Can you escape the dead zone—or will you become just another shell among many

🦀 Unshelled

Death is not the end—it’s just a change of shell.

Unshelled is a 2D puzzle platformer created for the Pixel Game Jam 2025 under the theme "From the Dead." You play as a lone hermit crab trapped in a desolate, underwater dead zone. When your shell—and your life—are ripped away, you discover a mysterious ability: the power to possess the bodies of fallen sea creatures.

But possession is temporary. You must always find your way back to your shell, forcing you to leap from host to host as you navigate a haunting world filled with danger, puzzles, and the remnants of a forgotten sea.

Core Mechanics:

• Possession-Based Platforming
  Defeat or find enemies, then take control of their bodies to gain new abilities and solve environmental challenges.

• Death-Driven Progression
  Dying is necessary. Each death resets your form but opens new paths forward.

• Creature Abilities
  Shoot deadly spines as a pufferfish, slash through chains as a swordfish—and more.

• Puzzle Meets Action
  Use clever timing, platforming, and strategic deaths to reach the end of each level.

Features:

• Handcrafted pixel art in a moody underwater biome

• A unique death-rebirth loop that’s core to the game

• Multiple enemy forms with distinct movement and abilities

• Keyboard support

• Created in 10 days using Godot Engine

Credits:

• Programming Lead: @noedne
• Pixel Art Lead: @grenmester
• Level Design Lead: @theronshark