You are a cryptozoologist: a scientist who studies fantastic creatures. Your mission is to dive into the dungeon, take pictures of its denizens, and come back to tell the tale!

But beware! The dungeon is full of danger and mysteries, and who knows how the creatures there will react to an interloper with a flash camera?

This game was originally made for #7drl 2026.

Controls

• Use A,S,D,W or ↑↓←→ to move your character around the dungeon.
• Press Z to use your current tool. You may be asked to select a direction, then press Z again to confirm, or X to cancel.
• Press X to open the inventory menu. You can choose your tool with ↑↓, confirm with Z, or cancel with X.
• In summary: Z confirms/use, X cancels/inventory

Rules

• Your goal is to take pictures of the creatures in the dungeon using your "camera" tool. The camera can capture a 3x3 area.

• The score of a creature depends on what it is doing. A sleeping drake is worth less points than a hunting one. You can check what a creature is doing with the "Binoculars" item.
• A score multiplier is given if many creatures are in the same picture. Get everyone together for that group shot!
• Only the best shot for each creature is scored. If you take 4 pictures of drakes, only the best one will be added to your total score!
• You can open chests by bumping into them. Bumping into creatures is usually a bad idea, though.
• Chests contain items that can be possibly useful, like film, magic scrolls and smelly meat.
• The game ends when you go through all the levels, or if you perish to the dangers of the dungeon. 
• Aim for that high score!

Why this game exists?

A long time ago I had this idea about a "peaceful dungeon game" -- one where the goal was to explore and understand a dungeon, and to discover how its ecosystem works, instead of just killing everything in front of you.

A roguelike seemed like a perfect fit for this idea. For me, roguelike means a game where learning how the dungeon works is the main challenge, and where a complex simulation can surprise the player every now and then. TDTTOE.

However, as these things often go, this project slept on my TODO pile for many years, until I used 7DRL 2026 to force myself into a deadline. By the way, a lot of this game's engine was inspired by LazyDevs' amazing "Porklike" youtube tutorial!

Future

This game is still incomplete. Obviously music and sfx are missing. The simulation (interactions between mobs, items, and the PC) is way too simple. A lot of other polish and quality of life is still necessary. Let's not even talk about balance.

However, all the key mechanics are there, the game can be played to completion, and it might even be a bit fun? Feedback is highly appreciated!