itch.io

Here are some (popular) games that incorporate the “Rise of the unlikely hero” theme:

Undertale

• A child falls into the Underground and can choose peace over violence.
• Simple gameplay, deep story, surprising protagonist.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

• A young boy sets out to rescue his sister and faces world-changing events.
• Starts with a small goal, ends with saving the world.

Hollow Knight

• A nameless bug explores ancient ruins.
• Quiet, small figure becomes key to a kingdom’s fate.

Celeste

• A girl climbs a mountain to overcome her inner demons.
• A personal, emotional journey with little initial strength or fame.

Katamari Damacy

• A tiny prince rolls a sticky ball to rebuild the stars.
• Absurd premise, unexpected responsibility.

A Short Hike

• A small bird goes for a walk and ends up helping others and herself.
• Chill vibe, big impact through small actions.

Papers, Please

• A border inspector in a fictional country uncovers major conspiracies.
• Powerless job becomes morally complex.

Bug Fables

• Insects form a team of adventurers, aiming for legendary treasure.
• Underdog heroes with quirky charm.

Example: A janitor trapped in a secret lab must outsmart mutated experiments using only his mop, wit, and a lifetime of unnoticed skills to save everyone.

If this helped, leave a +1 or comment below with your own insights.

Here are a few tips to help you kick off your jam.

Start Small. Begin with a simple, clear idea you can realistically finish in the time you have. You can always expand on it if time allows! Draw a sketch or write out a concept as your entry point.

Focus on the Core: Decide on one key mechanic or feature that makes your game unique and prioritize it.

Time Management: Break your time into smaller chunks for brainstorming, development, testing, and polishing. Make sure you account for time for game submission and page.

Don’t Overthink it: It doesn’t have to be perfect — dive in, have fun, and see what you can create!

Leverage the Community: Need help or inspiration? Ask questions, share your progress, and bounce ideas off others.

If you have any valuable tips to share, post them in this thread or on our Discord :-)

Good luck and happy Smashing! 😂🤗

Hey there, Smashers!

We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular in just 24 hours!

Here’s what you can look forward to: 🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and collaborate with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests. 🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed before. It’s all about development and innovation. 🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than simply games; let’s have fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories in the comments section below or our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

Disqualified, must be made during the jam.

Congrats, here are my remarks.

The good

• simple mechanics, cool concept
• movement feels alright
• graphics are coherent
• music is not bad
• theme works well

Area of improvement

• unfair / no feedback: when lava rises, it’s not intuitive or noted in any way that the goal is to climb on top of those falling rocks
• the gameplay feels too random: i had two situations where rocks fell too far apart, and when i stepped on one rock, another one fell on top of me

Overall, a solid entry, look out for linear increase of difficulty. Dying too many times at the beginning makes the game feel boring.

Congrats on completing the game! Here are some remarks.

The good

• The game features simple and intuitive controls and has a clear challenge and a goal.
• It is visually obvious where you’re not supposed to step (spikes) and derives into tactical gameplay
• The game has all elements and feels complete
• UI seems ok, although I believe there’s a better way to present the collectible item progress

Area of improvement

• The controls need to feel snappier, I feel like I don’t have enough control of my player character
• It’s hard to detect good items from the bad ones due to the overpixelated graphics
• The challenge feels too random, leading to unfair situations regardless of the skill
• Music needs some better progression/melody

If you follow these guidelines, you will essentially have a fun minigame, it currently feels too unfair, leading to getting boring quickly.

Here are some popular titles that would fit into this theme:

• Bubble Bobble - classic single-screen platformer with co-op gameplay
• Bomberman - drop bombs and trap opponents in a fixed grid
• Tetris - single-screen block-stacking game
• Minesweeper - classic grid-based puzzle
• Papers, please - Manage a border checkpoint from a single-screen interface
• Baba is You - a single-screen puzzle game where rules can be changed
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! – run a restaurant and manage orders in one fixed view
• Super Crate Box – an arcade shooter with endless waves in a single arena

Hey there, Smashers!

