The Dive by Team 9tailed

[raw]
made by Team 9tailed for Ludum Dare 57 (JAM)

A mysterious phenomenon has arisen, its origin below the ocean floor. Can you put an end to it? Game can be played in browser, but binaries are available on the itch.io page.

Ratings

Overall 711th 3.125⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Fun 742th 2.843⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 668th 2.886⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Theme 291th 3.917⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 666th 3.097⭐ 38🧑‍⚖️
Audio 463th 3.091⭐ 35🧑‍⚖️
Mood 578th 3.343⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Given 23🗳️ 51🗨️

Feedback

binroot
08. Apr 2025 · 03:08 UTC
I did NOT expect this game to have so much depth, no pun intended. The genre change mid-game was mind-blowing. You definitely subverted my expectations, because I thought I signed up for some easy-breezy jelly-fish slapping. That ending was glorious!
cdupe
08. Apr 2025 · 03:43 UTC
It's a gutsy design decision to effectively make 2 games in 1 (for a game jam, no less!), but I think you pulled it off! During the first half, it was fairly hard to tell how the character was moving if no enemies were on screen, and it was unclear at first what happened when the character hit the ground. It might be beneficial to add some background graphics.
Salaro
08. Apr 2025 · 04:36 UTC
I wasn't expecting an undertale style dodge for my life moment on my way down and that first squid jumpscared me
jk5000
08. Apr 2025 · 07:27 UTC
The game idea is fun and I had fun trying the game. It felt a bit slow, but it was not too bad. Overall a fine little jam game.
Martta
08. Apr 2025 · 07:31 UTC
I got through the wall, but after trying couple of times I am not sure how to beat the boss. I tried shooting with arrows, drilling and pressing Q. Pressing Q does not seem to do anything. Or am I supposed to just run away or something?

Also standing on the ocean floor was very confusing as you had no perception of movement.

Nice game, but needs polishing. Keep up the good work! Liked this game. :-)
infecsean
08. Apr 2025 · 08:11 UTC
i am descending as i write this comment. Cool game and while confusing at times due to indistinguishable background, has a solid base.
The Stewarts
08. Apr 2025 · 09:59 UTC
Really cool idea - I'd definitely add it so that you respawn at the 2nd part if you die in there, instead of back on the boat. I love the music in it and it's got a super cool mood overall!
Mangochicken
08. Apr 2025 · 14:32 UTC
Props for having a mac build available, beat the boss by abusing the drill immunity frames, pretty cool game overall
levi kingma
08. Apr 2025 · 14:34 UTC
Did NOT the sudden attack, great submission!
YibiRabbit007
08. Apr 2025 · 14:34 UTC
Those jellyfish are so evil!! But it's also very elastic
gold.daniel
08. Apr 2025 · 21:14 UTC
Short game, pretty simple, fall and shoot to get to the bottom. The switchup to platforming at the boss was a nice suprise. A respawn would have been nice since it takes so long to get to the bottom. The fall to the bottom was easy but the boss I had trouble with since I did not understand what to do at first.

The music is short and loops quick but I did not mind, kind of gets stuck in your head. Overall a solid entry great work!
Nacchan
08. Apr 2025 · 21:33 UTC
Love the chime of the music, I like that there's a curvy projectile with the weapon. Some more environment art would definitely bump up the vibe
RelicTooth
08. Apr 2025 · 22:42 UTC
I found the gameplay to be a bit clunky but this was a great experience over all. The surprise gameplay shift for the boss was a cool idea!
Tori
08. Apr 2025 · 22:59 UTC
i struggled a bit with the gameplay at first, as it's not instinctif to shoot in the direction of the character, but i got the hand of it and it's a solid entry, i love the audio and graphist, the idea work well, it could be a bit more dynamic but great job
apt_prose7
09. Apr 2025 · 03:29 UTC
Fun but too little content
MysteriousJuice
09. Apr 2025 · 14:15 UTC
The change to a different kind of game was great. good job. Maybe a little bit more stuff on the descent and/or a way to speed up downward would have been great. The last fight was fun, I luckily got the hang of just drilling back and forth and at the same time dodging his attacks before I died.
floppynub
09. Apr 2025 · 17:32 UTC
Cool game, I really like the red squid dudes attacking you. Wasn't at all prepared for a boss fight but that's an awesome and ambitious way to end it. I also really liked the art, all of the creatures were cool and that boss was SUPER cool. Great work on this one!

If I had one request, it would be to let me aim with the mouse - from what I gathered, you shoot in the direction you are moving, but there are times when I would've liked to be shooting one direction and moving the other. Ultimately though that's fairly minor, and I was able to play the game just fine as it is!
olsonexi
10. Apr 2025 · 00:38 UTC
Game was fun. I have no idea how to beat the boss. Neither the arrow or the drill seems to damage it, and the new 'Q' item that shows up doesn't seem to do anything.
Snore
10. Apr 2025 · 06:02 UTC
Very charming. Nice relaxing decent with the sudden "Whoa, what was that?" moment :D I'm not sure what the end was supposed to look like because I wasn't able to hurt the laser Jelly, and eventually fell through the bottom of the ocean? But a nice little adventure, Good going!
toilari
10. Apr 2025 · 11:19 UTC
Cool little game! Mood was intense enough to keep me hooked during the first act. It was a bit hard to tell where the character was moving at times, as there were nothing acting as a point of reference. The second act was nice, but quite easy to just cheese with the drill/dash attack.

A solid entry, great job! <3
bacontree
10. Apr 2025 · 21:46 UTC
I think it's nice that you start on the boat and dive down deep in the water. The boss was a bit overpowered though, and it felt a bit too punishing to get back to the start of the game. But I played through it again and managed to complete it. ^^ Good job with the game!
Moony_91
12. Apr 2025 · 11:19 UTC
I liked the game, especially when the background became slowy darker while getting deeper. But sometimes I had the feeling like I wasn't moving, because there wasn't anything around me to see. So I didn't know if I was already at the bottom or not, or that I could move to the left or right. But other than that, nice game!
Flying Dog Fish
13. Apr 2025 · 15:36 UTC
Pretty game. The descent was easy enough, but the boss was hard. A checkpoint at the bottom of the sea would be very hand as it takes so long to get there that I gave up on trying to beat the boss.
deadroach
14. Apr 2025 · 06:39 UTC
I was manhandled by the Avatar of the Neverender