FoonLudum Dare ExplorerLD59 → Pharos

Pharos

By chaseplays, , and

View on ldjam.com

CategoryRankScoreCount
Overall914.0548
Fun2103.7048
Innovation2113.7348
Theme1264.2248
Graphics1914.1848
Audio344.2547
Mood134.5347

Comments

ajores 2026-04-21 02:55

Really loved the art and sfx! Gameplay was very innovative to me--the core mechanic felt really solid, and I liked the challenge by the end.

breadstick 2026-04-21 02:57

I loved the lighthouse-directing mechanic--the way that you pilot the ships by light is a fun take on both the theme and novel way to handle 3/4-view movement input.

I got some Dredge vibes from the enemies and atmosphere, but the music and rain sfx made it significantly more calming... really interesting and unique vibes!

Overall, nicely done

foxecho 2026-04-21 03:04

Very well done. I finished it.

The atmosphere is great. Even though the music is very calm, the game still feels quite tense when playing. The gameplay is simple and effective, and the visual cues and feedback all work well.

nadia-pixel 2026-04-21 03:05

Loved the game! It's exactly my level of stress and enjoyment! Also I was avoiding to encounter two ship in order to avoid shipwreck, and only on the third round i understood that they won't interfere

tomas-poblete 2026-04-21 03:06

Such a lovely game. I really liked how peaceful the music feels despite the hostile setting. It’d be nice to see new hazards in the more advanced levels.

olddog 2026-04-21 07:40

A flawless masterpiece in every sense—visuals, atmosphere, gameplay, and detail. This is easily the highest-quality entry of the event. The level of polish is absolutely incredible

nyxkn 2026-04-21 09:51

Absolutely gorgeous game! I loved the art and visuals so much. Atmosphere was great, and gameplay was fun and intuitive. The level of polish was outstanding! Really felt like a complete game. If there's one criticism it's that managing multiple boats at the same time was somewhat clumsy, and using a single boat was often the most reliable (but more tedious) approach. Anyway overall brilliant game! Thanks! :heart:

aashen 2026-04-21 09:57

One of my favourites so far! Looks amazing, the atmosphere and art direction are so cool! And the game itself plays very smooth!

torukaii 2026-04-21 14:52

Really cool atmosphere. Loved the music!

2026-04-21 19:04

Fun, simple and creative game! Good job!

2026-04-23 07:38

Simple and up to the theme idea, great graphics and tone. Not hard, quite short - all of the ingredients for a neat game is here. Completed in several minutes and now feel satisfied. Great job!

2026-04-23 09:59

Really cool, very atmospheric :O

rinzu 2026-04-23 10:43

The game is really cool. And I really like your concept.

venomousmouse 2026-04-23 13:07

I like the sounds. And the music is super. Very good atmosphere and overall great game!

yarcha 2026-04-24 03:18

It's funny that our team brainstormed a similar idea. Well done for bringing it to fruition, because it turned out really cool, I loved it.

I especially liked the anglerfish's tricks.

The game is well-designed, with nice pixel animation and a pleasant sound.

You guys are great, it's a great game!

irkar 2026-04-25 11:53

Cool game, i love the mechanics and the artphoto_2026-04-25_14-51-35.jpg

gamayun-games 2026-04-25 20:49

what a nice entry! i like how you created a calming atmosphere having in mind the amount of monsters there :D i would probably prefer that there was some penalty for the attacked or briken boat (or there is one?) i sometines took two boats together and we were going together for a treasure, as it was easier haha, or i just used one boat and collected all treasures with it. but i cannot say that this made the experience less engaging :) i also believe that if there was some extra info aboout the treasures that would be super fun! maybe i could see them on the ending screen or something like that. maybe there would be a super rich lighthouse keeper sitting somewhere :D

a cool game and the music is so smooth! i am still listening to it while writing a review :)

flemming1k 2026-04-27 00:00

Greatly executed atmosphere, I love it

elemel 2026-04-27 14:08

Great mood, both cozy and menacing. Tricky to keep track of multiple boats at the same time. Liked the design elements with boats, reefs, treasures, and monsters.

finoliso 2026-04-27 14:17

I thought it was beautiful. I loved the way he approached the topic. It's fun and it looks very polished.

anszwa 2026-04-27 14:24

Great entry! This is probably the most polished project I have played in this round so far. The art style and sound design are both at a really high level. The gameplay loop feels relaxing and stressful at the same time, which comes across as very well balanced.

I could also see this working really well on mobile devices if you decide to keep developing it!

indiepanda 2026-04-28 11:26

Pleasant relaxation game. Cool atmosphere!

alex-de-la-cour 2026-04-28 11:44

Really liked the concept and execution! The way you control the boats is really cool and unique, and this was a fun play - very chill but also a decent amount of tension. Also loved the pixel art!

2026-04-28 23:23

Well done! The game is really good

mibi88 2026-04-30 11:29

Really nice game! The graphics and the audio are really nice. I especially like the atmosphere of the game.

cesta 2026-04-30 13:04

Fun game!! Its simple and easy to uderstand, good job!!

fractal 2026-05-02 21:59

Nice idea and atmosphere! It was a bit too easy though, and I’m not sure why we get several boats, I just used one boat and let the other ones sink and it worked just fine.

2026-05-03 10:13

The soundtrack and graphics are absolutely excellent! Everything looks and sounds very polished, which creates a great atmosphere.

But most importantly - the core idea is just superb. I actually made a game with a similar concept for this Ludum Dare myself, so I have a soft spot for this mechanic! You’ve executed it brilliantly.

Great job on the entry!

2026-05-03 14:25

The atmosphere is great! The sound effects created are very realistic. This design is really excellent. I think the way it presents themes through clicking to create lighting effects is very innovative. I think it's a really good game.

helgust 2026-05-04 06:54

Art is greate, really like that way how you control the boats!

tinysalad 2026-05-04 19:54

Fun quick cozy game, everything works together nicely and it doesn't outstay its welcome. It was fun guiding the lil boats around. Although I think a more posterized/stepped light circle would have served the artstyle better, the smoothness somewhat clashes with the pixel art.

remusnomos 2026-05-06 18:51

Really polished entry! Sound effects were nice, graphics were on the spot (really liked the rain effect). And the gameplay was also quite cool while fitting the theme very well. :)

bobanko 2026-05-06 21:47

nice solid gameplay, good decision to have second chance, when one boat was sunken, and you can complete mission with another one. nice music, but too chill for such gameplay. good seamless levels. it was a bit tricky how to control multiple ships, at first i thought it's possible to give different targets to different ships.

PS, and thanks for review!

Screenshot 2026-05-07 at 00.45.40.png

papaver 2026-05-07 14:30

I like how the music and sound effects set the mood. At some point I hear some morse, but I couldn't decipher it that quickly ;)

Well done!