I reached up to the ship which had 42 HP and a whole set of double cannons. Got destroyed :D
Overall the game was very unique and had a nice, fun progression.
The art was nice and the sound-effects were suitable, the upgrades and progression was really satisfying, like other progression-based games such as pip factory. Beating enemy ships is also tactical - here are two examples I found of this:
- when I end up low on health, I move my better crewmates to the back of the ship, but when the enemy can be realistically defeated I move my better crewmates to the front of the ship.
- If I found my current battle successful, I often take my chances and battle again for that double gold.
Both of these provide for an immensely enjoyable experience and make the player feel smart, even when they aren't , by providing decisions that can be justified both ways.
The progression was pretty gentle early on but went on to become very difficult in the late-game, with that 42HP ship. It was very hard to beat!
The fact that you get back less from selling an item you previously had makes sense, but it can be annoying sometimes, and I think it would have just been better to get back the same amount you payed for - I think it would make customizing your ship more fun!
Like other people have already said, it was a pretty rough start and it was a bit confusing in the beginning. You could fix this now by adding a tutorial in your itch.io description, it will help your ratings significantly!
Overall amazing game - very unique and well executed! GMTK would have a lot to talk about on your game if you make it to the top 100! :D