Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
A jam submission

The Vaults Below Durn : A Field Study (Game Jam Version)View game page

Three doors. One safe path. Deduce the way forward or perish in the vaults.
Submitted by Gongylus — 9 hours, 17 minutes before the deadline
Add to collection

Play game

The Vaults Below Durn : A Field Study (Game Jam Version)'s itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Overall#473.8913.891
Audio#513.8753.875
Theme#574.1884.188
Visuals#834.3124.312
Enjoyment#1093.8443.844
Innovation#1573.6253.625
Gameplay#1703.5003.500

Ranked from 32 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

How does the game fit the theme?
The Vaults Below Durn are a strange place. Their passages go on forever, and it has never been mapped, nor the creatures who reside there studied. This is a story of the first field survey.

What code and assets did you not make from scratch during the jam (if any)?
The Vaults Below Durn was made by indie developer, Natasha Handley. The following assets were not made by her :

Furniture Models - Unity Asset Store - Anil Isbilir

Character Animations - Mixamo

Sound Effects :

https://freesound.org/people/newlocknew/sounds/840731/
https://freesound.org/people/Galbenshire/sounds/464520/
https://freesound.org/people/izzylikesnoise/sounds/761118/
https://freesound.org/people/satanicupsman/sounds/184720/
https://freesound.org/people/newlocknew/sounds/713545/
https://freesound.org/people/TRP/sounds/577273/
https://freesound.org/people/TRP/sounds/577273/

All other assets were made by Natasha Handley, including the environment and character models, as well as the programming and game design.

How many people worked on the game?
1

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

Comments

Viewing comments 29 to 21 of 29 · Next page · Last page
Submitted

Very nice game! I really liked the ending of the story mode!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

I like the atmosphere and the concept. It was really "funny" or scary xD !

Developer

Thank you :D

Submitted(+1)

This is a really cool and innovative game! I loved the idea of the game, and it works very well in creating that uneasy atmosphere you are going for. The story is intriguing too, with a sad twist at the end. Nice work! Also, thank god for having that visual substitution for the knocking, since I can't have absolute silence and focus on the audio, it was a really helpful QoL option indeed.

Other things I like:

  • Graphic is nice with a really consistent artstyle
  • I game tutorial and input prompts

Suggestions:

  • The game suffers a bit from a lot of waiting, as sound and wind may happen after quite some time. I would suggest reducing the waiting time for the effects, but adding more stuff to look for instead. This should make the game more enjoyable while not reducing the difficulty at the same time
  • Knocking sound should be a bit more distinct than the footstep sound
  • The idle animation of toying with the torch seriously messes with the whole flickering light, and I would suggest removing that
  • The environment would need a bit more variation too if the game is being further developed
Developer

Thank you so much for such helpful feedback! I think you raised a lot of good points. I'm working on expanding the game right now for a Steam release and I'll implement your suggestions! 

If it's something you'd be interested in checking out down the road, here is the Steam page. Thanks again for playing!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4494830/The_Vaults_Below_Durn_A_Field_Study/

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Very well achieved atmosphere that I think goes hand in hand with the theme. I love the cues based deduction mechanic, one of the most immersive games I tried on this Jam!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Congratz for making such a nice game!

Submitted(+1)

Thanks for submitting your game to the stream! If you wanted to look at the playthrough again in the future here's the VOD timestamped to your game


Developer

Thanks for playing! I really enjoyed your game too.

Did you pick up on the meaning of the credits cutscene? I'm currently building an expanded Steam version that plays more into the lore. :)

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

Not really to be honest (someone on a stream I watched called out the meaning though but I completely forgot what they said about it atm)

Developer (1 edit)

Ah ok. I won't explain it here since that would be spoilers haha. Thanks again for playing it!

Developer

When we can update the games, I've got this lined up. It is an audio calibration screen that will appear before the main menu so we can dial in the volume :)  (It looks better than the gif)

Submitted(+1)

Really well done atmosphere and visual and audio aesthetics. You really nailed the spooky vibes. One minor criticism is that the idle animation for the torch was sometimes a bit much, as you'd be standing near the door waiting to see if the torch flickers and then the animation would clip the torch through the wall and obscuring the light. Once I got used to the cues though, it didn't really negatively impact progress. Really great and well polished game!

Developer

Thank you for the feedback! Yh, I noticed that too. I tried to counteract it by having the player turn away from the door if they are standing too close before starting the idle animation. Sounds like it still clips occasionally. I'll look at improving that. :) Thanks again!

Submitted(+1)

great atmos! brrrr....

Developer(+1)

Thanks for playing!

Viewing comments 29 to 21 of 29 · Next page · Last page