Ludum Dare #60compo
Stardust
Grow from a speck of dust into a black hole
You are a clump of cosmic dust. Pull in everything smaller than you and grow. The camera keeps pulling back, the universe keeps shrinking around you, and every few seconds you become something bigger.
Live a whole star's life
Dust cloud. Gas nebula. Protostar. Yellow star. Blue giant. Hypergiant. Every new form is bigger and heavier, and the world falls into you faster.
Every star dies
Hydrogen is your lifetime. When it burns out, your star collapses, and your mass decides into what: a cold cloud, a brown dwarf, a white dwarf, a neutron star... or a black hole. Spend the stardust you earned on upgrades and start a new Big Bang.
No enemies and no way to lose. The only question is how big you get.
How to play
- Mouse or finger — the star follows the pointer
- WASD / arrow keys also work
- Turn the sound on: the music is synthesized live in code
Tech
TypeScript on a bare canvas with WebGL shaders, no engine, about 3 MB.
AI usage and how it was made
made solo in 48 hours, from scratch, no engine: plain webgl, typescript and webaudio. one person, one weekend.
what ai did and what i did:
- code: written with ai coding assistants. the design, the systems, the tuning and every decision about how the game plays are mine, the assistants typed a lot of it
- graphics: base textures were generated, then reworked in shaders, layered, composited and animated by hand. what you see in the game is the result of that work, not the raw generations
- audio: music and most of the sound are synthesized live in webaudio. a few cc0 recordings from freesound are cut, looped and layered into that soundscape, they change with the star and react to the game
- ui: honestly the least finished part. i ran out of time and it ended up close to the default ai look. it is the first thing i am redoing after the jam
the rules on this, for anyone curious (can i use ai?):
> "AI powered tools can be used, but you may have to opt-out of certain categories"
>
> "if you transform something from a content generator into something new, it may count as a derivative work"
and for the compo the rules allow samples and loops "only if they are used to create a derivative work. i.e. a Song, a complex soundscape". that is exactly how the recordings are used here.
analytics: the itch build sends anonymous play stats to posthog: session length, how far you get, fps, where people quit. no personal data, no ip, no accounts. it is there to see where the game loses players.
sound credits (all cc0, freesound.org): Elektrocell, BenjaminNelan, ihitokage, bmusic92, MWsfx, Fission9, Turrus
Comments79
IndigoWolf19 Oct 2026, 09:44
Not sure about the theme, but really liked it. Unsure about the 'no way to lose' thing though, I had a red circle closing in with seemingly no way to stop it unless I misunderstood something. Very impressive with the limitations you placed on yourself not using an engine.
pankun19 Oct 2026, 09:47
A really stunning game, it's incredibly addictive to play. I love this kind of theme—space and the stars—they make me feel so small. Its world and art style are grand, and the music gives a sense of the vastness of the universe, especially that amazing sequence where a supernova explodes and finally collapses into a black hole. It's so immersive that it took me five Fridays to finally shake off my addiction. The out-of-game growth is excellent, though unfortunately, some talents I have no idea how to unlock—they just stay locked. Later on, my stats started skyrocketing exponentially, and I have no doubt that it could eventually reach a googol. Once talents are leveled up, even standing still will draw a constant stream of stardust, and that kind of satisfaction is unbeatable. It’s a pity the theme isn't perfectly consistent, though—if the growth of ancient stars into a black hole could be considered a skill, that would be something.
Asalidonat19 Oct 2026, 10:16
You did THIS in 2 days? Daam
chuckeles19 Oct 2026, 11:12
Spore in space 😆.
I really like how this plays out. It's juicy, gives great feedback, plays really well. I was curious how you made it so took a peek into your source code. So, not ALL sounds are synthesised, just the music. Sound effects are normal mp3s. The art is very interesting, and how it is layered. I'm curious how did you make that? It's really cool how it is all layered in the game and looks so good! If I had one critique: the UI looks like quite standard "AI design" I would say.
I really like how this plays out. It's juicy, gives great feedback, plays really well. I was curious how you made it so took a peek into your source code. So, not ALL sounds are synthesised, just the music. Sound effects are normal mp3s. The art is very interesting, and how it is layered. I'm curious how did you make that? It's really cool how it is all layered in the game and looks so good! If I had one critique: the UI looks like quite standard "AI design" I would say.
lloydlobo19 Oct 2026, 11:28
Stunning visuals and adaptive soundscape. Going to take the source code apart and incorporate some shader techniques.
Would like to see strategies, tactics, or a tiny tutorial to learn how to beat the high score?
