Record Depth by Indiealesha

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

Fixed bugs:

  • Swimmer could start digging while still in mid-air;

  • Lowered the overly loud TV sound.

Record Depth is a game where you aim to set a record for the deepest dive. But not in water—in the ground!

The main character digs through the earth tirelessly, trying to set a new record. Of course, his hands won’t withstand such strain, but luckily, in times like these, there are loyal friends and heroes to help.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for deep game design decisions, but at least we got to showcase more funny situations!

Let me know if you'd like any tweaks!

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Ratings

Overall 644th 3.253⭐ 81🧑‍⚖️
Fun 533th 3.237⭐ 80🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 614th 2.994⭐ 79🧑‍⚖️
Theme 405th 3.741⭐ 81🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 631th 3.224⭐ 80🧑‍⚖️
Humor 11th 4.411⭐ 81🧑‍⚖️
Mood 597th 3.314⭐ 80🧑‍⚖️
Given 80🗳️ 121🗨️

Feedback

kenevil1
08. Apr 2025 · 01:39 UTC
I like the art style and was funny
LDJam user 184264
08. Apr 2025 · 06:45 UTC
Huh, someone else made a game about ill advised diving, though yours managed to be a fair bit more brutal than mine.

You're right about the lack of interesting gameplay decisions, but it was still an amusing concept and funny execution. I'm very impressed with the surgeons and physical therapists in your world! Only issues I had were that the pure tone beep from the TV seemed significantly louder than everything else, and in one of the dives there was about a meter of terrain that the character just phased through instead of digging out. Overall both issues were pretty minor. Overall a funny idea.
LDJam user 379094
08. Apr 2025 · 08:51 UTC
Very funny. Wished I could have skipped the TV part to try again quicker though.
Aeoncl
08. Apr 2025 · 08:58 UTC
I have no words... \**proceeds to type a lot of them\** This is a masterpiece, could even be GOTY 2025. This showcases the will of mankind, always trying to reach new highs even if the world tells you, STEVE there is no WaTeR THere Why ArE yOU tRYiNG tO sWiM. Good on you steve for following your dreams, and i give this 5 stars.


More seriously tho, this is the game i spent the most time on xD idk what it tells about me but, what kept me in is finding out the next joke or the next unexpected twist, it kept me on my toes.
loved the flash game artstyle and vibe too.


also how is the framerate so low? did you forget to clean the particles off screen ? 😂
2009yasha2009
08. Apr 2025 · 10:49 UTC
Alyosha, Alyosha… I’ve seen a lot in the channel, of course, but actually playing it live – that’s a whole different experience :) I’m glad you’re taking part in jams, and please – don’t stop! You’re amazing))) As for the game… it carries a philosophical message about the depth of suffering and ambition! About support and the determination to never give up no matter what! (Consider that a bit of a cover-up :D) But seriously – a game made with feeling and humor is so much better than games made just for the sake of something else. There’s something... sincere in it? Something unusual and funny. Thank you :) And special thanks for your dev posts – you’re doing an awesome job!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 11:22 UTC
@kenevil1 Thanks for the comment!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 11:23 UTC
@darkwolf Thanks, I’ll check out your game now. It’s cool that we had similar ideas! :) And yeah, the sound issues… I was working late at night with quiet headphones so my wife and daughter wouldn’t wake up, so all the sounds seemed the same to me haha. But hey… what game doesn’t have bugs after just 3 days? :)
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 11:23 UTC
@vinnnie Thanks! I hope the humor gets a high rating—that was the main focus! I didn’t add a TV skip feature because I felt the whole point of the game was those funny cutscenes.
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 11:23 UTC
@aeoncl thanks so much! Really glad to hear that :) About the particles… yeah, probably lol.
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 11:23 UTC
@2009yasha2009 Thanks for commenting and watching my videos—it means a lot!
NickNickolas
08. Apr 2025 · 13:42 UTC
I honestly didn't expect the game to be this funny.I loved it, and laughed every time the sad music played. Suggestion for the ending, make him dig to the core of the earth and fall into the lava, then at least there will be some sort of ending.
vangrail
08. Apr 2025 · 14:26 UTC
the voice acting and story line is really perfect for this style of game. I was really laughing throughout the whole thing. Add some upgrades and this would be perfect for the web!!
LDJam user 399564
08. Apr 2025 · 15:35 UTC
Very funny and creative game! Good job
Phasmantic
08. Apr 2025 · 16:31 UTC
Fun concept, albeit a bit gory. Btw, there may or may not be a bug where he starts "swimming" through air and breaking his arms if you start holding LMB before he hits the ground.

