Shrimpwrecked! by Mathstr0fficial
Play as a shrimp scavenging through shipwrecks to loot the precious treasure inside! Just make sure not to attract the attention of the equally greedy octopus...




NOTE:* Some levels will be impossible due to the nature of the random generation. However, some levels that appear impossible might not be. The jellyfish have a smaller hitbox than you think, and often it is possible to squeeze under their tentacles to access alternate paths.
| Link | https://benjaminfalkenberg.com/shrimpwrecked |
| Link | https://benjaminfalkenberg.com/shrimpwrecked/source.zip |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/shrimpwrecked |
Ratings
| Overall | 147th | 3.652⭐ | 25🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 183th | 3.478⭐ | 25🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 222th | 3.273⭐ | 24🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 254th | 3.348⭐ | 25🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 142th | 3.674⭐ | 25🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 154th | 3.326⭐ | 25🧑⚖️ |
| Humor | 90th | 3.25⭐ | 22🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 185th | 3.31⭐ | 23🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 5🗳️ | 7🗨️ |
The only problem I had is that on some treasure hunt, i directly spawn on top of enemies, so I can't really avoid them in time.
Let's start with some more critical feedback before gushing about everything I loved.
* The randomly generated rooms can be unfair, and sometimes near-impossible. I know that's the nature of random generation (and a tight deadline) though I would consider taking a look at how spelunky generates levels. A clear path is defined first before placing the elements that construct the level. This could guarantee that every generated room is winnable even though you can still make incredibly difficult sections. Additionally, you can currently start the minigame with about a second of reaction time before hitting a hazard directly under the spawn. I'd suggest adding a "tetris-piece-like-delay" where you can move around at the top for a bit before you start descending.
* Despite the random generation, it feels the same every time. Every event is the same "minigame" where you move to the bottom of the screen. It would be really nice to have one or two more "minigame types" to earn the treasures. That being said, I understand the tight deadlines. Even some small changes like swapping the graphics for the hazards could add some variety.
* I never found the upgrades all that interesting, though I really like the idea of having your extra treasures as a form of currency. Part of what makes the upgrades feel awkward is their lack of a purpose. Carrying more maximum treasures doesn't feel required when the "maximum" treasures is a soft cap, where going over just slows you down outside of the minigames. Moving fast isn't really needed, so why upgrade the maximum inventory space? Spawning more small fish is useful, but that mechanic as a whole feels completely against the purpose of the minigames. if I fail everything, I could just wait and wait for fish to appear as a secondary means to winning the stage (and waiting as a form of gameplay isn't great). Right now all the upgrades feel like the solution to a manufactured problem, rather than a cool bonus. I don't know the what the best use for the currency in this game would be, but I like the way you earn it.
And now, let's talk about the good stuff.
* The minigame is fun when the generated room is do-able. It's even fun for ones that I failed when I thought I could do it. And of course it's satisfying to win the minigame when you know the price of failure is simply not getting a second chance. Winning a difficulty 3 feels great (even more-so because I know the odds are against me, and I've had poorly generated rooms in the past).
* the background art is lovely. I really enjoyed the bubble particles and all the details you added to the various ship decorations. The characters are all cute!
* The sound effect when "eating" one of the smaller fish is perfect and I love it.
* You did a good job explaining how the game works in the introductory cutscene (and it's nice that you can skip the cutscene too!)
* The difficulty curve is well made, but as a suggestion, consider making the first encountered minigame a "tutorial" one. hard-code the hazard placements for it, and let players try again until they get it (but let them know that the ones in the future won't be so easy)
* Have I mentioned just how much I love the name Shrimpwrecked? Bravo.
Overall I had a lot of fun, and I think with a few adjustments this could be an even better experience. Great work!
I enjoyed the game, but the puzzles seemed a bit unfair sometimes as I'd have no time to react before dying.
Other than that was peaceful and enjoyable.
The game seemed interesting though, I may give it another try and find out what I did wrong.
EDIT: Didnt read the tutorial properly. I probably couldnt buy anthing bc i didnt have spare treasure. bit confusing ngl. Also in my opinion you shouldnt be over encumbered at 20/20 but at 21/20.
But overall it's a nice game !
Keep up the good work :smile:
With how the minigames are generated, I did find it a shame that it wasn't endless, I expected this to go on until I wouldn't have enough score to move to the next level.
Some minigames felt a bit unbalanced, either they were too easy or impossible to beat. I'd recommend making a path like @100th-coin said, or handmake multiple parts of the levels (might even be easier than generating everything with these kinda minigames) and spawning those parts in.
The octopus also felt very RNG but that is okay for a jam game :)
Good entry!