Overall, great experience. Had few ideas while playing, where consecutive absorption (combo like) gives some grace with the enclosing red circle. Keep building such games!!!
Would like to see strategies, tactics, or a tiny tutorial to learn how to beat the high score?
Overall, great experience. Had few ideas while playing, where consecutive absorption (combo like) gives some grace with the enclosing red circle. Keep building such games!!!
VokietisLt19 Oct 2026, 12:38
Very nice game, loved the art, thankyou
MedianDev19 Oct 2026, 13:35
Really beautiful game! The cinematic sound design does a great job of conveying just how massive this star is. The gameplay also reminded me a bit of Agar.io or the early stages of Spore, which was fun. I didn’t finish the game, but during my playtime, I couldn’t find any obvious threats beyond the timer. As far as I could tell, there didn’t seem to be a clear fail state. At times, the pacing also felt a little slow, and I would have liked a bit more action. Overall, really impressive work!
Kredit19 Oct 2026, 14:49
I think I played like 20 min no stop to this game, i really enjoyed it, it doesn't have a lot to be with the theme, but the game is so cool
Rafa Fiedo19 Oct 2026, 14:54
very nice entry!
I played the first 'planet' and was... ye, it's ok
and the leveling tree showed up and I was impressed!
I played the first 'planet' and was... ye, it's ok
and the leveling tree showed up and I was impressed!
Fassenberg19 Oct 2026, 15:03
OMG, that VIBE! It instantly reminded me of Solar 2. Wow, incredible. Love it!
alaah19 Oct 2026, 15:22
You have so far given SIXTY ratings, 16 hours after the compo ended. This means that, on average, you've rated a game every 16 minutes, and given your current karma you must have also written quite a lot of comments. Weren't you the slighest bit tired immediately after the 2-day crunch? Can you explain?
TasakaSama19 Oct 2026, 15:28
I’ve reached world 3, simple and effective. It’s an incremental game with a real "old-tech", but I’m totally into this type of game, so well done!
sanechekz19 Oct 2026, 15:31
Huge respect for making this from scratch on a canvas without a game engine! The game feels really polished, and the sound effects fit perfectly. Great job!
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:30
@ntmalichi thanks. music and most sounds are generated live in webaudio, a few hits and the hum are short samples though. and yes the theme got away from me
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:30
@indigowolf fair point and youre not the only one. the circle is your hydrogen running out, the only way out is reaching the next form in time, and right now the game doesnt explain that at all. making the timer something you can actually play against is the first thing im working on
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:30
@asalidonat two long days, thanks
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:31
@chuckeles spore in space is pretty much what i was going for. youre right about the sounds, not all of them are synthesized. fair point on the ui as well, its already being reworked
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:31
@lloydlobo nice idea, a streak buying time against the circle is close to what im trying now. tip: hydrogen and bang force early, and keep moving between clouds instead of waiting
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:31
@vokietislt thank you
Gevernus19 Oct 2026, 16:31
@mediandev thanks, analytics shows the same thing: people like the look but dont feel the stakes, and the start is slow. faster start and real decisions against the timer are next
Pazio di Dante19 Oct 2026, 17:43
Played together with my wife. Both really enjoyed play it. Love the game loops here.
Special respect for art! Great Job!
Special respect for art! Great Job!
David Fiattarone19 Oct 2026, 17:45
I am obsessed with astronomy and have to say, this is absolutely awesome! Reminds me a bit of the cell stage in Spore but with stars which I vibe with more. Less biology coded than I am astrally coded.
Love the visuals. As you mentioned in another comment, start feels a bit slow, but I feel like the line to quicken the pace is very thin. If you adjust, I would not adjust by a large factor.
This is excellently formulated and I just have to say I'm both impressed and inspired. We went with a space aligned, gravitationally dependent theme as well. Hope to see you on our side of LD!
Love the visuals. As you mentioned in another comment, start feels a bit slow, but I feel like the line to quicken the pace is very thin. If you adjust, I would not adjust by a large factor.
This is excellently formulated and I just have to say I'm both impressed and inspired. We went with a space aligned, gravitationally dependent theme as well. Hope to see you on our side of LD!
Alex Mulkerrin19 Oct 2026, 18:32
This is amazing for a compo entry, the level of graphical detail is immense. That such a thing can be done on an HTML5 canvas with no game engine is incredible, I'll definitely be poring over the source to this one. The procedural soundscape is cool as well although a bit piercing.
A video of a full run to blackhole would be nice as the gameplay is a bit slow and you have to keep restarting with a small boost from perks. I guess I just find this kind of roguelite game progression a little dull.
