Games of Game Jam '12

Games are made, games are played.  I’ve done both from the Global Game Jam 2 weeks ago.  8 games were made that weekend at Dakota State U: Perpetuam Memoriam, Blob the Builder, Cooking Snakes RPG, Madness, Guardian Legend, Reset, Run, Atom, Run, and ShapeScape.  All of these titles had some intense presentations, and I’ll give you the run-down of how I managed their 10 minute play-throughs, short and sweet!

Perpetuam Memoriam – Please read the post, or play it for yourself.

Blob the Builder – I liked the concept behind this game; the player is a green blob that uses bits of itself to build tools to reach the end of the levels.  Ladders, blocks, and the player size all play a part in managing tight spaces and high platforms.  It was a pleasant time, as Blob the Builder shows some great promise!

• + No file to download; unique mechanic of the body as a resource; nonsensical but funny ending.
• - Wish music stayed throughout the game; abrupt deaths.

Cooking Snakes RPG – This game was made with the only purpose of having fun during its development.  This mentality shows through in the gameplay of this iron-chef-turned-farce involving anything and everything as ingredients.  It didn’t take long to love the ingredient combination, leading to experimenting to find the ‘perfect’ recipe.  Colorful and fun, give this one a try.

• + Lots of varied, creative, and colorful ingredients; amazing sound.
• - Lots of Japanese text; instructions fly-by too quickly.

Madness – The creators have been playing a lot of Dark Souls; this is apparent in the frustrating surprises that await anyone brave enough to best the game.  Choosing from a set of iconic game characters, delve into one-of-a-kind levels filled with troll-tastic gameplay that is ever so satisfying to figure out.  Expect some anger when jumping to the end of the levels, but this game is a great puzzle that takes no prisoners.

• + Unique characters with levels for each one; trial-and-error learning; nice application of music.
• - Super huge executable file; couldn’t click on certain aspects of levels that required specific interaction.

Guardian Legend – A small team made a decent game out of this one.  Though the menus are awfully text-heavy, the control is solid.  As I progressed, however, I broke the game by shoving blocks into a wall, and ending my play.  That was a pain, but I at least saw the ending during the team’s presentation.   I was forced to quit the game’s application, however, when I couldn’t escape the game after death.

• + Good music; fulfilling block puzzles; thorough narrative.
• - Text heavy; broken collisions; had to force-quit the application at death.

Reset – Um, good game?  This title plays with how the player conceives of the world.  It’s… I don’t know.  Give it a play.  The game has a boss, puzzles, platforming, and a questioning narrative that isn’t readily comprehended.

• + Cool narrative; handy direction suggestions; progressive ability allocation; solid sound design.
• - No health bar; can easily get stuck in platforms; not necessarily clear on how to pass obstacles.

Run, Atom, Run – Best overall and visual game of the Madison Jam!  It was just silly fun running from the world-ending enemy that eats the screen, forcing ‘Atom’ to run, run, run through hills, trees, ravines, and fire.  With save points to keep the frustration level down, the running and jumping in the splendid art style keeps things entertaining to the end.  Also, stick around for the credits – they are well worth it!

• + Brilliant art style; lively pacing; simple, solid controls; great sound; best GUI of all Game Jam games.
• - Save points can lead to awkward moments; collision boxes are a bit too skewed at times.

ShapeScape – A Linux game that looked gorgeous with its simple shapes and colors in the team’s presentation.  My problem, however, is that, try as I might, I could not run the application.  I am unaware of what the source of the problem is, but sadly, I was unable to play it.

• + Cool colors.
• - Unusable executable.

Well, dang.  I would suggest playing all these games and getting a taste of what students at Dakota State University can put out when pressed.  If your game is one of the ones I have just reviewed, comment below if it’s a fair judgment or not; don’t rage too hard if you do.

Take care until the next post!