Pearls of Wisdom by JHax

[raw]
made by JHax for Ludum Dare 48 (JAM)

Explore the ocean depths on the hunt for treasure and inspiration!

Dive to the ocean floor, searching for clams that contain the answers to the mysteries of life, the universe, and angling.

Features:

  • A whole sea to scour for hidden tresasure!

  • 10 pearls to hunt down, containing words of wisdom that will challenge your very worldview*!

  • Unlockable upgrades to allow you to search even deeper and bypass locked doors!

  • Fish! (Not fishing, just fish. I realise the angling comment above might have set some false expectations.)

worldview challenging, or wisdom, or even sense, not guaranteed

PoWscreen4.PNG

Ratings

Overall 878th 3.534⭐ 31🧑‍⚖️
Fun 989th 3.296⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 939th 3.185⭐ 29🧑‍⚖️
Theme 729th 3.786⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 1197th 3.411⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Audio 812th 3.321⭐ 30🧑‍⚖️
Humor 925th 2.654⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Mood 797th 3.577⭐ 28🧑‍⚖️
Given 30🗳️ 26🗨️

Feedback

SlingShot
27. Apr 2021 · 09:35 UTC
Lovely game. Took a bit of getting used to the diving physics but after that I was hunting treasures like a pro :)
🎤 JHax
27. Apr 2021 · 09:38 UTC
Thanks @slingshot! I think the physics suffered a bit from us getting used to it gradually while developing so we maybe had a bit of skewed idea of how tough it was coming at it fresh.

Glad you enjoyed it!
chesschaser
27. Apr 2021 · 09:38 UTC
good game!
Adil
27. Apr 2021 · 09:39 UTC
Hey man! I like the idea and graphics - they are really cool!
Also, it's pretty hard to control and i always being drawned.
Overall, I like it, keep on!
Adil
27. Apr 2021 · 09:39 UTC
Hey man! I like the idea and graphics - they are really cool!
Also, it's pretty hard to control and i always being drawned.
Overall, I like it, keep on!
LDJam user 249705
27. Apr 2021 · 09:39 UTC
Love the concept and the title of the game!
lemonsaurus
27. Apr 2021 · 09:40 UTC
This is a wonderful little game. The music is so good, and really evocative of the theme. The graphics are a bit simple, but it doesn't really get in the way of how much I enjoy playing it. Just an absolutely tremendous entry, I adore it.
Zomk
27. Apr 2021 · 09:41 UTC
Nice game :D
But I think that the controls are a bit slow and unaccurate. Nevertheless it's a good game^^
Too_Lazy_Cat
27. Apr 2021 · 09:47 UTC
I can see it on steam with a bit more content. Good one!
carolinewang
27. Apr 2021 · 09:48 UTC
this is a cute game and i like the simple graphics! i do agree that it's a bit hard to control but you did well with the concept, it's an enjoyable play.
Doot
27. Apr 2021 · 09:54 UTC
Great small game!

I like the art style, the map menu looks great, the music is very calming and a lot of things are very intuitive!

I noticed a few thing:
- air bubbles don't give you back enough oxygen for them to feel worth it.
- air bubbles sprite go over the oxygen UI.

Great job and thanks for the game 💕
Steve Dragon
27. Apr 2021 · 09:55 UTC
That was pretty cool! I think the whole diving in the deep sea feel really works. It's got some really solid integration between different gameplay goals. In the short term, it was about keeping the diver alive. In the long term, it was about treasure and following maps. In the longest terms, it was about exploring everything in the ocean. The whole system really works.

I think the graphics could have used a boost to better fit the style and power of the gameplay, though the direction it's going in is great. The controls took a few tries to get the hang of, so maybe a more engaged tutorial might help. Though, once I got the feel for it, the drag and momentum made it feel akin to controlling a real diver who can push against the water but needs to be careful too.

The audio could also use a boost, to be honest, to better convey the tone you're going for. As is, the tone seems a bit lost.

Overall, an interesting game!
AlexLyth
27. Apr 2021 · 10:00 UTC
I really like the mood of the game and the overall idea.
It is quite hard to control the player, which made the game a less enjoyable.
I found it also a big confusing needing the arrow keys, space, other keys and the mouse. I think it would have been better if I didn't need the mouse and would be able to use the same keys when diving and in selecting the map
Rendow
27. Apr 2021 · 10:08 UTC
Love how you implemented the overworld! The movement feel a bit clunky but you get kinda used to it. The visuals work and the music is very relaxing, great job with the game!
ZazaB
27. Apr 2021 · 10:22 UTC
Nice game ! The graphics and the sounds set up the mood quite well
Was quite hard to find the last key since all the maps where pointing to the location of the last pearl, but not of the last key. Didn't get any ending either ?
Shin0nome
27. Apr 2021 · 12:05 UTC
Realy fun game, I played for 15min and the fact that the player gain "power" is fun and interesting ! Great stuff
Jorenkv
28. Apr 2021 · 11:42 UTC
Very cute game! Maybe the level could continue for a few seconds after you run out of oxygen (for example with the character starting to sink to the bottom) so it's a bit more visual what happens? Right now jumping to the map screen and getting a message felt a bit jarring to me.
🎤 JHax
28. Apr 2021 · 11:47 UTC
@jorenkv that's a fair point, I think I would have liked to put in a bit more of a transition between the map screen and the dives whether you've run out of oxygen or made it back to the ship. As it stands even just getting the message in ended up being a pretty last minute addition!
Jupiter_Hadley
28. Apr 2021 · 14:24 UTC
Fun little game! I included it in my compilation video series of a bunch of LDJAM games!
https://youtu.be/bDsxxURqUQM
mhorth
28. Apr 2021 · 23:14 UTC
I didn't realize that the map areas were going to have progression, I thought it was just going to be pick one at random and go exploring. I did not have the tools ready for the first spot I chose lol. Once I went back to A1 and worked through them in order, it was nice and calming with the great sound effects and music.
SilkyPantsDan
01. May 2021 · 13:42 UTC
Loved the atmosphere, and great mechanics too. Definitley adding this to come back and play more of later (gotta get all them pearls!)
Solah
01. May 2021 · 13:59 UTC
Great atmosphere! The graphics and sound design make your game pretty immersive!
I would have liked to find some more challenges or things to pick to add variations to your gameplay loop, but hey, it's a jam game and it is cool like that, well done!
LDJam user 239493
01. May 2021 · 19:39 UTC
Fun to play, and I liked the little pearls of wisdom. It felt good to upgrade my oxygen tank, but after a couple upgrades it felt unnecessary because I could always comfortably get all the treasure with about half a tank left over.
zimny11
03. May 2021 · 11:55 UTC
Ah yes, fish indeed! Nice game, it was fun to play! I just wish there were some obstacles to avoid, like sharks or underwater labyrinths that you could traverse to get treasures.

![Bez tytułu.png](///raw/ad6/b2/z/42151.png)
LeReveur
03. May 2021 · 20:33 UTC
I finished all the map too. This was so cute, poetic, full of adorable details, with a calm and pleasant mood! Nice artworks, nice mood, and nice game, well done!