Still this is an amazing looking and sounding entry. I'd love to know more about how you made it and the techniques involved :D
A video of a full run to blackhole would be nice as the gameplay is a bit slow and you have to keep restarting with a small boost from perks. I guess I just find this kind of roguelite game progression a little dull.
Still this is an amazing looking and sounding entry. I'd love to know more about how you made it and the techniques involved :D
Helagos19 Oct 2026, 18:39
I would not be able to do those effects without an engine, so, well done.
It's cool to eat matter and grow.
It's cool to eat matter and grow.
Dblazer6319 Oct 2026, 18:47
this game is very impressive for a COMPO! I really like the visuals and the gameplay reminds me of the spore cell stage too. seems like a lot of depth could be added to this if you continue. thanks for sharing this!
Adam Konig19 Oct 2026, 19:31
Woah super cool very vibey, very cool graphics, very polished result well done!
19 Oct 2026, 19:57
I took some time to look through the source code for this game. It appears all the code was generated with AI, the sounds were downloaded off the internet, and the images were AI generated. Respectfully, I don't think this project belongs in the Compo and should have instead been submitted to the Jam.
Viktoria19 Oct 2026, 19:59
The game is very beautiful and pleasant. The sound is very soothing—it’s as if you’re in your mother’s womb.
cassowary19 Oct 2026, 21:30
I think you should be more forthcoming about your use of AI.
19 Oct 2026, 21:34
got a bit addicted
sobakavi19 Oct 2026, 21:44
Super cool, it reminds me of couple of games from previous Jam but just the vibe and improvements map, whole plot is different. But huge kudos to you! Idea and implementation are awesome! You get my Woah and Wow
CupofCuppuccino19 Oct 2026, 21:44
Really like the overall aesthetics and sound. I have always been found of the life of stars, seems really romantic for me to learn about how they grow, light up the universe, and finally come to a silent end (even in physics class I find this theme appealing). Now that as player I get to see all the cool graphics and a full life cycle, that's great!! Satisfying to see the numbers piling up as the star grows (some foundation chem / physics that make up so much more)
b4ux1t319 Oct 2026, 21:57
BEAUTIFUL game. I love the art!
Vinnnie19 Oct 2026, 22:22
Very pretty game, simple premise but cool
Jiri Hysek19 Oct 2026, 22:39
Hi! It looks great, but it should be submitted into Jam category, not Compo. It's OK to use 3rd party mp3s from internet or AI generated graphics. But for this, there is Jam category. Those categories should be also opted-out from rating (even in Jam). For detailed info, please check https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/rules.
Dywanix19 Oct 2026, 22:56
Very interesting concept and lovely art style!
Avi19 Oct 2026, 23:38
Very impressive! My compo work always ends up looking quite meger, this is so amazingly fleshed out for the music, art and gameplay!
I work in astro -- I think this game could be so cool as an eductational outreach tool! I wonder if it would be possible to draw/show an HR diagram, and show the track of the star's life :)
I work in astro -- I think this game could be so cool as an eductational outreach tool! I wonder if it would be possible to draw/show an HR diagram, and show the track of the star's life :)
Awanami19 Oct 2026, 23:41
Looks so cool
hurricxme20 Oct 2026, 00:15
That incredible for one person, Keep going!!!
CptDrusha20 Oct 2026, 02:04
The visuals look gorgeous! 😃
smdrr1103720 Oct 2026, 05:18
The interactive experience is highly comfortable, and there’s an out-of-game progression system; the music creates a great atmosphere—it’s an incredibly polished project!
akintsevil20 Oct 2026, 06:33
Not bad, wish we could disable music but let sound fx be, music is kinda obnoxious
Alina20 Oct 2026, 07:02
It’s a beautiful game! I liked the game. I didn’t like the music; it makes my head hurt. But the sounds were good.
skigfx20 Oct 2026, 09:44
Oh my god, this is SO good!
First off, it feels less like a game and more like an interactive painting. Everything is so smooth and relaxing, it's almost hypnotic.
And it's ridiculously addictive! The sense of progression is so satisfying that I keep telling myself I'll try another game in a minute... and then I just keep playing.
Well, I guess I know what I'm doing tonight!
First off, it feels less like a game and more like an interactive painting. Everything is so smooth and relaxing, it's almost hypnotic.
And it's ridiculously addictive! The sense of progression is so satisfying that I keep telling myself I'll try another game in a minute... and then I just keep playing.
Well, I guess I know what I'm doing tonight!
