Into the Depths by Troloze

[raw]
made by Troloze for Ludum Dare 57 (COMPO)

My first attempt at the compo jam.

Venture into the depths, hit the bottom, and go back up (For no reason really, didn't have time to include one) Beware of the creatures you might find down there:

The angel: - Will ask you questions - Any answer is fine for them, however: - They will kill you if they repeat a question to you and you give a different answer - They will also kill you if you take too long to answer

The fallen angel: - Same as angels, but always asks repeat questions - Will kill you if you give the same answer you gave to the angel - Only appears after at least 5 angel cycles, you might not ever see this one.

The möth: - Seekth the light - Keep your flashlight usage in check or face its adoration...? - Spamming the flashlight will get its attention faster

The watcher: - Is deathly afraid of small shining creatures (at least compared to itself) - If it notices you it will flash red and scream at a frequency so low you can't hear (totally not because I didn't have time to put the sfx in the game) - The scream will startle you, making you let go of the rope - Just don't leave your flashlight on for too long when they're around

The gigalan: - Curious by nature - Just wants to inspect you - Their hand is enormous, it is a lot farther away than it seems most of the time - Their hand will stop following you right before it tries to catch you, as long as you keep moving you should be fine.

Ratings

Overall 261th 2.975⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Fun 285th 2.525⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 135th 3.375⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Theme 60th 3.95⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 167th 3.35⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Audio 162th 3.167⭐ 20🧑‍⚖️
Humor 199th 2.412⭐ 19🧑‍⚖️
Mood 99th 3.675⭐ 22🧑‍⚖️
Given 14🗳️ 18🗨️

Feedback

Haokai XU 1999
07. Apr 2025 · 14:18 UTC
I want to try this, could you please upload a Mac or web version?
🎤 Troloze
07. Apr 2025 · 15:36 UTC
@haokai-xu-1999 Uploaded a web version, thanks for asking!
TasakaSama
07. Apr 2025 · 17:11 UTC
It could have been a great concept, but I'm not sure I understood everything, I feel like I'm suffering without really understanding what's happening to me and what I really need to do. In any case, well done to you
🎤 Troloze
07. Apr 2025 · 17:38 UTC
@tasakasama added a description of the monster's behaviour to the game description to make things clearer. Thanks for the feedback :)
Vladcfg
07. Apr 2025 · 19:00 UTC
I really liked the art style. It looks very interesting and unique =)
coatline
07. Apr 2025 · 20:42 UTC
I don't quite get it, but it seems interesting. Grabbing and letting go of the rope is interesting though. It could use some more sound effects I think, like the flashlight turning on, the moth getting you, and you falling to your death. Anyhow, it is definitely mysterious!
meskaline
08. Apr 2025 · 15:47 UTC
Nice concept, and like the graphics too. Good one for your first ever Compo. Congrats
LDJam user 221097
13. Apr 2025 · 16:08 UTC
Oh, very strange and intriguing, I really like the concept, and the overall vibe!
Congratulations on your first compo jam!
platonenko
13. Apr 2025 · 16:08 UTC
quite an interesting idea!
LDJam user 282870
13. Apr 2025 · 16:17 UTC
So you follow the rope down, use a flashlight, and then die to slow answers, a moth, going to deep, or wrong answers?

What is the goal of the game and how do you achieve it?
daniel
13. Apr 2025 · 16:41 UTC
Great first compo with the number of enemies and complexity included. I found it a bit unclear what I was supposed to do when there were multiple things on the screen at the same time, and I think I sometimes died to something offscreen, but really cool idea
🎤 Troloze
13. Apr 2025 · 17:53 UTC
@beebster-games The goal is to go down, and then up again.
You can die from gravity, moth, giant, giving wrong answers and taking too slow to answer.
Eugenik
14. Apr 2025 · 11:11 UTC
These graphics are exciting!.
jk5000
19. Apr 2025 · 15:16 UTC
I like the visuals and the games atmosphere. I did not understand much of the gameplay idea, but I still had fun trying the game.
SmallTalkInc
20. Apr 2025 · 16:00 UTC
whoooo that scared the sh*t out of me for bit. Very eery and strange, I like that. A nice relief from the more generic games out there. Very nice, smaller game for the ludum dare, tho indeed as a stand-alone it might lack a little depth :P I really love it in this context tho, it's a very nice and appropriate vibe.
dhim
20. Apr 2025 · 16:09 UTC
Strange entry, really moody! It took me several tries but I got it in the end.

Overall I found the mechanics quite interesting but a bit muddy in their mix, like I was going down mostly blind because the light would most of the time kill me. sometimes the hand would be in the same time as the angel. I don't really know how to express it, but it did not feel either like a sequence of events or a balance of skills (enough speed, light or dark, and so on). I only really know of the mechanics from the description rather than overcoming the challenges.


---
Nice to see you have used github during to document the different version of your game. I have starred and added your repository to a list of ld57 compo : https://github.com/stars/dhmmasson/lists/ludum-dare-57-compo

I have created badges for the readme that you can use:
```
![Ludum Dare](https://img.shields.io/badge/LudumDare-57-f79122?labelColor=ee5533&link=https%3A%2F%2Fldjam.com%2Fevents%2Fludum-dare%2F56)
![Ludum Dare](https://img.shields.io/badge/LudumDare57-Compo-f79122?labelColor=ee5533&link=https%3A%2F%2Fldjam.com%2Fevents%2Fludum-dare%2F56)
```

Consider using these **topics** to make your Ludum Dare entry more discoverable:
- `game`
- `game-development`
- `ludum-dare`
- `ludumdare`
- `ludumdare57`
- `ludum-dare-57`
- `ld57`

[see my post on preping your repo](https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/focus-hunt/preparing-your-github-repository-for-ludum-dare-57) for more tips.
🎤 Troloze
23. Apr 2025 · 21:21 UTC
@dhim I implemented your suggestions on my repository. Thank you so much for the tips :pray: