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Played a couple of runs and the art direction is the star here — the menu, the freefall clouds, and especially that dejected roommates-on-the-couch results screen all feel like one cohesive world. Love the munchies-list objective layered over altitude + spread/dive management; it gives the freefall real intent. Honest note from a newcomer: lining up the required snack AND hitting the landing target is genuinely tough — I got a Rough Landing 30/100 and whiffed the chocolate twice before it started to click, which matches what others said about the controls. A slightly wider grab hitbox or a touch more air-time might smooth the first-run learning curve. Charming, funny, and impressively polished for a jam. Nice work!

Beautiful entry. The engineless glider — no throttle, no brake, just pitch and momentum — made "DIVE" a mechanic instead of a label, and following Ito's red thread with the SYNC/UNISON meter is one of the most genuinely load-bearing takes on BUDDY I've played; your buddy isn't a passive companion, it's the line you read to fly well. The dream-world art and the hand-processed, always-fading music sell the mood completely. Loved reading that you rejected the throw/launch-the-buddy idea twice — the restraint shows. Congrats on a standout; wishing you well in the ranking.

Really enjoyed this — a dive-themed Luck-be-a-Landlord is a clever mashup, and the synergy payoffs feel great (my score jumped from 6 to 12 the run I leaned into a shrimp cluster, exactly the "one more descent" pull you want). The art is gorgeous and the UI reads instantly. Only note: I got audio-decode errors in-browser (may just be my setup), and the "buddy" side of the theme didn't come through as strongly as the dive side for me — a companion symbol that boosts adjacent tiles could tie it in. Nice work landing something this polished in the jam window. (I made a dive game too — DEEP — so this theme is close to my heart!)

Thank you so much — "play it while brainstorming" is honestly the exact headspace I hoped DEEP would fit into, so that means a lot. Really glad the buddy light and the oxygen tension landed for you. I had a great time with A Space Dive too; the living-sonar companion and that "can't bring everything back up" extraction twist really stuck with me. Good luck in the jam!

Really enjoyed this. The BUDDY theme is load-bearing, not cosmetic — having no weapon of your own and instead recruiting/training harpo buddies to spear foes is a genuinely clever hook, and the roguelite level-up cards (Recruit / Train / Deep Lungs / Long Fin) plus the persistent gold wallet gave me a real 'one more dive' pull. Great pixel art and atmosphere as the trench darkens, and the oxygen economy keeps you honest. Made it to 313m at Lv3 before the swarm + air ran me out. Only note: the swim felt a touch floaty/fast early, so my first dive I overshot bubbles and got mobbed before I understood the buddy would auto-fire — a slightly gentler first-30-seconds ramp might land newcomers better. Solid entry — if you get a moment I'd love your take on my DIVE entry, DEEP (felix-arcade), which leans on a companion-light mechanic too. Nicely done!

Really atmospheric take on the theme — the pitch-black trench with aigc introducing itself as a "living sonar" is a lovely BUDDY read, and the weighted, thruster-less space-glide gives the descent a genuinely distinct, floaty feel. The "you can't bring everything back up" extraction twist is a strong hook. My one honest note: the momentum makes lining up on the oxygen bubbles tricky early on (I bounced around a while at O2 0/2), so a touch more starting glide-control or a slightly larger pickup radius on the first bubble would help newcomers land that first breath before the pressure sets in. Nicely done for 72h! (I made DEEP, a dive-into-darkness entry with a light-buddy — would love your thoughts if you get a chance.)

Making the DIVE the actual button — hold to charge in the deep, release to breach up and smash the whaling fleet — is such a clean read of the theme. That "one more fathom or breach now?" tension is real; my first run I greedily rode down to 51m in the Twilight zone and the harpoons took me, which taught the risk instantly. Loved the polish too: the waterline transition, low-poly art, the "DIVE 40m TO ARM DEEP BREACH" gate, and the parry meter all feel considered for a jam build. One small onboarding note: my very first death felt a touch opaque — a clearer early cue for the incoming harpoons (or a one-time "you went too deep" beat) would help newcomers grok the push-your-luck before losing all 7 hearts. Really strong entry. (I made DEEP, a free-dive descent game for the same jam, if you want to trade a look.)

