Thanks for submitting Benthic Grab! This was a fun entry, and we really enjoyed our time with it.
The game had a clear loop and a clear goal, and it delivered on both. Lowering the hook into the depths, fighting to bring your salvage back up in one piece, and working toward rebuilding the rocket gave every dive a sense of purpose. It’s a great use of the salvage theme, and the idea fits it perfectly.
The main thing holding it back is that the gameplay becomes a little too repetitive as it stands, which makes it hard to find a reason for another playthrough once you’ve finished. If you continue working on it, we’d recommend building out what you already have rather than adding something completely new. The idea has great bones, and there’s a lot of room to push the existing systems further. A few ideas:
Make each depth zone play differently. The shallows, wrecks, flooded factories, ruins, and the trench could each come with their own rules. Strong currents that push the hook in one zone, tight corridors that punish swinging in another, and total darkness in the trench where sonar becomes your main tool would make each dive feel distinct.
Give salvage more personality. You already have great items like live bombs and fragile relics. Expanding on that with items that behave differently on the way up, like loot that shifts its weight, objects that float and pull against the cable, or treasure that’s stuck and needs to be worked free, would make every lift its own little puzzle.
Upgrades with trade-offs. Instead of upgrades simply making you stronger, some could come with choices. A faster motor that overheats sooner, or a stronger claw that’s heavier to lift, would make your build feel like a real decision.
Randomized dives and contracts. Shuffling where salvage spawns, adding rare finds that only show up occasionally, and giving radio side jobs special conditions, like a time limit or “no damage allowed,” would add a lot of replay value.
Reasons to keep playing after the rocket. A harder mode, an endless trench dive, or a new planet with different conditions would give players a reason to jump back in once the main goal is done.
We really like this game, and we’d love to see where you take it next. Great work, and thanks for being part of the jam!
We wish you didn't support the other jam due to the creators choices we loved this game and if we missed something or a feature that we suggested that we somehow missed please let us know!