Hello fellow devs!

Metroidvanias. A popular game genre among indie devs (you probably know Hollow Knight, Ori or Axiom Verge) based on Super Metroid and Castlevania in which you explore the map to find upgrades. In this game jam, I challenge you to make a metroidvania game in a month! If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, you can check what is a metroidvania.

Our cool Vania partners:

Azecy

barrels | Bored Pixels Jam

Rules:

1. Assets should all be made during the jam period. General purpose code, designing, bases and models, placeholders, and story can be made before the start of the jam. Here's clarification.

2. External assets can be used if you have the rights to and leave credit to the author when submitting in the "External assets" field when required. Of course, the assets you choose don't have to be made during the jam.

3. Incomplete games are accepted, I would like to see them evolve if it's a project that you'll continue. So don't stress to make a complete game! But your submission should be playable.

4. Teaming is accepted and there is no maximum team members.

5. You are free to use any engine you want.

6. The game needs to have a PG-13 rating or below. To be clear: no nudity, excessive swearing, no gore (for the subtilities of that one, refer yourself to these two posts: Post 1 and Post 2)

7. Your game should be free! You understand that selling it will cut out your ratings. You can put it on a sale for the duration of the rating period and set it back to its normal price after that.

8. I'm accepting late entries until 72 (February special) hours after the end of the submission period. In order to submit late, first publish your game to itch, and then send me the link, either on Discord or in the Community tab. Uploads will also be unlocked, so if you have a bug fix to publish, do it during this time!

Optional theme: Alchemy

It is voted on one week before the jam, and the theme is announced on the start of the jam. You are free to use the theme or not, it is only for inspiration and won't affect your score.

Rating

Games will be rated on these criterias:

Enjoyment - How did you like the game?

Design - Includes a lot of things, like balance, level design, gameplay experience, creativity, etc. How was that?

Presentation - Was the game delivered in a good way? How was the consistent aesthetic?

Metroidvania - Does this game belong in this jam? Was the metroidvania subtle or could you clearly say it was a metroidvania? If you're not sure, you can check the page linked at the top.

Everyone who submitted or contributed to a submission is able to rate. If you didn't, you can still leave a comment, every feedback is appreciated! Results are out one week after the end of the submission period.

Thanks to the generosity of Azecy, the winner will be able to choose a game in their catalogue, including Last Inua, Immortal Planet, and more! Winners will also get a role in the Discord server and a screenshot of their game behind the page!

barrels / Bored Pixels Jam is our partner since MVM 3! If you are bored and like pixel art, this jam is for you! She challenges you to make a game in a week with the limitations of a theme and pixel art. Make sure to check it out!

Special thanks to Zahran Worrell for the banner and all the design tips and help!

Join the Discord server! A friendly and cozy community that can helps you with gamedev, provide you with feedback, and play your games! The place to go to make teams (special mention to artists, which are pretty rare on the server). The server doesn't become inactive between jams! Plenty of stuff to do: writing and drawing challenges, discussion on all sorts of subjects, like books, movies, even chess! Daily pies and stories provided by community members and memes to keep you entertained! Opened to everyone!

Hope to see you participate and I'm looking forward to what you'll make!

Previous jam