This jam is now over. It ran from 2021-03-31 22:00:00 to 2021-04-07 22:00:00. View results

Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021 is a game development challenge to make a first person grid based dungeon crawler game in just 7 days.


In this context a dungeon crawler is a grid based RPG viewed in first person and with 90 degree turning. Examples of classic dungeon crawlers are Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore and Bard's Tale etc. 

Examples on some smaller and more recent dungeon crawlers are Heroine Dusk, The Ogre King and Lands of Lorez.


Game specific rules:

  • The game must have first-person exploration at all times. (See the above GIF). Exceptions are point to point overworld map movement (fast travel), combat screens or town screens.
  • The game must have explorable locations. It doesn't have to be a dungeon in the traditional sense. It can be urban environments, outdoors, spaceship interiors, planetary surfaces etc. Whichever environment the game has it must be viewed and explored in first-person.
  • The game must have instant step movement on a grid. Smooth transition between grid squares is allowed. Half-steps or dividing the square into smaller squares is not accepted.
  • The game must have 90 degree turns in the cardinal directions, North, East, South, West. Smooth transition between 90 degree angles is allowed. Mouse-look is also allowed. Games which let you turn 90 degrees up and down are also allowed.
  • The game must have a player controlled character (or party of characters), or the abstraction of a character or persona.
  • The game must at the very least have some basic stats. (Minimum a single health/power bar)
  • The game must have a death/perish condition, or some other end-of-game mechanic.
  • The game must have at least one way to affect character stat(s). Examples are resting, potions, items with bonuses, food, water, powerups etc.
  • The game must have combat or a similar mechanic for determining outcome of certain situations, enemy encounters and events.
  • Any theme is allowed, but keep it decent and safe for work!

Other rules:

  • You can use any game engines, libraries, pre-existing code/algorithms, pre-existing art, etc.
  • The game must be a new game project started and finished within the 7 day time frame, not just another week of work on an existing one.
  • The goal is a finished and reasonably polished dungeon crawler; not a prototype, proof of concept or tech demo.
  • The game must be free to download and play to the end. A commercial version of the game may of course be released after the jam ends, perhaps with added content and features.

It is recommended to be prepared and have a rough design idea of your project before starting.

If you want to team up with someone let it be known in the discussion board. There might already be someone there to team up with.

Join the dungeoncrawlers.org Discord for live discussion, brainstorming and recommendations for engines, tools, assets etc. to use when developing a dungeon crawler.

Use #dcjam2021 to share progress or tweet about your game :)


Winners will be determined by a combination of vote count, ratings, and judge's assessment, based on the criteria listed below.

  • Originality - Does the game innovate or try something new?
  • Graphics - Is the game aesthetically pleasing?
  • Audio - Does the game have nice sfx and music?
  • Gameplay - How fun is it to play?
  • Technical - Is there a considerable technical achievement behind the making of this game?

The prize for winning entry is fame and glory but also $100 USD worth of games of your choice from on itch.io or gog.com. Teams will have to share the prize money among the members.
1st place gets a special role in the Discord server.
Everyone who submitted a game will get a "gamejammer" role in the Discord server.
All submitted games that adhere to the rules will be added to the dungeoncrawlers.org database.

Additional prizes courtesy of Home of the Underdogs and Silver Lemur Games:

Game submissions will be played and streamed on Twitch by Sinatar @ https://www.twitch.tv/sinatar

Have fun, be creative and try to think outside the box :)

Note: To avoid any misunderstandings I wan't to let you know that my own entry Kingdom of Yergoval will of course not be eligible for rewards should it come to that.

