Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
Tags

What's the limitations for mini games? Can for example a crossword puzzle or Kakuro be used as a mini game without counting against any limitations?

See the below rule:

MINIGAME USING WORDS: If you include a minigame that uses words (e.g. Scrabble, word associations, phonetic alphabet etc...), this does not count against the 1.000 word limit, if it's purely a game mechanic, and does not specifically advance the narrative.

that does cover the word restrictions, but for avoidance of doubt the visual representation of the puzzle is not counting against any of the limitations?

(1 edit)

Specifically if you make a crossword type minigame, and the grid is on a solid color background, it does not count against anything . If you also create a detailed background for your crossword however that is different to the in-game background, that would be against the idea of a single background. The actual visual of the grid does not count against any other limits such as sprites or objects.

However an additional thing to look out for is that the minigame doesn't overwhelm the VN aspect - otherwise it won't be primarily a visual novel and thus would not qualify - this is a VN jam. With a 1000 word limit the time spent on the minigame may be disproportionally large, so only very short minigames are suitable. 

Thank you for a fast reply. Indeed the time spent with the mini game is something to consider, so it won't take a center stage in the game. Much obliged.