Ludum Dare 48 staff picks

Ludum Dare 48, a game jam event, attracted over ten thousand participants who created nearly four thousand games over a weekend, inspired by the theme "deeper and deeper." The event, which challenges participants to develop a game in 72 hours, resulted in a diverse array of creative interpretations, many involving themes of digging or falling. Popular entries included "We Have to Go Deeper," a submarine piloting game set in ocean depths, and "Deeper and Deeper," a pixel art platformer crafted with Phaser. Other notable games featured humor and unique mechanics, such as "Nuclear Blaze" with its firefighting challenges and "Chess Hellevator," which adds a unique twist to traditional chess gameplay. The source code for all these games, written in various programming languages like JavaScript, C#, Lua, and Rust, is available for those interested in exploring or modifying them. This inclusive event encourages both novice and experienced developers to participate, with the next game jam scheduled to begin on October 1, offering an opportunity for more creative game development and community engagement.