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.
Okay, I beat it. 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 :)
Congrats on your first LD! I'm in that same boat, but found that working w/ a group of friends keeps that anxiety in check. Remember... it's only a game :)
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.
Man, i liked a lot about the text on your journey through your first Ludum Dare, and congratulations you finished your game! I think a lot of us developers can relate with your experience through this and this is the most important thing. A game is a expression of art, about how we feel, and a game in a jam is sometimes a little achievement we needed in our life. This is just the beggining. Hope to see more games from you on the next Ludum Dares!
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!
A great first ld game. Congrats on finishing it! I dig the weird effects with growing and shrinking and the darkness and its definitely a different take on the theme than most.
The vibe of the game was awesome music, lighting and effects. I couldn't quite tell if I was hitting the enemies so maybe a hit sound there but solid first submission! Can't wait to see what you can do on your next one!
Congrats of finishing your game (I'm also first timer on game jams/Ludum Dare)!
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.)
Congratulations for your first game. It's also my first participation in a Game Jam. The game is quite fun ! Maybe the fights against mobs are a bit weird : (The fact that there is no knockback when you hit or get hitted is weird, maybe because i'm just used to this mechanic). Well done ! 😄
Congrats on your progress from a fellow first-timer in LD! I see a lot of potential here - the concept is interesting, especially the narrative you implied in your blurb on itch. I agree with some of the others about the combat being a bit clunky (there were times I'd ram right into the mass of enemies and take little-to-no damage), but again, it's a jam, it's rarely going to be pristine and the point is getting experience. I liked the music choice, added to the slightly ominous atmosphere of being stuck in a dungeon. Give yourself a pat on the back!
This was great for a first Ludum Dare! I think the atmosphere was really spooky. The audio was really really good. In terms of gameplay though I feel it needs a bit more... depth (haha). It was pretty straight forward travelling and clicking to kill some enemies. Would be nice if there was a bit more strategy to which path you could take, and I was hoping to see something spooky at the end, but it kind of ended abruptly. But thank you for the game!
The circular shading helps reinforce the feeling of a small field of vision. Moving the character blurred in a way that hurt my eyes. I also like how the enemies can be pushed around with some resistance, making them feel more real.
Congratulations on your first Ludum, I must admit I was a bit confused by the character's movements and the combat (I don't know if it was necessary for the experience you were looking for) but I liked the atmosphere. The advice I'd give you is to try to simplify your systems as much as possible so that you can put all your energy into the essential things to polish them up and make the experience as understandable as possible to keep us captivated.
Played your game on my stream and here's a highlight from it 🙂
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 💪
First off congrats on your first jam, even just finishing a game to submit is a challenge so consider this a success!
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!
The pixel art was nice, but the motion blur felt awful to look at. The attack animation of the MC and the enemies had them shrink down, I was confused where the hitboxes were.
Congratulations for your first entry! The fighting system needs some polishing, but you put some nice music in there and especially the player sprite looks great! (just maybe remove the motion blur from the player)
Hey, congrats on your first entry in a LD! The game has potential, but I have to agree to the other comments here. The motion blur, size of the characters and UI made the world feel a bit weird, also the shrinking animations and lack of feedback. Even so, this is a great way to start and you should keep going! The next one will me immensely better and the other after that as well. Don't give up and keep jamming!
Hey, congratulations for your submission. 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 !
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 :)