Wow, this is such a polished and complete game! The gameplay is fun, the assets are used well, and the mechanics are engaging and smooth. It’s a beautiful, immersive experience. I love the management aspect - switching between two resources (rum and treasure), and between the two surfaces to collect them. I’m also glad there is a helpful tutorial that makes it easy to get started. I enjoyed playing it a lot. Well done!
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Down is Up's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Community Favorite | #3 | 4.372 | 4.372 |
| Playability and Fun Factor | #5 | n/a | n/a |
| Innovation and Creativity | #5 | n/a | n/a |
| Technical Execution and Completion | #6 | n/a | n/a |
| Impact and Engagement | #7 | n/a | n/a |
| Theme Integration | #8 | n/a | n/a |
Ranked from 43 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
Met the theme very well, the second I focused on treasure I started to run down on rum and vice versa, always giving that feeling of swapping between 2 things
I know technically you can't reverse in a ship but it's annoying not being able to do so haha
Really charming game, great concept, satisfying visuals, I would've played longer to get all the upgrades! Reminds me of flash games I played in high school
Bug - After I died nothing happens, maybe I died during something happening - like collecting rum/treasure? I can't remember
Wow, very beautiful game. Plays very well and the mechanics are so smooth. Need some consequences apart from time.But very fun and engaing to play.
Just amazing! The gameplay is really fun and addicting. I think if you had something to fight, it would be twice as fun. I could really see this game as a multiplayer PvP game.
Great work! keep going:D
Everything presented here is really amazing. From the assets, to the mechanics, concept, sounds, gameplay and effects. Easy to see that a lot of effort was put in to tie it all together.
I like the addition of the small details likes birds, bubbles, fish, etc.. in the surroundings, really completes the game.
The ship flip is so cool, the hook mechanic is really satisfying and the "rare" rum/chests was also a nice touch.
Also really like the fact that a tutorial was added and everything was explained clearly and concisely.
Solid 5/5
Good job to everyone!
Very polished game!
Turning the ship upside down for the first time was amazing hahaha
Very good job!
This game is Beautiful! I really enjoyed the ability to flip the ship and seeing all the small fishes and the God Ray effects under water!
What I really really enjoyed was how the player determines how sweaty they want to play! Halfway through I decided to spend all my money and was stressing for a bit haha! Great Game Design!
I can see this evolving into a lot of things! Enemy ships! Cannons! Ports to trade for special items or hire special henchman! The polish on the final game is insane! Overall amazing job!
Enemy ships would be so cool! It was one of my initial thoughts during brainstorm but making good enemy AI is quite time consuming, something to think about after the jam for sure! And the fishes were my girlfriends idea, I think they really add a lot to the atmosphere! The god ray effect is actually just a particle system that is connected to the player and always rotates towards the sun. Thanks for playing!
Wow that was so much fun! And, genuinely well polished and even with a leaderboard and tutorial! I'm impressed. My first thought was how it fits in with the theme of the jam, but that's not really a big deal. Excellent game, would love to see it fleshed out more. The ship flipping mechanic is unique and satisfying.
Now that's what I call a game jam game!
I really enjoyed the experience; it was super smooth and easy to pick up and play, with minimal explanation required. My one feedback is probably a time constraint thing, I would love a day-night cycle to represent the day end and the crew needing to be paid, it's a handy little reminder to look in the bottom left.
But all in all excellent experience. I loved how the ship flipped; it never got old!
Super fun! Love the graphics and sounds, and the "hook" is clever and well executed. It's fun to imagine all the different kinds of challenges you could add to the core loop. Quite polished, and it's quite impressive to see this running in a browser, too!
Some vague ideas:
- obstacles that the player has to switch layers to avoid
- time-limited pickups that offer better rewards
- powerups that give temporary bonuses
Or, more gamified:
- An excursion loop where you go out to collect, then return to dock where you spend. In addition to crew, you might upgrade your ship, buy new tools, or unlock new areas
If this becomes a real game, let me know. The first time I failed, I realized I actually had to think to beat it. The second time I tried it, I got confused why the ship wasn't moving anymore when I reached 1000 coins - I was so focused on collecting gold for my next upgrade! Super fun game, good job!
This was a really cool game mechanic to search for treasure both above and below sea. And the thought to have time function differently based on how much booze you have on the ship is brilliant for a pirate game. I really enjoyed this. It felt well paced. The music and sound were on point, and the art and shaders were well done. I just wish there were more levels, but that's to be expected in a game jam so that's not so much of a complaint as a compliment. I'd definitely play more of this if you continue to work on it. 5 Stars!
A simple idea that's executed really well, which I can't help but be impressed. The SFX, music and art really give life to your journey, a great body for a game that has lots of room for growth. For example, I personally would request a mechanic to force these greedy, gluttonous and lazy crewmates to walk the plank!
I had fun playing it! Unfortunately, when I reached 998 coins, I couldn’t collect any more or finish the game. I like the design though. The controls feel smooth. The idea that above water and underwater provide different supplies adds a lot of fun to it.
Well done, but feels like it's never worth to hire crew members due to absurd wages they demand. The optimal strategy is not to hire anyone but then it takes like 20 minutes to beat.





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