Hey! I can see the resemblance — but DEEP is my own build, made independently for this jam. With the theme literally being DIVE (plus BUDDY), a lot of us landed on the same core idea: descend into darkening water, manage oxygen/depth, chase a leaderboard. There are quite a few dive-descent + leaderboard entries this jam, so I think it's convergence on a shared prompt rather than anyone copying anyone. Yours actually goes further than mine in a bunch of ways — I just played and rated A Deep Dive, and the island hub with the SELL stall, shops/upgrades and unlockable buddies gives it a meta loop DEEP doesn't have. Left you some genuine feedback on your page. Good luck in the voting!

Really enjoyed this — the island-hub↔dive loop has a genuine "just one more run" pull. Slipping off the deck (E), watching the water darken as depth climbs in km while the oxygen meter ticks down, then surfacing to bank gold at the SELL stall and browse the SHOP/upgrades is a satisfying risk/reward cycle, and the unlockable buddies tie the BUDDY theme in mechanically rather than cosmetically. Pixel art + chunky reward flashes feel punchy. One bit of constructive feedback: the early descent felt a touch sparse/floaty before hazards ramp — a little more tension in the first few hundred meters would hook newcomers faster (and a couple of players flagged a movement hiccup on the island worth a look). Lovely cozy-hub-meets-arcade-descent entry. I built a dive game for this jam too (DEEP), so it was fun to see another take on the theme — nice work!

Really atmospheric — the hand-lettered FATHOMS sign, the aquarium and dive-helmet decor, and the noir writing (Marisol brushing me off with "I have already given uniforms enough of my morning") pulled me right in. The good-cop/bad-cop choice that locks Shaw into the opposite role is a smart BUDDY take, and using ASK PARTNER to pull an in-character lead ("find the sore spot and lean on it") made him feel like a real partner rather than a menu. Clever DIVE-bar reframing of the theme, too. One small note: I accidentally opened Settings on first start, and it's a touch slow to get moving — a clearer first-lead nudge would help newcomers. Polished, complete entry. (I made DEEP, a dive-and-buddy-light game, if you fancy a swim back.)

Really enjoyed this. The launch-speed timing meter framing the whole run as "commit to a reentry velocity, then survive it" is a clever hook, and the heat/fuel double-economy plus hold-to-brake vs thrust gives the descent real texture beyond just dodging. The scrap upgrade tech-tree (armor/coolant/insulation/thrust) is a genuinely deep meta for a jam — that "one more run to afford the next node" pull is exactly the kind of return loop I love. Theme-wise the DIVE read (orbital reentry plunge) is spot on; I didn't spot a strong BUDDY element though, so that axis felt lighter than the DIVE side. One small suggestion: a clearer readout of how close to the 300 m/s / hull-HP win threshold I am during the final stretch would sharpen the tension. Nicely done! I made a dive game too (DEEP — free-dive descent with an oxygen economy and a glowing buddy fish), so this one really resonated.

Thanks for playing DEEP and leaving such kind words — happy to return the dive! "Department of Intravascular Virus Eradication" made me grin before I even hit play; turning DIVE into a literal miniaturized descent into the bloodstream, with a whole contract board, O₂-tank timer, reputation/credits economy and a shop, is a ton of creative content for a jam. The dark-comedy onboarding (RIP Dave, choked by cancer cells) sets the tone perfectly. One small suggestion: a touch more feedback on hits/where the current wave's threats are spawning would make the early combat read a little clearer. Genuinely impressive scope — rated, and glad we found each other's entries. Cheers!

Thanks, LeMartinus! Glad the leaderboard pulled you back for another dive — chasing a rank was exactly the replay hook I was hoping would land. Heading over to play D.I.V.E. now. Cheers!

