Playtime Guideline

Judges will spend up to one hour with every entry. Make sure your core mechanics, story hook, and best “Beyond Expectations” moments land inside that window. Content that comes later is welcome but might not be seen.

Scoring Criteria (100 pts)

Theme – 30 pts

We’re looking for genuine surprises. Does your game subvert tropes, flip the script, or reveal something the player never saw coming? The strongest entries weave that spirit through narrative, gameplay, and presentation so the theme feels essential. A cosmetic mention of the theme won’t cut it.

Gameplay – 20 pts

This is the nuts-and-bolts of your game: combat systems, puzzles, menus—anything the player can interact with. We score based on the intuitiveness, responsiveness, and depth of your game mechanics. Even a simple game can score high here if its core loop is fun and player choices feel meaningful.

Engagement – 20 pts

How hard does your title pull us in? We’ll look at pacing, motivation, and payoff. If the hour flies by because we’re invested in what happens next, you’ll shine in this category. If we're checking the clock, expect a lower mark here.

Presentation – 20 pts

This covers the audiovisual experience and how they work together to sell your world. We want a cohesive art style, readable fonts, scene‑appropriate music, and a UI that deepens immersion rather than breaks it. Custom art isn’t mandatory, but clashing assets will pull your score down.

Polish – 10 pts

Bugs happen, especially in a jam. We ignore one‑off typos or passability errors. Repeated glitches, broken items, or soft‑locks will cost points. A crash or hard lock in the first ten minutes automatically disqualifies an entry; a game‑breaking bug after that point ends our play‑through and limits how far we can judge the other categories.