@empty-set Thank you so much for the detailed comments! I hadn't realized the indefinite "swim" mechanic, I'll have to think about a way to solve that (or utilize it more intentionally, even!). I definitely had plans for doing more with the fact that treasure has weight too (and can be dropped, like the weights). In a longer version, I think there could be narrative implications of the fact that the treasure weighs less than the weights. Putting the player in a situation where they have to reluctantly leave treasure behind so they can continue, etc. The rest of these comments apply to you too :)
@felixmreeve I had thought about including an explicit buoyancy value in the UI but ultimately decided against it. I think that was the wrong choice for the game this ended up being. Originally I had ambitions of psychedelic horror, creepy-game stuff, but obviously that would require sound and a lot more. The puzzle game it ended up being definitely would benefit from more explicit feedback!
**LAST LEVEL SPOILER/SOLUTION WARNING FROM HERE DOWN**
The "intended" solution for the last level is to get the 4 treasures in the top left, drop weights to equilibrium to get the top right one, get the bottom right ones with the weight from that treasure, and drop weight to go back up. I think it requires you to have left weights strategically positioned to grab after that ascent, so you can go back to the start.
That's a REALLY steep jump in difficulty, depending on a couple new tricks that the player probably hasn't figured out yet. At the end of the compo, I was trying to prove that the mechanics allowed for a complex enough puzzle to justify expanding on the game afterwards, but I think I went a liiiiittle too far! :)
I definitely should have included a level that teaches you that you can reach equilibrium, at least. But I had already just taught you about ladders in the 2nd to last level, so I didn't want two "tutorial levels" in a row. Consequence of running out of time and not having enough puzzles!
Once again, thank you so much everyone for your thoughtful comments!