help at this point.

Also it seems your spot has been taken, better get back to it haha
YibiRabbit007
07. Apr 2025 · 17:12 UTC
Maybe we can name the fallen ones, Good!(:D
🎤 ssiannas
07. Apr 2025 · 17:42 UTC
@sharky3188 Thanks for the feedback! We tried placing him lower but it kind of messed up the timing of the demon dash attacks and made it harder to dodge overall. Maybe with some more fine tuning it could work!

@javasaurus thanks for playing! There have been some last minute tweaks in the difficulty and the score so feel free to give it another go!

@cherrybcake @palerus7 @baychowski Thanks for playing! We're super lucky to have @metaksonio on our team for this awesome artwork.

@oadt thanks for the feedback! We tried to make them as forgiving as we could but especially the large demon has a pretty weird hitbox haha :P
HNKXOBKA
07. Apr 2025 · 18:40 UTC
Wonderful game about depth. The visuals and opening scene are great, the music seemed funny to me 😆.
The sound in the opening scene starts to double sometimes.
Cool!
mauzart
07. Apr 2025 · 18:49 UTC
I really love the art style and it's fun to play!
The intro scene was super cool haha, really catchy
nyxkn
07. Apr 2025 · 20:31 UTC
Such a cool game! Intro was amazing :D Great music and sound effects. Art is excellent. Really cohesive feel and aesthetic. Gameplay was intuitive and fun. Movement was maybe a little too slow for the speed of the incoming madness, and difficulty ramped up pretty quickly. Very fun time, thanks!
🎤 ssiannas
08. Apr 2025 · 06:43 UTC
@hnkxobka thanks for playing! Unity + webGL + sound is not a match made in heaven. I noticed some audio bugs too when you click away from the webGL play window but unfortunately we didn't have time to solve them. Maybe after the rating ends I'll update the cutscene with embedded audio.

@mauzart @nyxkn thanks for the feedback :D
SmelJey
08. Apr 2025 · 08:15 UTC
The cutscene at the beginning was very funny :D Overall, this is an amazing game! The music is cool, sfx are hilarious and the art is just right. The difficulty ramps up a bit too quickly imo, I couldn't reach 200 depth (skill issue haha). Great work!
🎤 ssiannas
08. Apr 2025 · 08:27 UTC
@smeljey ahhh it's the classic problem of "the game feels too easy" to the developer but it might be much harder. You get more passive score the further down you go (to emulate faster falling) so once you reach a higher score it's easier to get a much larger number.

I thought of tweaking the difficulty a bit but it would be unfair to the people already on the leaderboard haha.

Thanks for playing our game!
KlavDev
08. Apr 2025 · 09:28 UTC
The cutscene at the beginning was very funny! Atr - nice!
I like you game
Yatsu
08. Apr 2025 · 09:46 UTC
Very beautiful art style. And the gameplay is quite addictive.
Dywanix
08. Apr 2025 · 10:26 UTC
very interssting idea!
Elian Geser
08. Apr 2025 · 10:58 UTC
Glad to see another endless faller. Love the intro, great voice acting, and crazy enemies... i was legit scared!
Texugo
08. Apr 2025 · 11:54 UTC
I really enjoyed the artstyle! It's really unique and interesting. The initial cutscene ties everything together. I was a fun experience, congrats for finishing!

The only feedback I have is to improve a bit of the contrast for the UI, making the hearts and the roll charge a little easier to differentiate between when they are empty or not! Other than that, great game and experience 😈
HalfdanTheVillain
08. Apr 2025 · 12:45 UTC
Nice touch with the leaderboard at the end, and as mentioned by others, fun cutscene at the start!
mrs.wheelsx
08. Apr 2025 · 13:04 UTC
Art and audio really stand out. The difficulty ramp up isn't game breaking, but it is still a sudden jump. I would have liked a less jarring ramp up. Personal opinion, though. Good job! See you next October?
🎤 ssiannas
08. Apr 2025 · 13:10 UTC
@texugo thanks! Yeah it would be nice to do some UX reworks here and there. Glad you enjoyed it!

