The Robot Party Game Jam is about making a diverse range of weird games that adhere to a strangely specific theme and ruleset. The scenario and characters were brainstormed with a live audience on Twitch. Here is the result:

THEME

There's a national fast food restaurant chain called The Smoke Box that's been around since the 70s, but nobody really talks about it or goes there. The Smoke Box could best be described as a fusion between secret government research and a BBQ joint.

CHARACTERS
(ink and color by LittleKittenBit)

Over the past 50 years, The Smoke Box has gone through several mascots and assorted kids’ meal characters. None of them ever seem to stick around. Here are eight of these characters, including the year they were introduced, their defining characteristic, and their favorite menu item:

Franky (c. 1974) - A Benjamin Franklin woodland creature. Favorite menu item: Colonial Pretzel

Glerry Hoggins (c. 1981) - Plays a magical trumpet. Favorite menu item: Pulled Pork Tacos

Squandrick (c. 2011) - Fresh, fresh breath. Favorite menu item: The Hot Blunk

Chipp (c. 1984) - Red Sunglasses. Favorite menu item: BBQ Chips

Smoking Steve (c. 1981) - Always has a lit cigar. Favorite menu item: Double Cheeseburger Meal

Jambon (c. 1977) - A beatnik pig who smokes long cigarettes. Favorite menu item: Smokey Pig Sticks



The Pitmaster (c. 1982) Silhouetted figure with a large overcoat. Favorite menu item: Cayenne Pepper Chocolate Lava Cake

Taxxie (c. 1974) - Mirrored Sunglasses. Favorite menu item: Mystery House Ketchup

YOUR MISSION

The founder and owner of The Smoke Box, Hogel Mizoche, has decided that now is the time to create a video game to promote the brand. In your incredibly long meeting, you’ve learned that every single character and mascot was his personal design, and he still cares deeply for each of them. However, he trusts you to make any necessary updates or makeovers to appeal to “modern nostalgic millennial sensibilities.” Your objective is to make a video game that will convince players that The Smoke Box is, more than ever, “ferociously hip.”

RULES

 - Any kind of game is accepted, though it must be playable on Windows without additional software or run in a web browser
- The game should not take longer than 30 minutes to finish
- Do not use any unlicensed material. Credit when necessary.
- Do not use generative AI for any asset, text, or code

PARAMETERS

- Your game must feature one of the 8 Smoke Box Characters as a villain. (Implementation of any other characters is optional)
- The game must feature a “ferociously hip” upgrade achieved through consumption or interaction with The Smoke Box
- At some point, the game must include the The Smoke Box slogan, “You expected a great taste.”
- There must be an interactive reference to how cold the chicken sandwiches are at Bock Bock’s, Hogel’s longtime rival restaurant. Legally we can’t mention Bock Bock’s by name, so it must remain heavily implied.
- The game must feature a MYSTERIOUSLY CASUAL ABSENCE of Dark Schippie Dues, the multidimensional heel (and longtime Robot Party Jam mascot). This could include a vacant slot on a character select screen, an empty store front, or simply an awkward pause when you’d assume someone might interrupt. This year, Dark Schippie Dues is gone.

JUDGING

There will be open judging on itch.io. The judges will grade games in three categories with a score from 1-5. The categories are:

Promoting the Restaurant - How likely are modern nostalgic millennials to bond with the brand
Sticking to the Rules - How well the game abides by both the rules and parameters
Actually Fun - Acknowledging all of the constraints, how much fun is at the heart of this game

The deadline to complete the games is Wednesday, August 21st. Each entrant will be streamed live beginning Friday, August 23rd on twitch.tv/KyleBosman, adding additional days as necessary. Judging will close August 30th.

The winning entry to this Game Jam will receive the sole distinction of being recognized as official canon.

In addition to the Robot Party Jam Winner, the community will also be voting on extra Robot Party Jam awards. The categories will be:

Outstanding Original Music
Phenomenal Game Mechanic
Extraordinary Narrative
Supreme Visuals
Tastiest-Looking Food
Greatest Utilization of a Dinosaur (The Random Bonus Chat Category)

The winner of the Robot Party Jam and all awards will be announced live on Saturday, August 31st.

DISCORD

If you're looking to collaborate on a project or just chat about the game jam, there's a dedicated channel on the Robot Party discord server here: https://discord.gg/HhXAdRFwcC