Welcome to Puzzle Jam II!

Special thanks to benjames171 for the awesome logo

The sequel to Puzzle Jam! An open challenge to create puzzle games. All skill levels are welcome, from beginners to professionals.

Hosted by 8 Bits to Infinity, a game development community improving creative and technical skills through rapid iteration and honest critical feedback. 

Join us on Discord and learn about the community on our website. Get the latest jam updates on the 8 Bits to Infinity Twitter.

Support 8 Bits to Infinity jams and asset packs through Joshua's Patreon campaign.

The theme is SLIDE

Enter the Jam

Click Join above to enter. This is not an obligation to submit a game - simply a declaration of intent. You'll be signed up for the jam newsletter and alerted when the next part of the jam has begun.

Then, join the 8 Bits to Infinity Discord (a place to chat) and introduce yourself in the #introduce-yourself channel. Share your work, form a team, and learn more about game jams and development.

Now is a good time to get to know your tools! PuzzleScript is a neat system for prototyping or jamming out a game. You may also want to try Unity, Godot, Defold, Unreal, or others.

Schedule

Important Rules

Entries which break these rules or have no clear relation to the Requirement will be removed without notification. If you want clarification on why your game was removed, please contact Joshua on Discord.

Main Rules

1. Team: Up to four members, one submission per team. All members must be 13+ years old.
2. Submission: Answer all questions completely and honestly.
3. Accessibility:
   1. Must work in Windows 10. Web builds are fine.
   2. Any game-critical text must be in English.
   3. Cannot require unusual peripherals (allow keyboard and mouse as a backup).
4. Credit:
   1. Credit all assets in your game including CC0 assets and your own work (put your name on your game).
   2. Credits must be accessible from game start (title or credits screen).

Allowed

• General-purpose code, i.e. character controller, project template, menu functionality, AI library, etc.
• Freely available assets including open general-purpose source code.

Not Allowed

• NSFW content including but not limited to sexual content (including language), nudity, and excessive realistic gore/violence.
• Pre-jam game code or custom assets.

Requirement and Challenges

Make a puzzle game. Simple as that! You can see several great examples in the original puzzle jam entries.

Check the video and slides from last year's Puzzle Jam keynote for some more information and ideas.

Want more restrictions on your jam experience? Here are some optional challenges:

1. Maximum Accessibility: one button, color blind friendly, textless, etc.
2. Mobile: Build a version of the game for mobile (remember you also need a working Windows or web version!)
3. Old Music: Recreate a public domain piece at least 30 years old for your backing music (check out The Mutopia Project for sheet music and MIDI to get started)

Ratings

Entrants rate games on the following criteria for Developers Choice, which also serve as a guideline to determine Judges Choice:

• Fun/Design: Enjoyment of the game. Are the mechanics interesting? Do I want to play more?
• Technical Implementation: Polish and complexity. Does the game push technical boundaries or have special tech to stand out? Are there few, if any, bugs and typos?
• Music/Sound: Audio presentation. How well does the music/sound fit the game? Max 4 stars if external assets used.
• Graphics/Animation: Visual presentation. How clean/consistent does it look? Are animations fluid? Is there clear understanding of color, contrast, and other visual skills? Max 4 stars if external assets used.
• Theme/Limitation: Implementation of jam theme and limitation. Is the theme prevalent? How unusual is the interpretation? How strictly does the game follow the requirement? Out-of-the-box thinking on the theme (not taking it literally) will score more points.

Prizes

Two prizes are awarded: Judges Choice and Developers Choice.

• Judges Choice will be chosen by a panel of judges with a variety of opinions about what constitutes a "good" prototype.
• Developers Choice will be chosen by rating games here on itch.io. If this is also the Judges Choice, the second-place game will win Developers Choice.

The winner of each receives the following:

• Priority feedback from Joshua on an updated version of your game with at least two weeks notice. The game will be streamed to completion (defined at Joshua's discretion).
• A special discord role in the 8 Bits to Infinity Discord server.

Each entry qualifies for one prize, regardless of how many members are on the team.

In addition, winners will be added to the list of 8 Bits to Infinity Jam Winners.

FAQ

What tools/engines can/should I use? 
Use anything you like! We recommend a proper game engine to save time - something like Unity, Godot, Defold, Unreal, etc.

Not sure what to use? Ask on Discord or in the community. We have a lot of experienced members familiar with various tools.

I'm awful at music/art. How could I ever make a game?
Our jams allow external assets credited appropriately. We insist you credit everything, even Creative Commons Zero or Public Domain. If you use external assets without credit, your game will be removed from the jam.

You can find free assets on Open Game Art. Joshua also has free, royalty-free music on his website.

I don't know how to program. Can I still make games? 
Absolutely! Many systems require minimal programming. The best way to learn is to get your feet wet, and a game jam is a wonderful no-risk way to try out new tech.

Am I required to use theme?
Not technically, but it is a voting category, so you will score higher overall with a good use of the theme.

Should I build for Windows/Mac/Linux/web/[insert system here]?
Yes! Build for as many systems as you can so more people can play your game. We recommend finding someone with the target system to test your build long before the jam ends so you can be sure it works.

I didn't finish. Should I submit?  
Yes! Game jams are about creating prototypes. A finished game takes years. You can still win with a cool idea, even if the experience is brief.

How can I get more people to play my entry? 
Play games from the jam and on itch.io, leaving quality feedback. Ask the dev politely to play your game, so they know you're looking for feedback. There's also a new feature on itch.io that shows your entry when you comment on the game's jam page so be sure to do so there.

Can I make a multiplayer game?
Yes, but we don't recommended it due to the extra difficulty giving feedback.

Can I make a 2D/2.5D/3D game?  
Yep! There are no graphical limitations to this jam.

Can I enter other jams with the same game?  
Absolutely, as long as you follow all rules and time limitations for each jam. Note we lock submissions, so you won't be able to upload new builds while this jam is being rated.

Where can I ask more questions?  
Ask in the community for this jam (see link at the top of the page) or on the 8 Bits to Infinity Discord.