Ludum Dare #48compo

Treasurebot - Gem Collector

by jerm

Overall★★★★★★★★★★2.95

Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.87

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★2.55

Theme★★★★★★★★★★2.10

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★2.50

Audio★★★★★★★★★★2.45

Humor★★★★★★★★★★1.75

Mood★★★★★★★★★★2.15

You are Treasurebot. A drone built for the purpose of collecting gems from the mysterious Gem Cave.

Unfortunately, due to a software glitch Treasurebot can only collect gems in a particular order. So be careful not to pick up the wrong one!

Journey deep into Gem Cave and collect as many gems as you can.

Note: the sound effects are probably a bit too loud, oops. You might want to turn your volume down a bit before playing.

Acknowledgements:
* Sound effects created using jfxr: https://jfxr.frozenfractal.com
* howler.js library used for audio: https://github.com/goldfire/howler.js/

Update (2021-4-30): I've made a post-compo version with quieter sound effects and added a new sound effect when you collect a full set of the same colour gems. Link is below.

Comments15

sonicpixelation26 Apr 2021, 05:44

Pro Tip read instructions before playing. This game is delightfully difficult, such a simple concept but so very interesting to deal with. Great game!

Predominant26 Apr 2021, 06:02

Nice and simple game, had to triple read the instructions to understand what was going on. Well done!

PixelPortalz26 Apr 2021, 06:09

I like the controls, they remind me of some old school game. I love that vibe, extra pixelated.
Did you code the levels with noise or did you draw them manually? They don't seem procedurally generated. Interesting!

Jermauthor26 Apr 2021, 09:10

The levels were all drawn by hand. My original plan was to have them procedurally generated, but that turned out to be too difficult, haha. The placement of the gems is random though.

cottontshirtz1 May 2021, 02:36

The difficulty curve inside of a level is quite strange, at first you it's very difficult, but by the end you can't make a mistake if you tried...

TwistedHawk1 May 2021, 02:49

Very old school vibes here!

khaotom1 May 2021, 02:56

Nice a simple idea, executed well. The only problem I ran into was that the game viewport was larger than my browser window, I didn't realize this until I was flying near the right side of the map.

Vasco Freitas2 May 2021, 02:42

I like how you need to have precise timing but also plan your trajectory well. Some acceleration in the movement (just a little) would probably make this more fun to control, instead of the bot instantly gaining a lot of speed. The level is quite big, if it were broken down into levels, with the first ones very simple and then gradually bigger, it would feel more manageable. The graphics are pleasing and you did a good choice of sound effects. Nice job.

Ahmed Hamdi3 May 2021, 02:04

Great game. You really made the game in such a way that it requires precise timing and correct movements. Keep it up! It would be nice if you added some upgrades to Treasurebot which costs gems. Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

candlesan3 May 2021, 02:51

Nice level generation. Was very hard at the beginning of each level. Nice Sounds!

bentglasstube3 May 2021, 16:14

It took me a few tries to understand that I wasn't supposed to collect the treasure in a cycle, but the UI actually did a good job presenting that once I started paying attention. The mechanics and the tight timing make for a fun puzzle-like experience, but I think the gameplay gets a little repetitive quickly. Partially this is due to the levels being rather large. I think having some more engaging controls than just pressing arrows, and some smaller levels would make this more interesting. Maybe have it where you cannot cross over a tile you have already crossed or something to increase the planning that goes into a level.

asfdfdfd8 May 2021, 22:07

Sometimes it may be pretty hard. Ha-ha. Congratulations with good entry!

Liam9 May 2021, 15:06

Interesting game where the level gets easier as you play imo! I enjoyed my time playing :smile: , I feel like some smaller levels to start with would work well to introduce players initially.

shp9 May 2021, 15:39

A nice simple game, the controls feel a bit unresponsive at first before you realize it's on a grid, maybe if the grid was more visible it would be easier to grasp. I think the game would also benefit from having a much smaller number of gems to collect and also having smaller levels to still keep it kinda cramped, it'd be much quicker and less tedious to complete a stage perfectly

Gossian9 May 2021, 15:48

Really interesting concept and really nice way to deliver the game instructions. I just wish that collecting the jems felt a bit more satisfying considering there were so many in each level. Might have been better to start with smaller levels and then expand.

Other games by @jerm

★3.38

★2.60