Make a visual novel that feels straight out of Shounen Jump!

Welcome to the second Battle Action Fantasy Visual Novel Jam, a game jam for combining tropes you see in battle shounen & seinen stories with visual novels and story-driven games.

What we accept:

• Visual novels, story-focused RPGs, and other story-driven games
• Stories with a focus on action and have shounen tropes such as:
  • friendship conquering evil
  • rivalry between the main character and another character to be the strongest or the best
  • super powers, "chosen ones", power scaling
  • tournaments, examination arcs
• Previously started on games, demos - any amount of progress is fine as long as you work on it during the jam period
• Games with female leads and queer casts
• Games not targeted at male audiences such as otomes but still embrace chuuni fantasy aspects

What we don't accept:

• Games that aren't story-driven
• Games with stories that are neither action nor have shounen tropes
• Games with no fantasy or supernatural elements
• Games already 95% finished before the jam
• Games using AI generated assets

Some examples include most JRPGs, Fate/stay night, and more. Your game may be a more comedic take or something darker and more sinister. The ultimate answer on if your story will fit this jam: would it make sense to be serialized in Shounen Jump?

This jam is not judged or ranked. You make a chuuni fantasy game and you're a winner. We do encourage submissions to be tagged as #Battle Action Fantasy, a tag for shounen-esque games that's a derivative of バトル・アクション (battle action), a popular way to categorize shounen works in Japan. You can read more about this tag here.

Join us in the Devtalk server

FAQ:

Can I write romance or a dating sim? Yes!

Can my main character and cast be female? Yes!

Can I write something gory that would be more of a seinen? Yes!

Can I write something that is like a shounen but doesn't have fantasy elements? No.

Can I write something that doesn't have action scenes in it? No.

Can I make a game that's not a visual novel, or a hybrid game that doesn't have any visual novel elements in it? No.

Can I make a game using AI generated assets, even if I edit them? No.

Can I get started on my visual novel before the jam starts? Yes, but you have to work on the game for a considerable amount during the jam.

Have fun and make games that feel like they would go right in an issue of Shounen Jump!

This jam is ran by Arimia from Crystal Game Works, 4noki and Pumpkin Spike. Logo by 4noki.

Interested in other battle action fantasy games? Check out the entries from last year's Battle Action Fantasy Visual Novel Jam!