Descent
A short isometic sci-fi horror game.
You have been drafted to investigate the disappearance of the crew of the research vessel VALIS XI. Explore the abandoned spacecraft to uncover the mystery of their fate, and the discovery that led to their demise.
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Controls:
Use [arrow] keys or [WASD] to move.
[C] to change the camera perspective style (prurely cosmetic).
[R] to rotate the controls. There are three settings:
- Default: 0 degrees (up is top left)
- 45 degrees: Up is up - best for non-keyboard controllers
- 90 degrees (up is top right)
Fullscreen encouraged, and turn off your lights!
PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING: Some mild flashing lights
Originally made in under 1 week for Curdle Jam #20 - Descent Into Madness.
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Credits:
Programming, story and music by jpbash.
Assets:
Smallest Pixel by Style-7
Stylized Astronaut by Pulsar Bytes
Sci-Fi Styled Modular Pack by karboosx
Insectoid Crab Monster by LB3D
Destructor Spaceship by Eldanu
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Development log
- Descent Devlog Update [Editor Tools & Shaders]May 09, 2023
- Updates to DescentDec 26, 2021
Comments
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Thanks! Really enjoyed playing it. I really like the atmoshphere and especially the sound design. Also made a small video (German):
Game thats at 30:04
I struggled a little bit at some point, but it's a very cool game and I love the "ending"
I love the please make more like this It doesnt have to be space theme too!
Fantastic atmosphere and style!
It was grim, but the ambiance and environment really pushed forward the exploration and story and how creepy things were. The time loop at the end really made it so fun and interesting and tied everything together so well with all the anomalies that were seen in the ship!
Adding more notes or things that alluded to the time loop might have made it more satisfying as it sort of comes out of nowhere after one mention of it in a single note, but it still was really cool how it happened!
Overall, a great game that was well done! Good luck for future projects!
hiya this was a immersive little game super atmospheric especially the sound. I also really liked the rendered down art style very cool to look at.
I made a walkthrough if anyone needs help i made it very quick and to the point hope you enjoy ^_^
Man, I played this game with "Space Song" by Beach house in the background. Highly recomend.
enamored with the retro looking style of this. very creepy and thought provoking!
Delightfully creepy! Love the idea.
is there any other ending besides the loop??? i need moreee
there will be. update in 2023 will complete the story. watch this space
omfg cant wait
I found a way out of the loop, the ultimate ending by a jump of faith that will grant you peace and takes the requirement of action from you.
i like the graphic! This game is good! I'd like to play a full version of it (a longer version)
Good!
Pretty much 100% sure that the game is, in fact, a loop. Reasoning: First, the body of the first dead crew member looks like you (just...more dead). Second, the room where the gate slams behind you has a bookcase (top right corner) that notes that there's the word "Remember" carved into it, with (a) tally mark on it. I believe that every time you complete a loop, you get another tally mark, but I'm not going to be the guy that plays the game over 100 times trying to find a secret.
Great game. love the ending. There is a bit of a weird map loop in the room that views the planet.
I haven't even found the first generator I'm still stuck :')
ayooo im stuck. i turned off the generator, encountered whatever the hell that thing was that ran from under the stairs, and explored everything. am i missing something?
nvm, just solved it. 10/10! tho i got spoiled in the comments
Amazing game. The sound design was incredible. Although, the ways of finding the generators were quite confusing and unclear and I struggled for a while before finding them pretty much by accident. It also seems like the links between rooms are messed up in the final area.
Really like it, I don't know if someone noticed but if you stand still for about 10 minutes, you will hear some kind of noise like when you look slenderman😅
Great little game, some hints of old Adventure titles, and I really like the visual style and the minimal controls.
Regarding the second generator, there's a dead person with a note that says they barricaded a door "opposite the vending machine" and there's another hint about "under the stairs."
Awesome job! However, I had also issues disabling the second generator.
maybe i'm just stupid but i couldn't find a way to turn of the downstairs generator. pretty cool atmosphere tho
Has anyone been able to reach an ending? Seems most comments are from people who enjoyed it but couldn't finish due to bugs. Would love to play this to the end but also don't wanna spoil it by watching a vid lol
Played it, is the loop the ending? Or how many times do you do it lol.
It's a loop, that's the impression I got
I'm not sure if I did something wrong but I can't progress :( I explored all the rooms and said hello to our friend but I can't find the generator. I did find our friend before I did anything else so that may have done something? I'll try again just in case.
It's under the stairs. there's a spot on the floor above that informs you it's there. Also good luck after that!
I am going to be jumpscared let's find out?
(Game Did Not Load) BRUH ALERT BRUHHHHHHH
were you?
the game did not load. bruh
or did you wimp out
No I didn't't
I have chills. Really great game.
oh god. oh man. i really don't like this (in a good way)
Hello! Your game was pretty cool, I liked the graphics and the music/sound was pretty good (except for the ear-piercing thing). I got stuck in the game, does it have an end? Was fun!
Not sure if I did something wrong but I couldn't figure out what to do. I went under the stairs and turned off the generator then wandered around but found nothing.
Same here, not sure if there's a bug for the generator room but it doesn't seem to stay powered down whenever you leave the scene/area.
Love the atmosphere of the game though!
Wait you guys found the generator? I'm stuck ._. Yeah I'm not the best at games sometimes LOL
This was great, really enjoyed the whole experience!
I got goosebump when the time loop
Nice game.
what do you do?
TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE AND WE ARE IN THE BLACK IRON PRISON
Like it very much! I think that I found a bug though, there are 2 doors leading to the conference room: the bridge and the one previous to the bridge. Hope it helps!
amazing game, absolutely amazin
Damn, I loved this. The aesthetic is so cool, and the atmosphere... wow