About DARK SOIL ★
DARK SOIL ★ is a pixel-art roguelike where you farm dangerous plants and then fight whatever grows out of them. It was put together in three days for Ludum Dare 41, whose theme was mashing two incompatible genres together, and the two here are gardening and a punishing action game.
You grab seeds, plant them on soil tiles and water them with your can. Grown plants earn you souls, but enemies spawn from them, so the garden is also the battlefield. Every fifth level a chest opens in the sanctuary, giving you a stronger weapon and healing you.
It's short and sharp, like most jam games. You can play DARK SOIL ★ online here, and it's DARK SOIL ★ free to play with a keyboard and mouse.
How to Play DARK SOIL ★
- Move with WASD, or ZQSD on a French keyboard layout.
- Left click uses the item in your hand and right click rolls.
- Switch items with the scroll wheel or keys 1 to 5.
- Press 1 for your weapon and use it on the enemies that spawn from your plants.
- Plant seeds on soil tiles, then water them so they grow and earn souls.
- Every five levels, open the sanctuary chest for a better weapon and some healing.
What to Expect in DARK SOIL ★
Two jobs pull against each other. You want the plants to grow, because that's where the souls come from, but a grown plant brings enemies with it. A bigger garden pays more and costs more, and that tension is the whole game.
Right click rolls you out of a crowd, and the item bar lets you swap between weapon, seeds and watering can on the fly, so it asks for quick decisions more than patience. The look is chunky 16-bit pixel art, with cute plants that are not as friendly as they seem.
Built in a three-day jam, it's a compact idea done with confidence, not a long campaign.
Tips for DARK SOIL ★
- Plant only what you can defend. Every plant is a future fight.
- Roll with right click to get out of a crowd instead of trading hits.
- Learn the number keys so you can swap items without scrolling.
- Count your levels so the sanctuary chest at every fifth one is part of the plan. It heals you.
- Keep watering. Plants that do not grow do not pay out souls.
Who Made DARK SOIL ★
DARK SOIL ★ was made by overboy and released on itch.io. It was made in three days for Ludum Dare 41 using Unity. FunClicker embeds the creator's own version so you can play it here without downloading anything. We did not make the game, and the credit for its design, code, and art belongs to its creator. You can find the original on the DARK SOIL ★ page on itch.io.
FAQ
Is DARK SOIL ★ free?
Yes, and there's no sign-up step either. DARK SOIL ★ runs in this tab.
How do you play DARK SOIL ★?
Move with WASD, or ZQSD on a French layout, left click to use an item and right click to roll. Pick items with the scroll wheel or keys 1 to 5. Plant seeds, water them, and fight off the enemies that spawn from your plants.
What is the goal in DARK SOIL ★?
Grow plants to earn souls while you defend yourself from the enemies that spawn from them. Every five levels you can open a chest in the sanctuary for a more powerful weapon and a heal, which helps you push deeper into the run.
Who made DARK SOIL ★?
DARK SOIL ★ was made by overboy. We embed the original itch.io build, and there's a link back to it on this page.
What is the Ludum Dare 41 theme behind DARK SOIL ★?
DARK SOIL ★ was made in three days for Ludum Dare 41, where the theme was to combine two incompatible game genres. Here the two genres are gardening and a tough, souls-style action game, and that's where the plant-and-fight idea comes from.
Can I play DARK SOIL ★ on a Chromebook or phone?
It needs a keyboard and a mouse, since you move with the keyboard and use items and roll with the mouse buttons. A Chromebook or laptop works fine. A phone without a keyboard and mouse is not a good fit for these controls.
Is DARK SOIL ★ unblocked at school?
You can try DARK SOIL ★ unblocked at school if your network allows this site. Nothing needs installing.
What do the plants do in DARK SOIL ★?
Plants are how you earn souls. You plant seeds on soil tiles and water them to make them grow. Enemies spawn from your plants, so you also have to fight them off, which makes the garden both your income and your danger.
