
Dig-Pit Runner - E1 (Playdate) + free Demo
A downloadable game
Dig-Pit Runner
(Episode - 1)
Action horror platformer about a treasure hunter trapped in the cursed mine pits of a remote island, forced to descend deeper into an ancient underground labyrinth to escape the horrors lurking in the dark.
Playtime is around 2 hours.
Base mechanics: Platformer with shooting, chasing, simple quests, sometimes with stealth, and collecting.
Short, simple story of episode 1 that intro to long chains of trips of the main hero. Main storyline of EP-1 thats find a way out of the trap where the main hero becomes. Continuation of that story will be in the next episodes with new mechanics and locations.
Explore collapsing tunnels, forgotten shafts and underground temples as you search for a way out. Every step takes you further into a maze filled with deadly traps, unstable floors and things that hunt by sound and movement.
Different types of enemies will stalk you in the dark: beasts hiding in narrow passages, venomous creatures in the walls and relentless guardians of the island’s secret. Use ladders, ropes and fragile platforms to stay ahead of them – or be cornered with nowhere to run.
Find hidden artifacts and strange relics that unlock new paths, shortcuts and abilities, helping the hero dig deeper into the labyrinth – and maybe survive long enough to see the sky again.
Run forward, don't look back!
Controls:
- D-Pad Left/Right - Run/ Move on Ropes
- D-Pad Up/Down - Move on Laders
- D-Pad Left/Down + D-Pad Down - Slide on floor
- B - Swith weapons
- A - Shoot
OST is also available for download for everyone who bought the game as bonus content
In order to install / update the game follow the steps below.
- Log in to your Playdate Account at play.date.
- Go to your Account page.
- Go to the Sideload page.
- Drag or select the .pdx game file (or zipped .pdx) to upload it.
Help doc on the official site: https://help.play.date/games/sideloading
BONUS CONTENT - Printable statue
It's free for everyone who owns the game

| Updated | 13 days ago |
| Status | Released |
| Rating | Rated 2.1 out of 5 stars (7 total ratings) |
| Author | CrankWorkGames |
| Genre | Action, Platformer, Shooter |
| Tags | 1-bit, Horror, Indie, Playdate |
| Average session | A few hours |
| Languages | English |
| Accessibility | High-contrast |
| AI Disclosure | AI Assisted, Sounds |
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $7 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- Hi everyone, small update, bug fixed51 days ago
- Dig-Pit Runner Bonus content added93 days ago
- Dig-Pit Runner (fixes/optimizations)Dec 22, 2025
- Dig-Pit Runner - just released!Dec 06, 2025



Comments
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Saw this available in Catalog too. This is episode 1 evidently. Awesome to hear that there will be more of this! Really looking forward to it! Will the additional episodes be via updates to this game, or will those be separate games to purchase?
Thanks!
Hi, I suppose it will be like parts of the same story in different games. So, all that game is a prequel to one more big game. It was a basic idea. Current launch of that game becomes absolute fail from all sides including Catalog, too much factors just say me, do not waste your time on it, but that's my hobbie, and when it getting so much resistance to be i suppose I may need to change the place where it should be. Let's see, I've built some planes for games to create for PD, may be will be more.
Well personally I think it looks like a really great game!
If some are saying negative things, please don't waste any energy by listening to them. Honestly, if you wouldn't ask those people for advice in making decisions in life, why would you even care what they think about your games? Don't give anybody that much power over how you feel or react.
Thank you for making games for the Playdate. Please do not stop! I look forward to playing all the episodes of this complete game! I am going to purchase the first one on Catalog as soon as I am done writing this message to you. And more than that, I will show my support for what you're doing for us Playdate fans by purchasing your other games too!
I don't have a 3D printer, but the Dig Pit Figure looks really awesome. What a neat idea!
I hope this helps, and I also hope you have a wonderful day!
Thanks, you're one of those for whom I'm creating that))
I would be interested in testing, though I am unsure how to DM on itch.
Hi everyone, game and demo was updated, fixes, optimizations added
Hey, got an error when entering the cave and running from the spider at the beginning. The spider caught up with me before the slide and then this expection occurred.
Update error: core/Animations.lua:146: attempt to index a nil value (field '?')
stack traceback:
core/Animations.lua:146: in method 'getImage'
gameRes/BaseHumanoid.lua:423: in field 'update'
gameRes/SimpleChaser.lua:157: in method 'update'
tiled/TmjSprite.lua:177: in function <tiled/TmjSprite.lua:175>
[C]: in field 'update'
main.lua:261: in function <main.lua:240>
Hi, thanks for report, will be fixed
I got the exact same issue.
Hi, thanks, will investigate it, seems it happens randomly, a race condition seems to be, previous fix was not a final fix, seems
It happens as well when I get caught by the spider.
Try it again, uploaded a new version with the "silver bullet" fix
Hi, this is Patricio Land, congratulations on this new release!
I'm running a magazine called Cranko! (full paper, old fashioned style) that's is having a great support from the Playdate community. As I'm working on issue 5 and I'd like to contact you to have some inside info about the development of your game. The game looksfantastic!
Let me know if you're interested in sharing a few words on the matter. Thanks a lot!
https://cranknockout.com/
Hi, cool, I'm open to conversation
Amazing feel free to send me a mail to cranknockout@gmail.com and we can continue over there. Tnx a lot!