Survive. Die. Rebuild. Break the loop.

Trapped in a storm of time and horror, your drop pod slams into a corrupted planet, triggering an endless loop of combat, rebirth, and escalation. Equip one of several experimental weapons and fend off waves of increasingly grotesque eldritch horrors. Each death resets the loop… but also upgrades your arsenal — and theirs.

A fast-paced, looping arena defense game inspired by Dome Keeper, Vampire Survivors, and Return.

• ⚠️ Note:  Theres an issue with the pixel CRT shader on the web build that I haven't been able to crack yet... The windows vers looks much better - and so is the performance, so play that one instead if you dont mind downloading!

Controls

(Subject to change post-jam)

• Spacebar – Activate Shield (brief invulnerability + parry mechanic)

⚠️ All weapons are currently automated.
Weapon switching/manual aiming isn’t implemented — yet!
If there’s interest post-jam, I’ll finish this feature

How to Play

• Survive as long as possible against escalating waves

• Shield wisely to negate or parry incoming attacks

• Choose upgrades after each death...
  But each upgrade adds new enemies to the pool

• Chase high scores! Share yours in the comments 

Gameplay Features

• 7 Unique Weapons – From swarm rockets to bouncing projectiles. Each tailored to vaporise specific enemy types. Swap, experiment, and strategize!

• Orthogonal Enemy Design – Each of the 7+ enemies behaves uniquely, forcing you to adapt your tactics in real time.

• Parry-Based Shield System – Activate at the perfect moment to reflect attacks.

• Endless Loop Mechanic – Every death leads to rebirth, granting you new upgrades — but adding deadlier enemies to the pool.

• Built for Replays – Climb the leaderboard, discover hidden weapon synergies, and see how long you can hold out against the loop.

Development Notes

This game was made for GMTK Game Jam 2025 solo using the Godot engine in ~54 hours straight (never again).
Built using:

• AnimationPlayer + Nodes - minimal traditional code 

• Placeholder block art, pixel art + post-processing

• Free and jam-friendly assets & effects (Hunters Hand, royalty free music, CRT shaders, etc.) 

Want to help?

Share your high score in the comments & let me know:

• Your favorite weapon combo

• What killed you most

• What you'd want to see added post-jam!

Known Bugs / Jam Limitations

• Game balance is evolving – enemies may overwhelm you quickly!

• Placeholder art is present for some characters

• May contain jank™ – built under pressure, expect odd behaviors :)

  • Previous weapons show up on the upgrade screen after you've unlocked 5+ weapons. Make sure to click the left-most upgrades to avoid this bug.   

Post-Jam Goals

If there is interest, I'd love to:

• Add meta-progression (like permanent upgrades)

• Expand enemy pool with new patterns + behaviors

• Full art/UI pass

• Consider Steam or mobile release as a tiny looping roguelite

Credits

• CRT Shader
  by the community at GodotShaders

• Music
  by DavidKBD

• Sound Effects
  CC0-licensed from various artists.
  (If you recognize your work and would like a named credit, feel free to reach out!)

• Logo
  Artwork by me, animated on asciii.com

• Everything else
  Design, code, art, coffee - me