I like the different scenarios you came up with. The commentary for the hero was my favorite.
HardyTryer
08. Apr 2025 · 16:36 UTC
Very fun game!
Alexey, I always new that you are very creative person. I think you will have amazing future as a game developer.
LDJam user 412745
08. Apr 2025 · 16:37 UTC
Wow, what an emotional journey! I was pleasantly surprised with how insane the game was. Great job!
Solis
08. Apr 2025 · 16:41 UTC
I had a laugh with this one! Repetitive, obviously due to time constraints, but the core of the game is really cool. Nice job!
Potatobrain
08. Apr 2025 · 17:20 UTC
dumb fun, you catched the spirit of the flash games for sure ^^
Cure
08. Apr 2025 · 18:20 UTC
There seems to be a bug where if the player clicks while in the air, they start digging before hitting the ground and get a negative score.
pigeon_dp
08. Apr 2025 · 20:45 UTC
Super funny, but i would love to see some more gameplay mechanics.
gamesplusjames
08. Apr 2025 · 20:54 UTC
This was a very funny and silly game. Loved the newscaster guy and seeing who would donate arms next each time. sure hope the thunder god can find someone else to fight for earth! :D Great job!
JulioCezar
08. Apr 2025 · 20:57 UTC
Really funny game mate! I will play more times.
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:26 UTC
@nicknickolas Thanks for the advice! With more time, maybe I could have finished the ending :(
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:26 UTC
@vangrail Thanks, I’ll think about whether it’s worth polishing. It’s quite brutal, though—hard to monetize that.
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:26 UTC
@tomas88a Thanks for the comment!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:27 UTC
@phasmantic Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, there’s a bug, but I’m not sure if I can fix it. First-time participant here.
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:27 UTC
@hardytryer Thank you for believing in me!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:27 UTC
@reaktori Thanks for the review!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:28 UTC
@solis Thank you! With more time… it could’ve been even more interesting)
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:28 UTC
@potatobrain Thanks, that means the goal was achieved!
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:28 UTC
@cure Thanks, yeah, there’s a mistake, and it’s frustrating.((
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:28 UTC
@pigeon-dp Thanks for the feedback. I decided to focus on my strengths within the limited time :)
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:29 UTC
@gamesplusjames Thank you! Glad you liked it :)
🎤 Indiealesha
08. Apr 2025 · 21:29 UTC
@juliocezar Thanks! That means a lot!
sirblazealot
08. Apr 2025 · 21:54 UTC
A really funny and creative game! Having remaining arms instead of a stamina bar made me laugh
AthosPap
08. Apr 2025 · 21:57 UTC
Hilarious story and art! Animations felt smooth! Very well done!

However, it felt more of a story than a game, a few mechanics would help add player agency making it feel much more interactive. Still great job guys
Hurp
08. Apr 2025 · 22:04 UTC
Funny concept. Was hoping that my inputs would matter to kind of min-max the depth and stamina usage, maybe I missed something. But then again, I just kept going cause I wanted to see what the diver would get next :D
Zaubergurke
08. Apr 2025 · 22:05 UTC
tried it at home...

can someone borrow me some new arms?

great game though
LDJam user 179298
08. Apr 2025 · 22:13 UTC
It really feels like an early 2000s flash game. I like it a lot.
TROGDOR 20X6
08. Apr 2025 · 22:31 UTC
Definitely nailed the old newgrounds aesthetic, including the viscera and terrifying yells.

I would've definitely liked to see some kind of gameplay. Some way to feel I actually earned all those arms famous people kept giving me. I think even simple button mashing could've added a lot with the bonus of feeling the same pain as your character.