@mrs-wheelsx I agree. As I mentioned above it would be a bit unfair to tweak it now but definitely on the post-jam list of things to do. Also, ofc we'll try to do next October if we can, hope we see you there as well!

@klavdev @yatsu @dywanix @elian-geser @halfdanthevillain Really happy you enjoyed our game! :D
Celian
08. Apr 2025 · 13:58 UTC
Really cool ! I loved the intro it was small but fun and the game is simple yet enticing : ) I am not that good i didn't get more than 200 but im happy with that ! It also fells well polished and the sound it really cool
izzqz
08. Apr 2025 · 14:10 UTC
VERY EMOTIONAL STORY! FIVE STARS!

![Screenshot From 2025-04-08 17-10-01.png](///raw/30b/46/z/6b675.png)
🎤 ssiannas
08. Apr 2025 · 14:42 UTC
Alright after taking the feedback into consideration, I decided to launch a **living version** that is on a different page and has better tuned difficulty. You can find it [here](https://ssiannas.itch.io/deepest-descent-living).

Sad thing is they share the same leaderboard but I guess it's fine not many people replay games enough to care. :shrug:

@mrs-wheelsx @celian @smeljey maybe you can get past 200 here. :D Thank you all for the feedback and for playing :heart:
Kseon
08. Apr 2025 · 17:58 UTC
the game is addictive and the visuals are good
pigeon_dp
08. Apr 2025 · 18:09 UTC
Nicely done! The game is well polished and really fun. I'm comming back to it soon to grind out the leaderboard :D
korzhik
08. Apr 2025 · 21:40 UTC
Very funny initial insert. The game itself is very addictive and simple. The music matches the visuals and the theme, very cute!
PieRo_PBeS_studio
08. Apr 2025 · 22:08 UTC
I like your interpretation of the theme and this arcade feeling is really cool, very nice
Dylan Shumway
09. Apr 2025 · 00:42 UTC
The intro put a big smile on my face! Super cute little cutscene and a fun opener to the more metal grooves of the soundtrack. :metal: :guitar: The gameplay was simple but fun! I think the theme and the sound design were the highlights for me, and I enjoyed my time overall! :smiley:
ThomasTournoys
09. Apr 2025 · 03:25 UTC
The art, the vibes, the music, it's all so good, I spent a while just in the menu vibing with the music

It looks quite simple, but I found it quite difficult lol (I'm bad at gaming), and I think I found a bug? Sometimes when I used the dash the player went out of bound and was game over even tho I had some extra hearts, and also, after a while my game start to lag real bad, but I don'y know if it is my shitty pc or if there's something happening in the game
🎤 ssiannas
09. Apr 2025 · 08:34 UTC
@thomastournoys Oh wow! Haha I don't think we've seen this bug before, thanks for bringing it up. I'm also sorry you had a poor experience with the lag. I'll take a look at some point to check if there's something going on. If you feel the game is a bit too hard, I made a living version that will be getting post jam updates [here](https://ssiannas.itch.io/deepest-descent-living). The difficulty there is toned down a bit so it might make for a better experience.

