Glow below by robin_schmitz

[raw]
made by robin_schmitz for Ludum Dare 58 (JAM)

Beneath the stars, the ocean reveals its hidden riches.But hurry — only tonight the treasures call to you.

How to Play

Paddle: A / D

Inspect Items: 1–8

Discard Item: X

Goal: Gather as much value as you can before the night fades.

Tip: Collect sets to increase their total value. Some items grant you special buffs or advantages — choose wisely.

Impressions

screen.png

Spoiler: Map

For those who prefer a more planned approach, here’s a map of all available items.

Let us know whether you enjoy playing with or without a map!

GlowBelowMap.jpg

Ratings

Overall 134th 3.897⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Fun 250th 3.575⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Innovation 141th 3.7⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Theme 113th 4.15⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Graphics 112th 4.325⭐ 42🧑‍⚖️
Humor 455th 2.829⭐ 37🧑‍⚖️
Mood 66th 4.218⭐ 41🧑‍⚖️
Given 30🗳️ 58🗨️

Feedback

nextnoon
Oct 06th · 22:51 UTC
Very nice job! Controls were challenging without being frustrating and the music is great.
Porcupine Sashimi
Oct 07th · 12:27 UTC
Great stuff - the controls are interesting, the visuals are very clean and the sound design is great! Love the overall style, though the gameplay was a bit conflicting - not sure if I was supposed to relax (game felt very relaxing) or pressured. Perhaps it would have been better as an un-timed, adventure style game where you can actually use some of the items you find.
GoogleFrog
Oct 07th · 12:35 UTC
I liked the process of mastering the controls, and the challenges spread around the place.
FrozenDude
Oct 07th · 12:36 UTC
I really enjoyed the game. The controlls are really fun to learn and it pleases me that long paddle strokes are so much more effective than short ones.
Wuppos
Oct 07th · 18:18 UTC
I enjoyed this a lot! Much more than I would have thought from the premise of the game. In the end, you are just going around a map collecting things. But the relaxing vibe, with the art and music, really helped make it more interesting. And, more importantly, the control scheme was super interesting! It was a bit tricky to get the hang of, but I had a lot of fun learning and just rowing around really enjoyable. The obstacles, such as the whirlpools and winds, where also fun to deal with. Really well done with this submission! :D
einfach
Oct 08th · 03:57 UTC
the art style is soooo great and super dope, enjoyed it a lot
LDJam user 410492
Oct 08th · 04:02 UTC
The paddling is great, and I love the unique visual style!
Arnazian
Oct 08th · 04:06 UTC
Idk what this art style is called, is it just minimilistic? Anyway it's amazing, and movement in game was super smooth. Fantastic submission!
starduster
Oct 08th · 04:13 UTC
Great game. Controls were weird but unique. I really enjoyed the item descriptions. I wish there was a way to slow down other than coast though. Stick the oars in the water and brake that way.
dr-braur
Oct 08th · 19:09 UTC
$8250 :) I enjoyed it! It is pretty simple, but the unique movment scheme makes it interesting. Plus the overall esthetics are one of the best I have seen so far. Music and sound design do the job too. I think that with some polishing (the boat behaves a little bit unpredictable at times) and more things like existing currents, vorticies , that could be a really engaging game. Cheers!
RedPhoenix2412
Oct 08th · 19:58 UTC
The graphics are so pretty! Very well done! Combined with the music you created a cool and mysterious atmosphere.
Ranarh
Oct 08th · 19:59 UTC
This is an interesting movement. Maddening too ;) but it's nice to leanr to get the hang of it. This would at the very least be a cool minigame.
Grummelchen
Oct 08th · 19:59 UTC
Great visuals and music. I like the concept. The controls felt somewhat over responsive and inverted to what I would expect from real live rowing.
lindote
Oct 08th · 20:01 UTC
Wow! such a great experiece.
I liked the mechanic to control the paddles. Simple, but well designed. Music was misterious and suitable for the game environment. Well done. =)
DiscJokk
Oct 08th · 20:01 UTC
Cool art style, fun game mechanics, easy controls to learn, but DAMN it's hard to master! Smooth as butter - I like it!
LDJam user 260720
Oct 08th · 20:01 UTC
very smooth gameplay and I really liked the atmosphere, nice job!!
adjo
Oct 08th · 20:02 UTC
i really liked the controls, and had a really nice mood to it.
Seven Z
Oct 08th · 20:02 UTC
Really enjoy the atmosphere, and the player control is quite innovative. Sadly I only got 4 items in the first round:(
Anyway, good job!
Vulpe
Oct 08th · 20:02 UTC
What a fun game! I made $5170. The controls were a pain but made sense for the game, it looks amazing and the audio was spot on.
lespaul59
Oct 08th · 20:05 UTC
cool vibe. i love the clean graphics and the overall setting. the music is also very good. great entry :)
someone
Oct 08th · 20:22 UTC
That was a nice chill experience. It was fun exploring the map.
The control method was interesting, but worked well once you get the hang of it.
Great job.
moi93101
Oct 08th · 20:22 UTC
I loved the chill aquatic music, it's really relaxing !
I think it would be nice to have full mouse control (left click and wrigth click to paddle ?) that way all you have to do is recline your seat and chill on the game !
andruid
Oct 08th · 20:29 UTC
Such a chilling experience! I like the paddings mechanics. It gets a little practice to get used to, especially when you turn down but it's different and interesting. The music is soft and contributes to the mood. The graphics are simple but polished. Congratulations on your submission!
knosvoxel
Oct 09th · 13:45 UTC
Nice concept! The controls are a bit of a challenge to get used to but feel nice once you figure them out. The art style and music fit nicely :)
tangling
Oct 09th · 14:56 UTC
Like the atmosphere in the endless sea ! beautiful game
Gilgadev
Oct 10th · 16:24 UTC
Nice Game! Very chill and easy on the eyes. I loved the graphics and music. The controls are interesting and fit nicely with the boat theme.
Great job!
Planetary
Oct 11th · 20:20 UTC
To be honest, I love the simplistic art. The boat was a little bit difficult to control it, but the interaction of the sea currents was pretty realistic (didn't expect to have them). Overall, nice game!
zidan-banan
Oct 12th · 19:18 UTC
This looks really nice!

The controls are weird, but fun, and I think that's on purpose.

I found the gameplay a bit boring. I never figured out whether the items affected any stats. Perhaps the effect could have been more noticeable.

The sound and art are great! And thanks for the beautiful devlog (I came to play it because I saw it in my LD feed).

![2025-10-12_22-12-30.png](///raw/cc3/66/z/6f540.png)
sslees
Oct 12th · 19:27 UTC
My favorite part is the unique controls. I love that it really felt like paddling. I would second what others are saying and request a free-play mode where you can collect without a time limit. I love that the whirlpools push you away from them. And I like the lighting and coloring. Nice game!
Kupnu4
Oct 14th · 22:23 UTC
the paddling is very satisfying, I really like the way it's implemented. And the artstyle is really clean, love it. This game is great. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be challenging, but I found myself very relaxed while playing it. Great job, thank you!
SSAR-5190
Oct 19th · 07:55 UTC
Impressive!I love this artstyle.Clean and quiet.