A peek inside some of the top games from Ludum Dare 49

The 49th Ludum Dare game jam just wrapped up with almost 3000 entries. Here’s a peek at some of the highest-rated entries that you can play, plus their source code that you can poke around with.

This has got a little bit of something for everybody: the usual collection of platform and puzzle games you’d expect from a game jam, but also a game that looks like it belongs on a PlayStation 2, a game you can play on the original NES(!), and even one that you can play on an oscilloscope 🤯 They all offer wonderful gameplay mechanics or unique twists!

Warhead Stroll

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) Source (Godot, GDScript)

“Old Roger is walking his dog across town to get some groceries. That would be a rather harmless adventure if his head wasn’t a nuclear bomb.” – @cagibi-dev

Speaking of dogs, the next game was paws-itively, delightfully nostalgic!

Dream Dog Dilemma

Play (Web, Nintendo/Famicom) Source (C)

“Dream Dog Dilemma is an action/puzzle game made for the Nintendo NES!” – @cppchriscpp

There are some pretty l33t coding skills here for sure.

^{Fig 1: How I like to think @cppchriscpp codes.}

Also, continuing with the theme of ‘Dogs’…

Editor’s note: The theme for Ludum Dare 49 was actually “Unstable” and not “Dogs,” so Lee’s barking up the wrong tree here 🤫

Dogs++

Play (Web) Source (Typescript)

“Dogs++ is a puzzle platformer about creating an unstable tower of dogs on your head.” – @Jezzamonn

Plains in the Sky

Play (Web) Source (Unity, C#)

“Our precious sky plains have been invaded by the malicious snakes. You will have to use your trusty cannon to get rid of those pests!” – @skerys

And speaking of plains planes in the sky…

Airobics

Play (Web, Windows) Source (C++)

“It’s time for your annual retraining as an air traffic controller. Can you still handle the pressure? Try to pass a whole day of routing planes to avoid collisions in three different locations.” – @mausimus

Mission Control

Play (Web) Source (Godot, GDScript)

“You are sent on a mission to reach all planets in our solar system. But be careful, as your signal is very unstable and can be easily blocked. Use relays to relay the signal from Eearth for a more stable connection.” – @PetTurtle

Crunda

Play (Win) Source (Rust)

“Jump around systems of planets trying to avoid collisions or getting lost in space.” – @danslocombe

Unstable Revisions

Play (Web) Source (Unity, C#)

Last Fall

Play (Web, Windows, Linux) Source (Custom C++ Engine)

“Last Fall is a short arcade puzzler with lots of colorful plates, bouncy enemies, and endless space. Try not to fall …until the end.” – @MausGames

Speaking of fall-ing…

Don’t Drop It!

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android) Source (Unity, C#)

“The concept is simple: you have to drag-n-drop a bomb, ready to explode to a safer location. Instructions are included in the game, but I warn you, it is quite challenging. If you reach the end without dying once, you may get a surprise! 🎁” – @Srynetix

Unscrambler

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) Source (Unity, C#)

“Unscrambler is a word puzzler where you’re tasked to reconstruct a scrambled word. The original word is broken into chemical element symbols which are then provided to you shuffled. Just order these back to the correct word (or any other word) and you’ll be given some points. Sounds simple enough?” – @​​anttihaavikko

Super Misfire

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) Source (Godot, GDScript)

“You operate a malfunctioning quantum supergun, which shoots things it probably isn’t supposed to. Achieve superiority over your friends by travelling further through the Dungeon of Enemies than they can.” – @uzkbwza

Brimstone

Play (Windows, Linux) Source (C++)

“​Play as a piece of fire that destroys anything it touches!” – @HolyBlackCat

Fractured Edge

Play (Windows) Source (Unity, C#)

“Fast 6-dof shooter in tight corridors! Grab power ups to upgrade your arsenal and kill the final boss! Supports rendering to oscilloscopes.” – @SamuliJaaskelainen

Note: An oscilloscope emulator is provided for the small number of readers that don’t have an oscilloscope at home.

Raiders of the Lost Gems

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) Source (JavaScript)

“Play as a brave little adventurer and collect all the gems to obtain the trophy in this tiny puzzle game!” – @jDomantas

Unstable98.exe

Play (Web) Source (JavaScript)

“In this small puzzle game, your goal is to play Minesweeper.exe, but you’ll face some frustrating challenges along the road. Apply force with care 🤜, and maybe a long forgotten hero 📎 will help you.” – @hilkojj

That’s just a handful of the top games that shared their source code. If you enjoyed these, then be sure to check out the complete list on the Ludum Dare website. If you’d like to join the next one, the 50th Ludum Dare starts on April 1, 2022–no joke. This will be a double anniversary, as it’ll mark 20 years since the first event.

Fun fact: It seemed like only yesterday that we celebrated Ludum Dare’s 15-year anniversary at GitHub HQ with a night of fun indie video, board, and card games. Here are a few photos from that night.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you can’t wait that long, or if you need more than 72 hours to build a game, be sure to check out the GitHub Game Off starting on November 1.