Submissions(74)

All submissions
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Browser playable (25)
·
Windows (53)
macOS (10)
Linux (8)
Android (1)

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Make your way through a hedgerow.
Action
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Roguelike dungeon crawler, dive into the deeps of Mork's lair
Role Playing
A simple, rhythm based dungeon crawler
Rhythm
Change gravity and explore the hallways of this haunted hotel. Made for Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021.
Strategy
A wild west, rock paper scissor adventure. Fight and defeat the evil bandidos crawling in the cantina!
Play in browser
A small dungeon crawler
Role Playing
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Explore dungeon. Make friends.
Role Playing
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A spaceship themed dungeon crawler inspired by Doom RPG
Adventure
Dungeon crawler inspired by novels of N. Gogol and A. Tolstoy
Role Playing
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A Lovecraftian card-based dungeon crawler
Card Game
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Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021 Entry
Role Playing
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Explore a Mine and Pay Back your Debts!
Adventure
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Supermarket dungeon crawler, made for the #DCJam2021.
Action
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Reclaim what is yours and escape your prison!
Adventure
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A short tale about a young lad on a journey to do something for someone.
Role Playing
Dragon's Belly is a dungeon crawler where you play as a dragon who eats dwarves
Role Playing
Spells evoked by drawing runes keep you alive in this deadly dungeon.
Role Playing
Space Station Dungeon Crawler
Role Playing
Dungeon Crawler Jam entry
Role Playing
A Gameboy Dungeon Crawler
Adventure
Help a frog wizard out in this turn-based dungeon crawler set in a swamp
Adventure
find your way through an inhuman environment
Puzzle
A 6DoF dungeon crawler.
Role Playing
A short dungeon crawl through an infested spaceship
Role Playing
Battle through dungeons and punch your way to freedom in VR
Adventure
My game entry to the Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021
Role Playing
Dungeon Crawler for the #dcjam2021 jam.
Role Playing
Fight killer robots and search for clues in this cross between a dungeon crawler and FPS. Created in MegaZeux.
Action
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A first person JRPG dungeon crawler (originally made for Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021)
Role Playing
Dungeon Crawler fantasy medieval
Role Playing
They did the crime, will they do the time? (DCJam2021 entry)
Action
Play in browser
A Dungeon Crawler for the Dungeon Crawler 2021 Game Jam
Role Playing
Dungeon Crawler style game , in development
Role Playing
Realtime first person dungeon crawler set aboard an alien infested space station! Can you manage to escape?
Survival
Those are fighting words!
Role Playing
science-fiction dungeon crawler
Adventure
A throwback to the 80s with a short grid based dungeon crawler
Adventure
Escape from the rat dungeons
Adventure
Made for the Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021
Adventure
Descend into the unknown depths of the perilous Blob Keep and discover the source of the terrible blob scourge.
Role Playing
Dungeon Crawler
Role Playing
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Rotate and shift the dungeon to progress further in this innovative puzzle dungeon crawler!
Puzzle
The Infinite Grimoire was hidden in a dungeon far away. Search for the tome and escape the dungeon
Adventure
A dungeon crawler where you plunge the depths of a procedurally generated dungeon to find your lost cat.
Adventure
You fall asleep onto an airport luggage claim conveyor belt, and awaken deep within the conveyor system.
Adventure
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Short dungeon crawler game made for zooperdan's Dungeon Crawler Jam 2021
Adventure
Dark and mysterious journey in the land of lights and shadows.
It's not meant to be easy
Adventure
dungeon crawler about a strange cat tale
Role Playing
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Dungeon Crawler
Adventure
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First Person Dungeon Crawler. Find your way out, before going insane.
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Searching for a new escape
Action
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A Small Dungeon Crawler
Shooter
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An old-school-style dungeon crawler, but with twists.
Adventure
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A reoccurring nightmare with salesladies all around you.
Survival
An entry for #dcjam2021
Adventure
Small party-based dungeon crawler
Role Playing
A Dungeon Crawler JRPG inspired by Shining The Holy Ark
Role Playing
DCJ2021 - Funk your way to victory!
Rhythm
Explore a mysterious spaceship in this dungeon crawler puzzle
Adventure
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Entry for Dungeon Crawler Game Jam, done by myself
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Underwater Dungeon Crawler
Adventure
Invaders on your Space Ship. Your only weapon: Regular Expressions. Now, you have...
Adventure
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