Thanks for playing, I'm really glad you enjoyed the music! :D

@dylan-shumway @piero-pbes-studio @korzhik @pigeon-dp @kseon thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed it! :D
vsesl
09. Apr 2025 · 10:28 UTC
OMG thats beutiful
Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 11:33 UTC
Wow, this is so beautiful! And that opening scene? Absolute fire! Gave it top marks—good luck!
Soul Grinder
09. Apr 2025 · 12:51 UTC
Perfect skill based falling game for the theme, fun to play and I really liked the fire obstacle graphics, looks nice. Wasn't good enough to reach the high score sadly but still had fun.
Okuso
09. Apr 2025 · 12:52 UTC
Quite amazing! At first I thought this was just a better, more well crafted version of our game, but it is so much more! What really amazed me was the Leaderboard for some reason, being able to match yourself against other people trying your game really adds to the fun of it :P
PLus I love the opening animation, generally the graphics are really nice.
Really good effort!
LDJam user 383510
09. Apr 2025 · 14:18 UTC
goddamn, this is amazing
Tkap1
09. Apr 2025 · 14:53 UTC
There should be a way to fall faster OR the game should start harder. As it is, the beginning is boring because it's too easy, so you're just waiting until 200 or so for when it gets interesting. Then you die and have to go through the boring part again
LDJam user 179298
09. Apr 2025 · 15:08 UTC
I really like the music and the art style, very well done.
She Wrote
09. Apr 2025 · 15:30 UTC
Wow, this is hard! I really like the variety of obstacles, it keeps things fresh. The idea of falling deeper and deeper into hell is nice, and the music fits the vibe perfectly! The intro is also hilarious. Well done!
🎤 ssiannas
09. Apr 2025 · 15:42 UTC
@tkap1 Yeah in the post jam version i added a more gradual difficulty ramp since a lot of people found it super hard. I think it needs some more playtasting to find the right balance. Thanks for the feedback :D

@vladimperator @she-wrote @kukaracila215 @soul-grinder @indiealesha @vsesl Thanks a ton for playing our game!
Sam Gorman
09. Apr 2025 · 15:47 UTC
I love how epic this game is. The intro was really cool and that music is *gnarly*. It's pretty tricky too!

I agree that the difficulty ramps up pretty quickly, at least in the jam version I played. I think it might help if the game was a little more lenient - maybe your hitbox is a little smaller, or your dodge roll lasts a bit longer.

Overall, great entry!
Vladimir ins
09. Apr 2025 · 16:07 UTC
Great job!
Tugaryn
09. Apr 2025 · 16:53 UTC
Epic style but hard to undestand what happens on screen, this cooldown is strange:)
Congrats!
Maskrosen
09. Apr 2025 · 18:12 UTC
Nice game, a good take on the theme. The art is well done and I really liked the soundtrack. Great job all of you!
farzher
09. Apr 2025 · 20:51 UTC
very fun, especially with the leaderboard! good job getting a working leaderboard in a jam game
Monogatari
09. Apr 2025 · 23:34 UTC
Unfortunately i didn't get to top 8 but the game is amazing, beatiful graphics, nice music, gamefeel really pleasant, a good pace so the game is never boring or too hard, the difficulty curve is perfect even if it gets chaotic quickly hahaha, remembering my favourite touhou moments :). Also i loved the funny cutscene on start ! Great Job !
Ogladian
10. Apr 2025 · 01:24 UTC
The grainy kinda art really sells the theming and the intro cutscene was really nice too. I had a bit of trouble with it at first, but after learning to use the dodgeroll better it became easier to get deeper than the 200s
oxnh
10. Apr 2025 · 03:17 UTC
Like others have said the hit boxes could definitely be more generous. Also the direction the player is facing seems to reset to always face in one direction, that bugged me a bit. Otherwise fun game, adding the scoreboard definitely helps keep me engaged to try beat other peoples high scores.
🎤 ssiannas
10. Apr 2025 · 07:58 UTC
@monogatari @ogladian @maskrosen. Thank you all for playing our game and for the feedback!

@sam-gorman Yeap you're right about the difficulty. I think the post jam version solves this and allows you to go well beyond 200 points.

@tugaryn Yeap, the UI was done pretty last minute so it's one thing that could use some fine tuning. Thanks for the feedback :D

@oxnh It's on top of my list for the post-jam updates when I get some time because it really bugged me too haha. The patch will hit the living version to keep the original submission as is.

@farzher The leaderboard is made with https://danqzq.itch.io/leaderboard-creator. It has its issues with downtimes sometimes but it's a free resource which is great. It's also quite straightforward to implement in your game. It's gonna take some time but once you do it for a game it's going to be the exact same process. I'd like to try and make our own service next time.
Langotriel
10. Apr 2025 · 09:16 UTC
Loving the intro animation. TFW, amirite fellas?.. fellas?

