What is Retro Flavored Jam

The Retro Flavored Jam is about... well... retro tech. Whether it's an old console or computer, if there's a way to make games for it, we will!

Join the discord!

Theme

Finite/Limited

Limited... resources, time, space, capacity, vision? the interpretation is up to you!

Rules

• Your game, at minimum, should be able to be played on an emulator
• Everything other than fonts must be made during the jam. The use of freely available/public domain fonts is allowed.
• Your jam entry must be free for people to play
• NSFW content will be disqualified
• Entries that irreversibly damage others hardware will be disqualified and you will permanently be banned
  
• Entries that are de-makes or remakes of existing games, or that closely replicate their gameplay, design, or story, will be disqualified.
  
• No AI. Period. End of.

Rating

Games will be rated based on these criteria:

• Fun - Was the game fun or was it a slog to get through?
  • Did the controls feel responsive or clunky.
  • Were the levels designed well.
  • Was the game unfair.
• Graphics - For the platform, How are the graphics?
  • Some platforms may have more colors or even 3d capabilities, but try to judge the graphics in the context of the target platform.
  • Were the characters distinguishable from the background.
  • Do the colors clash with one another.
  • Does the UI fit the games style.
• Audio - For the platform, how is the music/sfx?
  • Some platforms may have better sound hardware than others, but try to judge the audio in the context of the target platform.
  • Did the music sound nice or did your ears bleed.
  • Did the sfx fit the game.
  • Did the music fit the game.
• There will be an optional theme that will not be judged

FAQ

• Are teams allowed? - Yes
• Are there any prizes? - Nope, This jam is purely about making stuff.
• Is this jam beginner friendly - That depends. Unfortunately if you are either, unfamiliar with any brand of assembly or C, you might have a harder time. There are, however, the fantasy consoles which, for the most part, use Lua for programming.
• How can I find a team? - ⁠go to the team-finding channel in our discord or make a community post.
• Should I give up because of "X" - No, you should still try despite the circumstances.
• How big can a team be? - As big or as small as you want.
• Can I offer my skills for money? - No, this is strictly prohibited. This jam, at least, is about learning and finding an interest in retro computing and gaming.
• Can I promote my socials (YT, X, Twitch)? - As long as the content is relevant to the jam then yes
• What platforms can I develop for? - Check the ⁠valid-platforms channel in our discord or the stickied post in the community tab.
• Why isn't "X" platform listed? - Either because platform "X" is in the 7th generation or later (NDS and PSP being the only exceptions), or It's not easy to, or impossible to, emulate. Otherwise just ask and we'll give it a look and if it fits we'll add it.
• Does my game have to be a ROM? - Yes, yes it does.
• Do I have to make my game/code/assets open source? - It's appreciated, but that's entirely up to you. No one's going to make you open source your work. It's yours, do what you want with it.
• My platform can utilize extra hardware. Am I allowed to include that in my game? - As long as that hardware is able to be emulated then yes
• Can embed an emulator with my game on itch.io - Yes, please also include the rom file if you can
  
• Can I use a game engine or framework? - That depends. The very nature of the jam severely limits what tools you can use for your games. If your engine or framework can export roms for any of the available platforms then go for it.
• Am I allowed to update my game once it's submitted? - Yes, but not during the rating period.