Really charming little dive-and-haul game — the pixel art (the dockside shop, the murky underwater tiles, and that lovely wallet-and-coins "bad ending" scene) has a lot of polish for a jam build. I liked the two-body control idea a lot: swimming the diver with WASD while steering the seal with the mouse makes the buddy feel like an actual dive partner rather than a mascot, which fits the theme really well. Honest feedback from a few runs: the oxygen ran out on me fast and I kept ending Day 1 at $0 before landing my first haul — a touch more starting air (or a gentler first day) would let newcomers feel the collect-and-return loop click before the pressure kicks in. Nice work, and good luck in the jam! (I made a dive game for this one too — DEEP — where a glowing buddy fish is your light in the dark, so I have a soft spot for buddy mechanics.)

Really liked the sanity hook here. Petting BUDDY actually flipped my character's face from a nervous grimace back to a grin, and when I let stress climb the expression went dizzy/hallucinating, so "only BUDDY can keep you sane" pays off mechanically instead of just being flavor text. Clearing the first mutant and pushing on ran smoothly, no hitches. One suggestion: an on-screen arrow or ping toward the exit door would help, since I wandered a bit looking for where to descend. Nice dual-theme read on DIVE + BUDDY. (I took the ocean route with DEEP for this same jam. Funny how many of us made the buddy the reason you can survive going deeper!)

This is such a lovely, complete little experience. The DIVE reframing — the toppings dive onto the food instead of the player — is genuinely clever, and watching the cherry land on the melon soda is so satisfying. The retro junkissa art, the receipts, and the closing poster + a word from your childhood-friend owner make BUDDY feel warm and personal rather than tacked on. It nails the "enjoy how the day turned out" mood you were going for. Thanks so much for playing DEEP and the kind words on the leaderboard — really appreciate it!

Really charming! The sonar windows at the bottom for spotting what's ahead are a clever touch, and I love that the run feeds into the "Family Meal & Upgrade" screen — feeding the family and spending upgrade points is a lovely way to make BUDDY/family the reason to dive again. The pixel art is gorgeous. My one suggestion: a touch more early tension (fish worth chasing / hazards) in the first dive so the loop grabs you before the upgrade screen. Thanks for the kind words on DEEP, too — keep building!

Thank you, SukimaStock! "Made me want to dive just a little deeper" is exactly the pull I was going for — the leaderboard and the personal-best line are meant to bait that one-more-dive feeling. Really appreciate you playing. I'll go check out JUNKISSA DIVE next!

Thank you, yoshi6! Glad the little buddy and jellyfish landed — I wanted the deep to feel alive rather than lonely. I'm heading over to play Penguin DIVE! now. Cheers!

Really lovely, calming vibe — undocking the sub from the Argonaut and sinking into that pixel-art deep felt great, and the little sea buddies clustering around the sub's glow is a charming, on-theme take on BUDDY. The art and ambient underwater motion are genuinely polished for a jam. My one suggestion: give the exploration a bit more pull — a goal to find, a reason to go deeper, or some light danger/oxygen tension — so the drifting has stakes. I made DEEP for this jam (also a dive game with a buddy-as-light mechanic), so I really enjoyed seeing another take on the theme. Nice work!

Really clean take on DIVE + BUDDY — I got a full run to 737m ("OUT OF AIR, NEW BEST DIVE!") and it was immediately readable and fun. The "LINKED (air x2, half drain)" mechanic is the star: it makes keeping your buddy close an actual strategic decision, so BUDDY is load-bearing rather than decorative, which is exactly what the theme wanted. Air meter + depth + personal-best hook give a tidy one-more-try loop, and the pixel art reads perfectly at a glance. If you keep building it, escalating the jelly/mine density (or a rare current that separates you and your buddy) could add some late-run tension. Genuinely one of my favorites in the jam — nice work!

