Ritual-Run

The dungeon remembers your choices

Comment

Inspiration

We wanted to make a classic roguelike that wasn't based on random upgrades or loot drops. Ritual Run is an adventure where players make meaningful ritual choices that permanently shape each run. It's unique because it has fast paced gameplay and strategic risk vs reward decisions.

What it does

Ritual Run is a browser-based roguelike where players explore dangerous levels, battle enemies, collect relics, and perform powerful rituals. Each ritual grants unique abilities but also introduces drawbacks, forcing players to adapt their strategy throughout the run. No two playthroughs are identical, making every run a new challenge.

How we built it

We built Ritual Run using Devvit Web to integrate with Reddit and Phaser 3 as the game engine. The frontend handles rendering, player movement, combat, animations, and the user interface, while Devvit manages the Reddit integration and game lifecycle. We created pixel-art assets for the player, enemies, and environment, implemented collision detection, enemy AI, and a modular ritual system that allows new rituals and effects to be added easily. The game's architecture separates gameplay systems from rendering, making future expansion pretty straightforward.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was balancing rituals so that they felt powerful without making the game too easy. We also had to carefully structure the game's systems so that adding new rituals or enemies wouldn't require rewriting large portions of the codebase. Integrating Phaser with Devvit Web required learning a new development workflow, and optimizing the game's performance while maintaining smooth gameplay took several iterations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of creating a unique gameplay mechanic centered around rituals instead of traditional power-ups. The modular design makes it easy to expand the game with new enemies, relics, maps, and rituals in the future. We also built a polished pixel-art aesthetic that gives Ritual Run a distinctive retro feel while maintaining responsive controls and engaging gameplay.

What we learned

This project taught us how to combine modern web technologies with a real-time game engine to build an engaging browser game. We learned the importance of designing flexible gameplay systems, balancing mechanics through iteration, and optimizing performance for smooth gameplay. We also gained experience integrating Reddit's Devvit platform with Phaser, giving us a better understanding of how community-focused games can be built on the web.

What's next for Ritual-Run

Future plans include:

  • Expanding the ritual system with dozens of unique blessings and curses that dramatically change each run.
  • Adding new biomes, bosses, enemies, and procedurally generated dungeon layouts.
  • Introducing multiplayer modes where friends can cooperate or compete through shared rituals and challenges.
  • Creating seasonal events, limited-time rituals, and daily challenges to keep gameplay fresh.
  • Deepening Reddit integration with community-driven events, leaderboards, and collaborative challenges where players influence future content.
  • Expanding progression with unlockable characters, cosmetics, achievements, and lore that reward continued play.
  • Refining the game's balance, animations, accessibility, and mobile experience so anyone can jump into a run anywhere.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates