The Great Collector is a puzzle-action game where you play as a great collector octopus to catch falling shinny collectibles and organize them in a grid inventory. Match collections to score points, earn money, and purchase upgrades to progress through increasingly challenging levels.
Objective
- Catch collectibles with your hook - Place them in your inventory grid to form collections - Match 2 or more adjacent items of the same color to score points - Earn enough money before the timer runs out to advance to the next level
Game Flow
- Catch Phase: Use the hook to catch falling collectibles - Scoring Phase: The game scores your matched patterns - Shop Phase: Spend earned money on upgrades - Repeat: Start the next level
Controls
Movement
- Up/Down or w/s: Move arm vertically - left/right or a/d: Switch arm between left and right sides - Space: Shoot hook
Placement
- Arrow Keys: Move collectible in grid during placement mode - space: Confirm placement
Shop
- Down or s: Continue to next phase (during scoring/shop) - Up: Refresh the shop
Tools used
- Godot - Aseprite - larbchirp - Ableton Live - Font is fibberish by Caffinate
Big fan of octopi! Love the music and graphics. I think it would be cool if it was possible to arrange the items with a different set of keys so you can do it simultaneously.
Wow a very interesting game! Never thought a gold-miner style game could be combined with inventory management! The music and graphics are also awesome. Though for me the catching part is a bit unpredictable at first so I think it would be better if some sort of hint is given in the first few levels.
I really like the combination of fishing and asteroid shooting. Clever trajectory on the hook. The cover art is very nice and the soundtrack was bumpin! Reminded me a lot of Balatro. Didn't get sick of it through a couple plays which speaks volumes for tracks made quickly. Not much reason to shoot the hook in the top half of the screen as it takes so long you miss much more than if you just stay low. Plus you can see what's coming better to position your combos. Very satisfying mechanic and put together well!
Nice work! Played a few rounds and was entertained for the whole time. Well balanced all in all, gameplay was not too hard nor was it too simple. Kudos!
Actually very cool gameplay! It took me a bit of time to get used to falling hook mechanic (I thought I can control the angle, but no) Pretty good job!
Nice game, it's really fun, and hard. I'm probably very bad at it, I always end up grabbing an asteroid by mistake. I didn't understand I could change sides on my first run, kind of did by mistake by pressing my right key.
It feels really polished, graphics are great, sound is great, music is great, what can I say! Congrats!
Woah! What an awesome (and shockingly complete!) compo game! Absolutely riveting - loved everything: the tight gameloop (excellent twist on the formula), great art, super sweet music - fantastic work!
The game feels polished and complete, with classic visuals and a fitting space-themed soundtrack. Collecting gems in space perfectly matches the “collector” theme, and the hook-throwing mechanic has a unique feel. I also liked how you combined gem and rock collection with the inventory management—it adds a nice layer of strategy without being overwhelming. Well done!
Excellent game, a proper roguelike! One of the few games in this jam where the collection mechanic is fully realized: what you collect and where matters. PS. Great opening screen!
Very cool idea, super unique way to set up and play a match 6 game. I found it to be interesting and challenging and I loved all the upgrade options. nice work!
I really like the combination of fishing and asteroid shooting. Clever trajectory on the hook. The cover art is very nice and the soundtrack was bumpin! Reminded me a lot of Balatro. Didn’t get sick of it through a couple plays which speaks volumes for tracks made quickly. Not much reason to shoot the hook in the top half of the screen as it takes so long you miss much more than if you just stay low. Plus you can see what’s coming better to position your combos. Very satisfying mechanic and put together well!
B
blobo24 Oct 2025, 19:21
Wow, did semechk just copy/paste the comment from artificer? That's awful. Let me give you a real comment.
I'm a bit of a sucker for the genre of games where you get a shop and upgrades and all that. Even if I was absolutely terrible at aiming the darn tether to pick things up, heh. The way the stones remain makes you regret every little mistake, which is perfect for a game like this. By the way, I lost my first run because I was trying to pause and adjust the volume, but esc immediately returned to the the title. whoops!
Something that surprised me was just how good the title screen art was compared to the art in-game. I understand how running out of time can lead to assets being rushed, especially in the compo, but I just find it a strange choice to make the title screen as gorgeous as it is, and leave the 6 or 7 graphical assets in the game drawn with an entirely different (less impressive) art style. Imagine if the gems you collected were drawn the same way the gem in the title screen looks, or if the character you play as was drawn that way too?
The music is super catchy, and I love the synths being used. I can't quite tell if this game takes place under water, or in space, and the music somehow fits either aesthetic, ha! I think the loop could be a bit more seamless though. One trick I usually do to make my music loop perfectly is to copy/paste the final measures at the end of the track to the beginning as well, then cut out that part at the beginning with some audio editing software. That way, all the instruments with reverb have already been playing at the moment the loop begins, making the loop seamless.
By the way, Compo games are required to provide the source code. Please do so, or switch to the jam.
I really love the concept, and I definitely see the vision. One caveat is certain mechanics feel frustratingly unfair, like paying to move to the next level, with no benefit to you.
I've had several good runs cut short by one bad day, where after that day I was unable to make enough money to buy upgrades, barely scraping by for a few more days while the "tax man" takes all my profits.
Very fun core loop, and I think the concept has a lot of potential
Comments23
It feels really polished, graphics are great, sound is great, music is great, what can I say! Congrats!
One of the few games in this jam where the collection mechanic is fully realized: what you collect and where matters.
PS. Great opening screen!
You should totally publish this somewhere (or at the very least enable donations on the download page)
Five stars all the way!
I'm a bit of a sucker for the genre of games where you get a shop and upgrades and all that. Even if I was absolutely terrible at aiming the darn tether to pick things up, heh. The way the stones remain makes you regret every little mistake, which is perfect for a game like this. By the way, I lost my first run because I was trying to pause and adjust the volume, but esc immediately returned to the the title. whoops!
Something that surprised me was just how good the title screen art was compared to the art in-game. I understand how running out of time can lead to assets being rushed, especially in the compo, but I just find it a strange choice to make the title screen as gorgeous as it is, and leave the 6 or 7 graphical assets in the game drawn with an entirely different (less impressive) art style. Imagine if the gems you collected were drawn the same way the gem in the title screen looks, or if the character you play as was drawn that way too?
The music is super catchy, and I love the synths being used. I can't quite tell if this game takes place under water, or in space, and the music somehow fits either aesthetic, ha! I think the loop could be a bit more seamless though. One trick I usually do to make my music loop perfectly is to copy/paste the final measures at the end of the track to the beginning as well, then cut out that part at the beginning with some audio editing software. That way, all the instruments with reverb have already been playing at the moment the loop begins, making the loop seamless.
By the way, Compo games are required to provide the source code. Please do so, or switch to the jam.
Anyway, this was a lot of fun. cool game!
I've had several good runs cut short by one bad day, where after that day I was unable to make enough money to buy upgrades, barely scraping by for a few more days while the "tax man" takes all my profits.
Very fun core loop, and I think the concept has a lot of potential