Let's hope this game has prepared me for the real deal, when the time comes for me to be pushed down to the pits of hell. I'm pretty sure it'll happen exactly as it did here :angel: :x:

Great job with the gameplay variety!
🎤 ssiannas
10. Apr 2025 · 09:18 UTC
@langotriel they did our boy Dave from Accounting dirty in heaven. Now he's ***Dave the Helldiver!***

Thanks for playing
Jack Turpitt
10. Apr 2025 · 13:02 UTC
This is sooooo sick. The art is all really gorgeous and cohesive, the way its all textured make it really appealing to look at. The music goes incredibly hard. The cooldown on the dodge roll gives the game a nice balance of reactions and tactics, and THE LEADERBOARD! Such a good idea, it just makes you want to play over and over again, especially in a jam where getting to number 1 is achievable. Incredible entry, thank you for making it!
Verbante
10. Apr 2025 · 15:10 UTC
the cutscene!
🎤 ssiannas
11. Apr 2025 · 15:01 UTC
@jack-turpitt thanks for the feedback :D I left a comment above on how you can "steal" the leaderboard. Our source code is also public so you can find our implementation too. Hope to see you around next ldjam

@verbante I know right? We lol'ed so hard when making it.
protzz
11. Apr 2025 · 16:15 UTC
Great job, I love this game!
LDJam user 399564
12. Apr 2025 · 16:10 UTC
Very fun game, gerat atmosphere, like the audio a lot, good job!
Jag
13. Apr 2025 · 02:25 UTC
Great game! I enjoyed the art very much, it was simple but very stylistic. I really loved the fireball art the most, it was very well done, especially the green fire. The music was a super fun jam to listen to as you descend into hell haha. I love the little dodge roll you give to the players. I wish it gave you a frame or two of invincibility haha. I loved the different demons coming to get you. I think I managed to get a top score?

![Untitled.png](///raw/b01/43/z/6c198.png)
Flying Dog Fish
13. Apr 2025 · 14:20 UTC
Cool game. It's too hard for me though, couldn't get more than 130. It looks good and the music fits really well.
Borabee
13. Apr 2025 · 16:14 UTC
Very cool game! The intro + scream + change in music was superb haha The gameplay is simple but engaging and the ramp up in speed is nice. I managed to get to about 300 in score. Cool that you added a leaderboard!
Braeden
16. Apr 2025 · 01:49 UTC
Very nice, the graphics were really nice. The art direction was really cool.
I kinda wish you could move down on the screen though as well without using the dash
Ammonit
16. Apr 2025 · 14:54 UTC
The music is wonderful! and the intro is unexpected)))
librory
18. Apr 2025 · 09:57 UTC
funny little game with old classy mechanics) love leaderboard bt the way, nice idea!
Empyreans
20. Apr 2025 · 02:44 UTC
https://youtu.be/4GKDNVz6bqU

Played your game on my stream!

Amazing artwork! It was pretty fun and somehow I managed to play better in my first try than in the following ones :laughing:

Also dope cutscene :sunglasses:

~Xp
atsh
22. Apr 2025 · 12:40 UTC
I really like the depth illusion of the background, for such simple graphics. The intro, music, difficulty curve, all were spot on

The only thing I can say is that I saw many games like this on the jam, which make sense because the theme lends itself to such games. It would be nice if there is some kind of twist

Having said that, this is really a solid implementation of infinite fall game, well done!
Franciszek Pyrć
24. Apr 2025 · 17:21 UTC
Nice little high score game. I really liked the intro cutscene, or at least I would have liked it if it played at a normal speed. For a second I thought the game froze, but no. After a while it finally started playing it in 1 frame per second. Also, I'm not sure why but the art doesn't blend together as well in the actual game. Not sure if it's a problem with different layers, smoothness or what, but there was a stark difference between the intro/menu and game

Also, the background music is ok, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while (which I suppose is a common problem in endless games)