Ludum Dare #59compo
Salvager
Explore in the deepest depths of the sea in order to find various different kinds of gems and treasures!!! Earn coin, buy upgrades, and find the secrets of the sea all while trying to avoid the various monsters that live down below, or in other words, pufferfish!
Controls:
A/D | Arrows: Horizontal Movement
W | Up Arrow: Break
S | Down Arrow: Sink
The theme for this jam was "signal" and in Salvager you use your trusty metal detector to locate rare gems. Hear the audio, see the waves, that there is a gem waiting to be claimed.
Controls:
A/D | Arrows: Horizontal Movement
W | Up Arrow: Break
S | Down Arrow: Sink
The theme for this jam was "signal" and in Salvager you use your trusty metal detector to locate rare gems. Hear the audio, see the waves, that there is a gem waiting to be claimed.
Comments19
Jack Maxwell20 Apr 2026, 05:11
Music is amazing! Love how it changes with the depth. I found a good strategy of sticking to the side of the wall at first. Graphics look great too and I love the variety of fish.
austinmerrick20 Apr 2026, 05:14
fun game! reminds me a bit of ridiculous fishing.
LDJam user 28519720 Apr 2026, 05:37
@austinmerrick I have never heard of that game lol, but i've already been told by a few people that it is like that. I'll check it out
Domenixius20 Apr 2026, 09:03
Love the audio in this game! You did a great job at conveying the progressing depth!
I do feel like the game is a little too punishing in the beginning. You can rack up so many small fish very quickly and then the run is basically over. I also think it would have been fine if you could gather multiple treasures in a dive as that would speed up progression and I think the game is hard enough that it would not have made it too easy? Maybe at least limit it to a bag that can hold 3 treasures that then can be upgraded?
The overall feeling and art style really hit the mark tho and I love my little dude hanging on his rope and just exploring the depths. I really loved the glowing jellyfish!
I do feel like the game is a little too punishing in the beginning. You can rack up so many small fish very quickly and then the run is basically over. I also think it would have been fine if you could gather multiple treasures in a dive as that would speed up progression and I think the game is hard enough that it would not have made it too easy? Maybe at least limit it to a bag that can hold 3 treasures that then can be upgraded?
The overall feeling and art style really hit the mark tho and I love my little dude hanging on his rope and just exploring the depths. I really loved the glowing jellyfish!
Haln21 Apr 2026, 04:06
Love the vibe of the game! Going deeper really feels like I'm sinking into the depths of the ocean.
I think it's super awesome how the music distorts as you get deeper, but I'm not enjoying the music in the first place so maybe that's not ideal.
The beginning feels pretty frustrating though, it takes more effort than I would like to get things going.
I think it's super awesome how the music distorts as you get deeper, but I'm not enjoying the music in the first place so maybe that's not ideal.
The beginning feels pretty frustrating though, it takes more effort than I would like to get things going.
Roroto Sic21 Apr 2026, 21:18
Nice game ! i encounter the jellyfish area and the deeper was 600m but i didnt find other stone :/
overall good polised game, and i love the audio and the walk animation !
even with my big rope
overall good polised game, and i love the audio and the walk animation !
even with my big rope
zakchaos23 Apr 2026, 04:30
Great addictive gameplay loop!
felt very polished and love how music shifted based on gameplay,
serious battletoads vibes,
it really made me want to try again just one more time to see if I could get farther,
well done!
felt very polished and love how music shifted based on gameplay,
serious battletoads vibes,
it really made me want to try again just one more time to see if I could get farther,
well done!
Floonace23 Apr 2026, 14:26
The graphics when we go underwater are amazing, and the music is truly excellent. However, since we don't really do much with the signals directly, it feels only loosely related to the theme. Also, the fish won't leave the lamp alone, and after a point, it starts feeling like a "fish avoidance simulator."
christina-antoinette-neofotistou24 Apr 2026, 11:34
I'm a sucker for these kind of replayable games, and this one is so well-done! Thank you! It always surprises me how good and polished experiences can come out of this compo
digital bacon24 Apr 2026, 23:32
Interesting take on the theme. Very good use of audio, and damn those fish are annoying! :laughing:
Excellent work -- well done!
Excellent work -- well done!
Paroxysmal25 Apr 2026, 02:12
Love the graphics and how the sound slows down as fish cover the lantern, its a very nice touch. Well done.
William Corrin25 Apr 2026, 10:29
Its really cute. Very replayable, and super polished for the time frame.
The audio all around is great. You added dynamic music I see, which is awesome. I love that the tracks fade in and out as you complete a level and rise back up
The graphics are also really charming, and the game works flawlessly with no bugs (as far as I encountered)
The gameplay is a bit shallow (no pun intended) but the shop helps with that. My only main issue is that I do think that the fish clambering onto the lantern and disrupting motion, although a cool idea in theory, is executed not the best - I found a coin off to the sides with 5 fish on my lantern, and i just sat there holding the right arrow key for literally 30 seconds as my character slowly moved to the right at like 0.001mph lol.
Its an awesome entry overall, great work!
The audio all around is great. You added dynamic music I see, which is awesome. I love that the tracks fade in and out as you complete a level and rise back up
The graphics are also really charming, and the game works flawlessly with no bugs (as far as I encountered)
The gameplay is a bit shallow (no pun intended) but the shop helps with that. My only main issue is that I do think that the fish clambering onto the lantern and disrupting motion, although a cool idea in theory, is executed not the best - I found a coin off to the sides with 5 fish on my lantern, and i just sat there holding the right arrow key for literally 30 seconds as my character slowly moved to the right at like 0.001mph lol.
Its an awesome entry overall, great work!
Jimox25 Apr 2026, 10:43
It’s the kind of game you start casually and end up playing longer than expected.😄
mathemagics25 Apr 2026, 10:49
Great game, even with a little bit of meta-progression. The immersion effect of gradual darkening and music distortion is definitely cool. Thank you for the game!
brawnyfrogmouth25 Apr 2026, 13:58
I enjoyed playing this, I liked how the background music changes depending on depth and health. It feels very polished!
fgreeman25 Apr 2026, 18:26
Great design. I thougt that the game is also about fishing sometimes, and all the fishes that stick to you is ok. but then i realised, that you must skip EVERY fish. Looks like a small gamedesign problem, but for the jam game its very good.
Jed26 Apr 2026, 01:02
Fun game, good job on the music! Took me a minute to realize I wasn't supposed to collect the fish.
VenomousMouse26 Apr 2026, 12:31
Cool idea and nice execution. Also nice music.
I absolutely love the vibin' dude riding the rope down to the bottom of the ocean haha. Music is awesome too. Fun game and great entry!!