Buried Treasure by Pincushion

[raw]
made by Pincushion for Ludum Dare 59 (COMPO)

Search beneath the soil to find your treasure.

Dig up goodies, make money, and don't forget to buy some treasure maps.

Find loot using your scanner. When all 5 proximity lights are green, left click to dig up your treasures.

Be careful not to run out of battery. Each dig takes 1 battery tick. You can recharge your scanner at the shop. "n" for the shop. "m" to look at your maps.

Notes / Bugs

  • Sorry, no sound.
  • Running out of battery does nothing. You can keep digging without a charge.
  • If the web build is laggy or not working, there's a Windows and Linux build (couldn't figure out the Mac build on time, sorry!)

Screenshot

Capture.PNG

Ratings

Overall 221th 3.174⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Fun 194th 3.109⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 212th 3.022⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Theme 133th 3.783⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 196th 3.217⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Mood 250th 2.761⭐ 25🧑‍⚖️
Given 19🗳️ 21🗨️

Feedback

SteveOfStevesGames
Apr 20th · 10:56 UTC
That was fun. although i think the battery mechanic is broken. i could keep digging when the battery was all red. If you were restricted to 5 digs for 25 money (which by the looks of it thats what you intended) that would have been very hard but i could see how it would be much more satisfying to win.

Ive had a metal detector for years but im just too lazy to learn how to use it and go and find somewhere to search so im very grateful for this game.
🎤 Pincushion
Apr 20th · 11:02 UTC
@steveofstevesgames Yes, that sounds like it's broken (or something I entirely forgot to implement). I was thinking that maybe the 25 money was too harsh though, so there's the silver lining that people might be able to play for longer. Thanks for playing! I'm glad you liked it.
desi
Apr 20th · 13:18 UTC
Yeah i also had the same problem that I was able to keep digging.

Other than that I had alot of fun.

For a compo it is very impressive in my opinion what u did in those 48hrs.


I think what wouldve been cool is to add the shop as a place on the island and when u are close u can open the shop UI there. Even a box with the words "Shop" wouldve been cool so you can actually go there. (But as I said since you did everything by urself im not gonna rate u on that lol just an idea :smiley_cat:
🎤 Pincushion
Apr 20th · 13:27 UTC
@desi Even a box would work. I totally agree. When there's world, I like to play in it as much as possible. UI takes away from that. It's a good thing to consider when I encounter the problem again. Thanks for the feedback!
LDJam user 428646
Apr 20th · 13:35 UTC
I think the mechanics are pretty solid here! I'm glad the battery didn't work because I wouldn't have had the money to even buy the battery recharge. I think the game is honestly better off without that kind of system anyways. You wouldn't have any real choice whether or not to buy the recharge, so it would end up being more like a tax than anything. The game needs a bit of polish, but I enjoyed searching for all the treasure.

Also I think the web build is broken for me. I spawned in some kind of limbo. It looks kinda pretty though. I had to download the game instead, which fixed everything.
![hell.png](///raw/66a/86/z/70990.png)
🎤 Pincushion
Apr 20th · 13:46 UTC
@tolviere Thank you for trying the download! The web build worked for me, but it's also a bit janky, but definitely not what you're seeing. Great feedback. I was curious about that question specifically of battery and upgrades (others were incomplete), and I guess the mechanic being broken is still leading to some answers on it. Thanks!
Citlaet
Apr 20th · 17:23 UTC
I like the idea and mechanics are decent. Nice job!
FrowsyFrog
Apr 20th · 17:24 UTC
Very impressive all the art and mechanics created in such a short time! For some reason, when I used the map, I kept finding everything except diamonds or rings. Overall, it was great! Good job!
MaggardJosh
Apr 21st · 22:04 UTC
I enjoyed this entry, solid mechanic and good take on the theme. I'm glad the battery mechanic didn't work because it would have been way too hard and definitely needs some balancing. Also I still had a ring to find but buying maps wasn't giving me new maps anymore so I just had to find it on my own. Overall really good compo entry great work!
PerfectSquare
Apr 21st · 23:33 UTC
Cool idea. I wasted so much money on recharging the battery because I didn't read that you could still dig without it!
Jesús González
Apr 22nd · 00:15 UTC
Loved the map mark being visible in the world itself.
bereg
Apr 23rd · 21:16 UTC
Great idea and solid implementation of the mechanics. It was fun hunting for treasure until I fell through the map. I also like that the battery doesn’t run out. With extra micromanagement, it wouldn’t be as fun to play. If you add more atmosphere, like sea sounds and the detector’s beeping, it’ll be even better!
LDJam user 285197
Apr 24th · 22:04 UTC
The game move's and controls somewhat weird. The movement of the camera is done through moving my mouse, however my mouse keeps going across the screen as is visable? Also the camera rotating locks after a certain point on my end. Though this could just be a glitch with the web build. The character also can move freely while in the air without any like air pull, it doesn't feel as if i'm airborn with jumping and your game doesn't really focus on jumps meaning it may have been better to scrap it entirely to make other features better!

Negitives aside, the mechanics you made with the metal detector and how far I am from something in the ground are really nice. The shop is also a very good addition and the objective UI makes it clear what you would like me to accomplish! I think refilling my battery is a bit expensive and if i'm unlucky can result in soft locks. (perhaps battery packs around the map could solve that)

Either way, it is very impressive that you made a 3D game in just 2 days with cool outline shaders I may add, in godot engine none the less!
LDJam user 424632
Apr 25th · 10:13 UTC
The gameplay is addictive, but it needs some improvement.

There was a bug, and the ring found without a map simply didn't count, even though the required number was found. There are also some balance issues in the economy— if you find several planks and metal shards in a row, suddenly you can't recharge.

![Screenshot 2026-04-25 130330.png](///raw/8ba/76/z/72aaf.png)
LDJam user 303624
Apr 25th · 17:50 UTC
The map was the perfect size for this! Think I found everything there was to find. Pretty enjoyable, and visually appealing! Nice job!
Rolly
Apr 27th · 11:17 UTC
Nice take on the theme! It's unfortunately a bit easy without the battery feature, but it was still nice trying to figure the spots, and seeing the map you created!

Good job!