Hey all! I've been turning a childhood favourite and my family's squishy obsession into DDDumpling. This is where I'd like to keep the ongoing development story, including the bits that need another go.
In my first devlog, I wrote about Typing of the Dead being one of the most memorable games from my childhood. My family had recently become interested in, or probably obsessed with, dumplings and squishies. Putting those together felt like something worth trying!
The starting point was matching character prompts under pressure. Falling dumplings, quick inputs, little characters to collect. I've done some games with this mechanic on PC before and it's generally enjoyable but gets stale pretty quick.
Initially I was committed to only using the keys as input to the game. Even power-ups required using a matching prompt. This fell apart quickIy when pretty much every play tester tried to tap it. I then realized, I should totally lean into having the player tap and swipe outside of the main game key inputs!
With Slime, clearing the prompts sets you up for the drag that does damage. I want that change of action to feel satisfying. You've dealt with one thing, now get your fingers back onto the playfield and finish the job.
Octopulse takes that further by reaching down and stealing a key. I'm quite fond of how annoying that is.
There's a real tuning problem underneath the joke. If the player misses the theft, it might just look like a button stopped working. I'm trying to make the cues readable while you're already busy matching prompts and watching for the next gesture. That's the multitasking I want to build on.
Players wanted the fun sooner
One piece of feedback stuck: people wanted more direct access to the fun bits without having to grind back to them. Fair enough. If you enjoyed a boss, you should be able to spend some time with that fight.
Boss Time Attack lets you replay bosses you've befriended. Survival gives you powerups and more choice about how to keep going. Once those started taking shape, treating modes as a first-class feature meant revisiting high scores, collectibles and visuals too.
I've been working on tuned playability and title visuals so far. I want each mode to grow more distinct, with more music variation over time. I'm excited to find out whether players stick with a favourite or hop between them, and whether that gives them a reason to keep coming back.
I also added a dynamic changelog inspired by Evan Debenham's Shattered Pixel Dungeon. Showing changes inside the game is a fun little project of its own.
DDDumpling is free, offline, with no ads or payments. It's AI-assisted across code, graphics, sounds and writing. These are real gameplay screenshots; the Octopulse animation comes from simulator footage with automated inputs.
itch.io + Android download · Google Play · iOS App Store
I'll keep updates in this thread as I tune the modes. The thing I'm watching most closely right now is that switch from prompts to gestures: whether you spot what the boss wants in time, or only work it out after it's already got you.