PENG66520 Oct 2026, 10:16
The completion rate is astonishingly high! A game that is both relaxing and profound, with a great artistic style as well.
milq20 Oct 2026, 10:18
Congrats! The gorgeous nebula visuals and the growth feel are mesmerizing. Between dust clouds it felt a bit empty; a few bit closer targets early on would help pacing. Great work again, it's an awesome game, congratulations!
perrarancino20 Oct 2026, 11:55
the star lifecycle as a progression system is such a lovely idea, going from a dust cloud to a hypergiant and then seeing what kind of dead star your mass leaves behind is way more interesting than a normal score chase. the live webaudio soundtrack is impressive too, it fits the cosmic mood perfectly. did you tune the audio layers per stage, or is it one generative system that follows your mass? really nice work.
vorondesan20 Oct 2026, 12:14
Game looks awesome, i love that everything pulls toward you harder with each step. My olny small complain is sound, it`s hard on ears. Great entry!
Roronoati20 Oct 2026, 13:17
A mesmerizing cosmic-growth game, start as a speck of dust, evolve through the life of a star, and see how large you can become. The changing visuals and live-generated soundtrack make the journey feel special, while the relaxed pace invites one more run!
Yanruyi20 Oct 2026, 15:51
I got a white dwarf! This feels like something you'd see in a museum. Super cool!
Yanruyi20 Oct 2026, 15:51
I got a white dwarf! This feels like something you'd see in a museum. Super cool!
Yanruyi20 Oct 2026, 15:51
I got a white dwarf! This feels like something you'd see in a museum. Super cool!
Yanruyi20 Oct 2026, 15:51
I got a white dwarf! This feels like something you'd see in a museum. Super cool!
Yanruyi20 Oct 2026, 15:51
I got a white dwarf! This feels like something you'd see in a museum. Super cool!
HagamosVideojuegos20 Oct 2026, 15:54
I found your game really interesting. The art style works very well, and the sound complements the experience nicely. While physics could be considered one of the oldest technologies in the world, I'm not entirely sure it fits the usual meaning of the term. In any case, I think it's an interesting concept with solid execution. Well done!
AO-8520 Oct 2026, 15:57
Awesome, your game is magnificent! I had a blast playing it, really cool stuff
Silas Reinagel20 Oct 2026, 15:59
Very nice game! The art is gorgeous! The sound set the mood. The progression tree definitely triggered my "one more run" feeling.
Creation tool usage is on point.
My one constructive critique would be, it would be nicer to have the core game loop evolve or incroporate more elements. The metagame is just right, but the core game doesn't scale as well across runs.
Creation tool usage is on point.
My one constructive critique would be, it would be nicer to have the core game loop evolve or incroporate more elements. The metagame is just right, but the core game doesn't scale as well across runs.
rekk1d20 Oct 2026, 16:56
Okay, I refuse to believe one person made this in 48 hours xD
The visuals and music are just stunning, I have no words for how good this looks. Really loved playing it, the music fits the space vibe perfectly
The visuals and music are just stunning, I have no words for how good this looks. Really loved playing it, the music fits the space vibe perfectly
ivankapcov20 Oct 2026, 17:01
Awesome game. I made a similar game, but this one is way cooler. The graphics are just gorgeous.
Sevansevan20 Oct 2026, 17:15
Chill, aerial, thanks :-)
tweekus20 Oct 2026, 17:37
Nice entry. Nice graphics.
A little bit weird that not all upgrades available. Maybe it's unlocked in other Universes but 'coming soon' phrase confusing. Agree with @silas-reinagel about core loop
A little bit weird that not all upgrades available. Maybe it's unlocked in other Universes but 'coming soon' phrase confusing. Agree with @silas-reinagel about core loop
maxxxMAX20 Oct 2026, 18:00
The visuals are absolutely insane, my jaw dropped! Seriously impressive tech for a jam. The sound design also carried it hard—great tension and fit the space vibe perfectly.
Gameplay-wise, it felt a bit barebones though. Flying between points got repetitive pretty fast, and the upgrades barely felt noticeable—I mostly just found myself zoning out and staring at the graphics haha. Also didn't quite catch the "Old Tech" theme here, feels like full-on modern tech to me!
Still, as a visual and technical showcase, this is super cool. Well done!
Gameplay-wise, it felt a bit barebones though. Flying between points got repetitive pretty fast, and the upgrades barely felt noticeable—I mostly just found myself zoning out and staring at the graphics haha. Also didn't quite catch the "Old Tech" theme here, feels like full-on modern tech to me!
Still, as a visual and technical showcase, this is super cool. Well done!
chingiskhan20 Oct 2026, 18:30
wonderful atmosphere and visuals, but a weak connection to the theme! i would be happy if you played my game
foolishfool20 Oct 2026, 22:10
Great graphics and a chilling mood. Good job!