Oh there was one bug where you could dig early and wear down your arms as well, which made it seem even sillier when I got donated a new pair of arms without having even set a record.
Fupi
08. Apr 2025 · 23:47 UTC
This is hysterical! The small screen, funny drawings, pixely graphics and needless violence really remind me of old shockwave games. There isn't much at all in the way of gameplay but honestly this is so charming I can't even complain, made me smile!!
Isaac Hisey
09. Apr 2025 · 00:20 UTC
I gotta say, I've played a lot of games in this jam and unironically this may be my favorite. I love the dedication to the funny. Well done!
Soul Grinder
09. Apr 2025 · 11:06 UTC
That was a gruesome and funny idea for a game, I liked it haha. I was half expecting the Wolverine arms to start regenerating if I stopped swimming ground but they didn't so I swam until they were just shoulders and continued destroying more arms lol. Nice work!
PetaKlecko
09. Apr 2025 · 11:33 UTC
Good job ! :D So funny :D 5stars ;))
D0vid
09. Apr 2025 · 11:49 UTC
I would give 6 stars in humour if I could :D
ssiannas
09. Apr 2025 · 11:51 UTC
Wow! Such an awesome game. I found it hilarious from start to end. I'd love to see some post-credit scene because of all the superhero movie references haha. The cartoonish art style made it extra funny too. Very old-school flash game vibes. Awesome entry!
Mamboman
09. Apr 2025 · 11:58 UTC
:D :D very funny!
🎤 Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 12:05 UTC
@sirblazealot @athospap @hurp @zaubergurke @vladimperator @trogdor-20x6 @fupi @isaac-hisey @soul-grinder @petaklecko @d0vid @ssiannas @mamboman Thank you so much! I've played your games too - you're all doing amazing work. It's really awesome having the chance to compete alongside you.
ChrisBeck
09. Apr 2025 · 13:07 UTC
If this doesn't get one of the highest humour ratings you've been robbed :joy: The graphics are also a highlight, gameplay is obviously lacking as you've said, but I stayed for the story! Great job
🎤 Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 13:20 UTC
@chrisbeck I hope so too!) After all, I deliberately focused specifically on humor)
Jona Scheidig
09. Apr 2025 · 14:13 UTC
Well, I wish some superhero would donate his arms to me too...
How dedicated does one have to be, to lose his arms more than 5 times due to setting another highscore in digging.
Crazy.

But! It was a fun play ^^
And I agree with others, you def get 5 stars in humor
NAKS
09. Apr 2025 · 14:30 UTC
I don’t know why, but the game won’t load for me. I’ll try again later
Game-mon
09. Apr 2025 · 14:36 UTC
Okay, that one was on another level! I honestly hope you win the humor category cuz you truly deserve it. The fact that you repeat the joke every level makes it even more funny, this is peak comedy
Dywanix
09. Apr 2025 · 14:58 UTC
funny and interesting concept!
🎤 Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 17:25 UTC
@jona-scheidig @thomas-bringer @dywanix Thank you so much!
Alopar
09. Apr 2025 · 18:56 UTC
It's certainly not a game, but it was fun! 10 worn-out hands out of 10 😈
Jadener
09. Apr 2025 · 19:38 UTC
I shed a tear at the stories conclusion. The character of the swimmer truly inspired me. Peak.
🎤 Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 20:28 UTC
@alopar Thanks! I'm not a game designer or programmer, so I focused on other aspects instead. If I had added more mechanics, there wouldn't have been room for the funny cutscenes. Without them, the game would've just been another generic mining sim - and there are plenty of those already :(
🎤 Indiealesha
09. Apr 2025 · 20:31 UTC
@jadener Thank you so much!
Monogatari
10. Apr 2025 · 00:44 UTC
This was HILARIOUS, wtf was that hahaha. Thanks for this exeprience which was full of twists. Breaking news, i loved this game !
Mateu
10. Apr 2025 · 03:13 UTC
Wow I don't know what I was expecting, but this was really hilarious. The first time the swimmer started digging into the ground was so unexpected that I got really close to laughing out loud (which is pretty impressive for any game tbh). I guess the biggest thing I could ask for is some actual gameplay. Currently the game is pretty funny, but there's just not much to do except for clicking and holding the mouse button. Regardless, nice job!
🎤 Indiealesha
10. Apr 2025 · 07:15 UTC
@monogatari Thank you so much! @mateu I’m not a game designer or programmer, so I focused on other aspects instead. If I had added more mechanics, there wouldn’t have been room for the funny cutscenes. Without them, the game would’ve just been another generic mining sim - and there are plenty of those already :(
moonlightbomber
10. Apr 2025 · 08:39 UTC
If only I would rate this game's Humor 6/5 due to the sheer absurdity.
sbeif
10. Apr 2025 · 10:50 UTC
So silly and brutal and fun! I just wish there was a plot twist or some other epilogue at the end. Nice job anyway, I had fun!
TomasTanhgor
10. Apr 2025 · 17:14 UTC
This game has a story and it can be completed! Very worthy!
Euler Moises
10. Apr 2025 · 22:01 UTC
HAHAHA! Poor guy!