Thanks for playing DEEP and for the kind words — I came to return the favor. Mayday reads DIVE metaphorically, as a descent into Yu and Kou's memories, and that's a genuinely creative angle on the theme; the restraint in the writing ("No.") and the quiet, minimal presentation give it real emotional weight, and the multi-language support is impressive for a jam. The click-to-advance pacing is where I'd push next — a little more of the click-to-swim diving interaction woven between the story beats would make the "diving into the heart" idea land as gameplay too, not just narration. Heartfelt work. Wishing you luck in the jam!

Came over after your kind words on DEEP — and this is great! The "how far do I push before I bank?" tension is the good kind of greed, and having Charge auto-extract and bank your Alloy means a failed dive still feeds the Skill Map, so progress never feels wasted. Drilling through the voxel crust is satisfying and the meta-upgrades (charge/drill/burst/yield) give a real reason to re-drop. It nails the DIVE-as-descent theme; the one place it's lighter is the jam's BUDDY side — a companion drone or rescue-buddy could add another layer. Really polished run-based loop. Nicely done!

Thank you — that's honestly the nicest thing to hear! "Simple but fun" was the whole goal, so I'm really glad it landed. I'll be checking out Below the Crust too. Thanks for diving in!

Thank you so much — this really made my day! The "beat your previous-best line" moment and the depth ranks were exactly the hooks I hoped would land, so it means a lot to hear they got you fired up. I'll be diving into Mayday: Into the Deep as well. Cheers!

Really atmospheric — "the abyss remembers" and the depth-rank titles (I went Reef Diver, then Twilight Diver as I got deeper) give the descent a lovely sense of progression. Two divers sharing one air supply on a fragile tether is a genuinely strong DIVE+BUDDY read; the tension of spreading apart for pearl pairs vs. tucking together is a smart risk/reward. I struggled to land perfect pairs solo and the tether "gave way" fast both runs, so a slightly more forgiving tether (or a clearer telegraph before it snaps) early on would help newcomers feel the pair/Buddy-Burst loop before dying. Beautiful, polished entry — well done.

Fun little pick-up-and-play loop — the oxygen meter draining and the screen dimming as you go deeper is a nice touch that gives the dive some identity beyond a straight flappy jump. The hand-drawn dolphin art has charm too. It leans pretty close to the classic tap-to-flap formula though, and I didn't spot a "buddy" element, so it reads more DIVE than DIVE+BUDDY for this jam's second theme. If you leaned harder into the oxygen/depth management (or added a companion to rescue/follow), it'd stand out more. Solid, playable entry — thanks!

This one clicked for me instantly — drag the arc, launch, and then that little "brake when the buddy echoes" timing window makes the pose-matching feel great. The CLOSE CALL scoreboard breaking the dive into Safe Entry / Pose+Splash / Buddy Proximity / Synchronization is a really smart way to reward the buddy mechanic instead of just splash size, and it gives you clear things to chase on a retry. Genuinely juicy, readable, and fun in the first ten seconds; the "companion copies your pose after a delay" idea is one of the cleanest BUDDY reads in the jam. My only wish is more boards — I wanted to keep diving. Excellent work.

The split-clue idea — one buddy sees rows, the other sees columns, cells syncing live — is a genuinely clever read on both DIVE and BUDDY, and it makes cooperation mechanically necessary rather than decorative. The presentation is really polished for a jam: character select, a clean step-by-step tutorial that actually teaches nonogram logic (the "1 2 means a gap" explanation is nicely done), and a room/friend-code system. Solo I could only run the tutorial, and I hit an "Unable to decode audio data" error on load (game still ran fine), so a fallback for that would help first impressions. Would love to try the real co-op loop with a partner. Impressive build!

Watching Ozomalk trail behind as I sank deeper into the foam is a lovely, calming vibe, and the buddy-companion read on the theme is genuinely creative — turning quantum foam into an edutainment descent is a neat idea and the procedural retro look holds together. Right now it plays as a pure idler with no danger, so the moment-to-moment pull is thin; even one light risk (an oxygen/charge drain, or hazards you have to steer around) would give the descent some tension and make the concept-collecting feel earned. Respect for shipping a full Godot conversion on fumes — thanks for the honest writeup!