LudumDareDevil20 Oct 2026, 22:16
Pretty cool game. The art style is really cool.
n8tus21 Oct 2026, 04:49
This is dope. The juice for the stars are great. Game feel is amazing. Only critique is that the music can get a lil annoying when trying to choose a new powerup. I feel the music there should be a bit calming after a run. Great job!
Strega21 Oct 2026, 05:15
Nice spaced themed, flow-like game! Adding an upgrade system was a good move for this genre. The absorption effect is really nice. Great job!
ThanatosIsANoob21 Oct 2026, 06:22
Really fun and visually amazing game.
Uh as others said the theme isn't really present? Growing to be a blackhole doesn't exactly relate with old tech.
Regardless I still had a lot of fun playing your game and really liked it :)
Uh as others said the theme isn't really present? Growing to be a blackhole doesn't exactly relate with old tech.
Regardless I still had a lot of fun playing your game and really liked it :)
mikeware21 Oct 2026, 07:07
Not sure how I feel about this. It was a bit confusing to understand when your fuel was exhausting. If that's what the numbers represented, then it didn't come across. Some sort of more visual indicator like a bar or dimming of the star would be better. But then, I didn't feel like I had much agency in the outcome of what happened.
Yiraa21 Oct 2026, 07:55
Addictive game loop, and I love the vibe of the game (and a space related game will always be a plus for me!)
demarsh7221 Oct 2026, 13:34
This is so cool that I’m writing this review without even closing the game, and then I’ll go play for longer. It’s brilliant to combine Slither.io with Agar.io, and all of this in solo mode, with awesome leveling that really affects the gameplay. The sounds are just amazing — they’re volumetric, deep, and pleasant.
LLlarsO21 Oct 2026, 13:41
Very smooth gameplay. Getting the currency (stars) at the end to spend it on new upgrades was very satisfying. :)
For my personal taste the movement felt to slow (maybe it will get faster, but I'm talking about the first round).
The upgrade tree was presented in a clear way and gives a motivation to start over again. I like the atmosphere created by the sound effects. :)
For my personal taste the movement felt to slow (maybe it will get faster, but I'm talking about the first round).
The upgrade tree was presented in a clear way and gives a motivation to start over again. I like the atmosphere created by the sound effects. :)
Nursultan21 Oct 2026, 15:29
Incredible atmosphere! The vibe instantly reminded me of Solar 2 and the early stages of Spore — growing from a tiny speck of dust into a massive star and finally collapsing into a black hole is so hypnotic and addictive. Doing all of this in bare WebGL with no engine and live-synthesized audio in 48 hours is insanely impressive! The connection to the theme is definitely a bit of a stretch lol, but the game is so gorgeous that nobody even cares. Left full ratings!
If you happen to have a minute later to check out more entries, we’d love if you took a look at our game Meow Bomb as well. Best of luck with the compo!
If you happen to have a minute later to check out more entries, we’d love if you took a look at our game Meow Bomb as well. Best of luck with the compo!
Emaigualmc2_art21 Oct 2026, 15:34
I didn’t see a connection to the theme, but I found it fun to play an impressive achievement for a solo developer! The visual and particle effects were very well executed; however, the movement of my star on the screen felt quite slow. I think games like this need to be faster and more frantic, though perhaps that wasn’t what you had in mind jaja! I also found the upgrade tree for the star to be very interesting and well developed, great job! xD
Planetary21 Oct 2026, 15:57
That's actually impressive! All the graphics and sounds are way too good! Even the animations add a nice touch to the game.
Gameplay is pretty straight forward! Somehow, from Universe V I was able to reach the Hypergiant (or Blackhole at the end) in just a single round (so no upgrades at all). Personally, I'd like to have a lower progression, but it's quite good for a game jam.
Another thing: it's impressive that you did this in 2 days, without any engine. I don't want to be rude, but I'm not on AI side... and combining TypeScript (old) with AI (new) is harsh to rate for theme...
Overall, I enjoyed playing the game! 😁
Gameplay is pretty straight forward! Somehow, from Universe V I was able to reach the Hypergiant (or Blackhole at the end) in just a single round (so no upgrades at all). Personally, I'd like to have a lower progression, but it's quite good for a game jam.
Another thing: it's impressive that you did this in 2 days, without any engine. I don't want to be rude, but I'm not on AI side... and combining TypeScript (old) with AI (new) is harsh to rate for theme...
Overall, I enjoyed playing the game! 😁
qmdev21 Oct 2026, 19:37
Good art and the transitions between the forms of these stars are quite beautiful.
Wait did I just read that all sounds are synthesized live in code ?!?!? Amazing