I laughed so hard at every arm donation.

Your idea is very funny.

Congratulations!
ScoobySnacks
10. Apr 2025 · 23:07 UTC
Very funny game, but my game was dropping frames when i dig.
platonenko
10. Apr 2025 · 23:49 UTC
This surprised me.
Tetracold
11. Apr 2025 · 04:18 UTC
This captures that flash game from the late 2000s vibe so well, it feels like something straight out of Newgrounds. Love the attention to detail to capture that exact aesthetic like the pixelated art and the excessive amount of gore. the only thing that could have made even better is if the sfx and music were lower quality.
I love the increasingly absurd scenarios for the arm donations they were really funny. everytime I went back to swim I was screaming YEA YOU CAN DO IT!!

This may be one of my favorite entries becasue it does such a good job achieving exactly what it's going for
Palvel
11. Apr 2025 · 06:25 UTC
I liked the news and the humor about the hands.

I didn't like it: lack of choice, few opportunities for the player.
mira
11. Apr 2025 · 10:29 UTC
humor is 5/5 for me, the news between levels are very funny
protzz
11. Apr 2025 · 16:12 UTC
okay it was funny:)
Sylf
11. Apr 2025 · 19:53 UTC
Awesome game, totally gave me vibes of the best point-n-click adventures from my childhood. When it ended, all I could think was – I want more!
Skvader_418
11. Apr 2025 · 20:50 UTC
This was hilarious. Out of all the games out there, you NAILED the flash aesthetic. Did you actually make it in flash?
The Stewarts
13. Apr 2025 · 12:37 UTC
Well, I'm glad I clicked "AGAIN" because at first I thought I'd missed something! Definitely the funniest entry that I've played so far. I was a little sad when it finally said "The End"
🎤 Indiealesha
13. Apr 2025 · 14:04 UTC
@moonlightbomber @sbeif @tomastanhgor @euler-moises @scoobysnacks @platonenko @tetracold @palvel @mira @protzz @sylf @the-stewarts Thank you so much! @skvader-418 Construct 3
Troloze
13. Apr 2025 · 15:44 UTC
This is so funny, thank you so much for making this game :pray:
JohnCoffee
13. Apr 2025 · 16:13 UTC
it had me laughing for a bit. too bad it glitched out a lot (frame rate dropped to between 0 and 1).
LDJam user 409037
14. Apr 2025 · 13:16 UTC
I don't know what it was, but for some reason it's very funny, top 1 for humor)
oeueGHa
15. Apr 2025 · 11:35 UTC
For now it is the best.
Chia Seminko
15. Apr 2025 · 21:19 UTC
fun
Ammonit
16. Apr 2025 · 14:18 UTC
breaking news alert / again / breaking news alert / again / breaking news alert - Ha ha crazy cool
Simon Rahnasto
17. Apr 2025 · 11:19 UTC
Honestly great job leaning into your strengths and creating something very unique. It truly feels like this game was a classic flash game, which means you did everything right :smile:!

Even though there isn't as much "game" as many other entries I have played, this brought a smile to my face and kept me engaged thinking "what on earth is going to top these arms"? Top marks, especially in humour, I expect you to place highly in it!
DefinetlyNotSinus
19. Apr 2025 · 08:21 UTC
Nicely done, I am always impressed when a gamejam game has voiceacting :)