Overview
DiamondDungeon turns a cavern map into a route-and-switch logic puzzle where timing, gates, and resource paths matter more than speed. You read the layout like a blueprint: switches open doors, doors reveal shortcuts, and diamonds act as both goal and route currency. The craft is sequencing. You don’t clear rooms randomly; you plan which switch to trigger first so the corridor that follows creates two future options, not one. Keys and levers become decisions about tension—use one now to unlock an easy collection loop, or save it to open a larger ring later. When you detour, you do it to earn a safe exit rather than to chase a near diamond that forces a backtrack through cramped halls. Visual language stays honest: light glows show active routes, gates draw crisp boundaries, and subtly different floor textures suggest hidden connections. The dungeon feels generous when you respect its grammar: long loops pay back with multiple diamonds and a clean exit, while short grabs become building blocks for future rings. Misses teach calmly—dead corridors mean you spent a lever too early, tight backtracks say you ignored a future shortcut, and crowded rooms indicate you collapsed options by clearing in the wrong order. Correction is method: rebuild the loop, swap the sequence, and let the plan create space. Finishing a floor becomes satisfying because the final route reads like a neat cycle you authored rather than lucked into.