Dungeons Below by LDJam user 407232
If the Web Build doesn't work then go to https://oopsvincent.itch.io/dungeons-below
My First Ludum Dare. It was a journey through pressure and growth This was my very first Ludum Dare, and going into it, I didn’t know exactly what to expect—just that I wanted to push myself, build something from scratch, and see how far I could go in 72 hours.
When the theme “Depths” was revealed, I immediately thought of hidden spaces—basements, dungeons, eerie places buried under the surface. I settled on building a game about curiosity, darkness, and discovery. Originally, I imagined a multi-level basement, but due to time constraints and the need to use free assets, I shifted to dungeon environments.
From the start, things were intense. I struggled with setting up systems, tracking bugs, fixing lighting issues, managing collisions, and a hundred other small but crucial details. It was exhausting—mentally and physically. I lost track of time, skipped meals, and barely slept. At one point, the pressure felt like too much, and anxiety crept in. But somehow, I kept going.
I can’t say it was smooth or even that I enjoyed every moment of it—but I grew. A lot. I learned how to prioritize, when to stop tweaking things that weren’t critical, and how to build even when everything felt like it was falling apart.
At the end of it, I finished my game. It’s simple. It’s flawed. But it’s mine. And it was made during a time of emotional weight and uncertainty. Releasing it felt like a personal victory—because it represents not just a game, but a moment where I didn’t give up, even when I felt like I could.
To anyone else trying this for the first time—know that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. What matters is showing up, learning, and finishing something that matters to you.
I’m proud of what I made. Not because it’s perfect, but because I got through the process and learned so much more than just game dev.
Now about the game:
In this game you are trapped in a dungeon and have to get out of the dungeon alive. And the player has to find the exit before the monsters kill them.
| Itch.io | https://oopsvincent.itch.io/dungeons-below |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/57/dungeons-below |
Ratings
| Given | 13🗳️ | 1🗨️ |
The game is definitely a bit strange. The music has a nice atmospheric feel to it, but it doesn’t really fit the art style. The main character’s sprite lags and shrinks when taking damage, and he doesn’t turn left, which makes the combat feel less impactful. Also, web build doesn't work.
The art is quite cute overall, but the pixel sizes are inconsistent, which breaks the visual cohesion a bit.
But yeah, it's cool that you got experience from this jam—continue growing in game dev and learn from your mistakes :)
Really dig the lighting effects & tense music! It's a bit hard to figure out what I'm looking for in an exit - hard to discern where I should go based on the flat tiling. I dig the sprites you used for the hero & enemies! I think some really basic SFX for attack, taking damage, etc. would go a long way.
Best of luck on your next LD!
It was great getting to play your game. What most ressonated with me was your post. Proud of you to finish! Learning is what we are here for and looks like you did. Keep it up!
The game was a bit unclear on what I was supposed to do, but I managed to find the exit and win. Sometimes it seems like I lost health without enemies being nearby, and sometimes enemies hit me without me losing health. The ability to only attack towards right was a bit weird. The special effects were fun addition. The game could be a tad bit more responsive and inform the player on what's happening (whether you hit the enemy etc.)
Music: :skull: :knife: :red_circle: :ghost:
I managed to win! Good job on your first game :))
Are you planning to do it again in the future?
Played your game on my stream and here's a highlight from it :slight_smile:
I really enjoyed reading your postmortem on the development and I agree with everything. You have the right mindset to keep growing and get better in the art of game making :muscle:
Great work!
~Xp
I have a couple critiques for you: the UI in the web version was really large and took up a lot of space it ended up covering a good portion of the upper left of the screen for me. next up the motion blur I feel wasn't needed here and kind of felt off putting. for the next one I'm sure it just came down to time constraints, but it would have been nice to have maybe a darker brick texture for the walls instead of the white blocks to make the level feel more cohesive. Additionally, as others have mentioned the strange size changing of the player made moving around a tad bit jarring, and having the sprite flip to match the direction would have been nice to have as well.
I hope this doesn't come across as too harsh I hope you can aim even higher for the next one, keep up the good work!
I won't point out the problemes ofthe game that already have been pointed out by other players. I loved the art work and the music that is very original. Keep it up, you're on the right path !