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.
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
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $7.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- Dig-Pit Runner Bonus content added1 day ago
- Dig-Pit Runner (fixes/optimizations)35 days ago
- Dig-Pit Runner - just released!50 days ago
Comments
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ugh what is this AI crap 🤮 why would anyone want to pay money for a slop game made with AI cover and music? I know you denied it but I bet everything about this game is AI slop too, just a quick money grab from a lazy “dev” 🤮🤮🤮
“AI slop”, “lazy dev”… did you actually play Dig Pit Runner?
Quick clarification for everyone: AI was used only for the promo materials and the music.
The game itself (code, level design, Tiled maps, pixel art/animation, balancing) is handmade.
AI doesn’t “make a game in 2 clicks” — it can generate assets, but the work is in directing, selecting, editing, integrating, and polishing.
For the music: I wrote the lyrics and directed the style/structure, then edited and refined the result
If you have specific feedback about the gameplay or visuals, I’m happy to hear it.
Personal insults and “lazy dev” takes aren’t critiques — they’re just noise.
This is very rude. I played this devs air combat on playdate game to 100% completion, and it was better made than most games. It was excellent and clearly had a lot of hand coding and art poured into in it.
Honestly, the guy has been transparent about using it for the music and title art – and I quite like it.
Do I want it in the game? No.
Do I always want the dev to be transparent about any Ai. Yes.
Do I wish he could commission an Illustrator and Musician. Yes. But I also understand these games take a lot of work and rarely make the coder substantial returns.
Show some respect when you comment please.
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
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!
why do you support AI slop games tho? That makes your zine less trustworthy
In general, I get hyped whenever a developer has the guts to actually finish a game and put it out there in the wild. That takes real nerve. Personally, I don’t think this is the right space for a deep dive into that debate. It’s a complex matter that deserves a proper conversation. If you’re up for it, hit me up directly and let’s talk it out. Cheers!