depths

How deep can you go? depths is an endless vertical diving game where you control a lobster descending into the ocean. Starting in the bright Sunlight Zone, you dodge jellyfish, avoid anglerfish, and collect pearls as the water grows darker and the creatures grow stranger. Five ocean depth zones with distinct visuals, from the sun-dappled surface to the crushing darkness of the Hadal Zone. Built entirely with HTML Canvas for smooth 60fps gameplay.

Balancing the difficulty curve so it feels fair but challenging was key. The depth zone transitions needed to feel natural rather than jarring — gradual color shifts and creature introductions make the descent feel continuous.

Canvas games benefit enormously from object pooling. Instead of creating and destroying entities, recycling them from a pool keeps the garbage collector happy and the frame rate smooth.