We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular in just 24 hours!

Here’s what you can look forward to: 🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and collaborate with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests. 🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed before. It’s all about development and innovation. 🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than simply games; let’s have fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories in the comments section below or our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

Hey there, Smashers!

We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular in just 24 hours!

Here’s what you can look forward to: 🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and collaborate with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests. 🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed before. It’s all about development and innovation. 🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than simply games; let’s have fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories in the comments section below or our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

Yes it works, cool.

The game cannot be played. Solely .exe file is not enough to run the game. You must upload everything from the build output (except debug information), and zip it.

Hello 👋 Welcome!

49

Hmm, okay. It took a while to figure out how to play and the gameplay here.

First, I’m glad we have beginners committed to the Saturday Smash and submitted the game despite not finishing it.

I think the core idea is fun and could resemble the theme well.

Area of improvement
• First, it needs to be clear what the player needs to do.
• An enemy is spawned on the player at the start. That’s just unfair disadvantage.
• There needs to be more visual feedback (cooldowns, actions selected, etc)

There is a lot to cover, so it might be best that this starts with YOU. We have a Discord channel where you can ask questions, and I will gladly go deep with you if you’re interested.

Yep, there are some buggies. Should be played in Fullscreen 😅

Hmm, yeah, that seems like a severe issue to me. It should appear in fullscreen normally in 1080p. Are you maybe zoomed in in the browser?

Thanks for info and comments 🤗

I’m not sure what you mean by “in window or fullscreen mode,” were you not able to play it at all? I’m confused because you commented it’s well-presented, implying you figured it out?

I think you must have to run in full-screen. Should be fine then ¯_(ツ)_/¯

To be honest, a solid proto. Are we looking at a game before the jam ends? 😊

Here are a few tips to help you kick off your jam.

Start Small. Begin with a simple, clear idea you can realistically finish in the time you have. You can always expand on it if time allows! Draw a sketch or write out a concept as your entry point.

Focus on the Core: Decide on one key mechanic or feature that makes your game unique and prioritize it.

Time Management: Break your time into smaller chunks for brainstorming, development, testing, and polishing. Make sure you account for time for game submission and page.

Don’t Overthink it: It doesn’t have to be perfect — dive in, have fun, and see what you can create!

Leverage the Community: Need help or inspiration? Ask questions, share your progress, and bounce ideas off others.

Good luck and happy Smashing! 😂🤗

Hello, friend.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular! We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage, to learn from you and get inspired.

Here’s what you can look forward to:
🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and collaborate with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests.

🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed. It’s all about development and innovation.

🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than games; let’s have fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories on our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

It would be unfair for me to rate this game because I think the concept is good.
However, there are severe issues with playability and game design, which should be addressed.

Positive aspects

• The game has a consistent, coherent art style
• Controls are explained during gameplay when they are needed
• Puzzle design makes some sense

Area of improvement

• Unintuitive controls - the character moves unpredictably, jumping makes him stay in the air, touching a wall rotates the camera!?, button clicking has no feedback
• Disorienting - the game changes orientation and can cause head-spinning. Accidentally walking backward and touching a wall spins the camera and changes how my character moves first thing in the game. This is likely due to a poor level design decision.
• Unplayable - already on the second level with the green ball it’s unclear what the ball does, and what the red cube is for -> the game should feel intuitive and have a clear goal without playing cheap gimmicks on the player such as the ball randomly flying around.
• Unresponsive - Pressing the button did not switch gravity, the white cube never moves, etc.

Overall, I won’t rate this game, but you have fundamental issues with gameplay and mechanics which should be addressed before I consider this a ‘game’. If you fix all these issues that I gave you, you will most likely have a decent, playable prototype.

Very cool platformer. There are a few things that could improve the gameplay experience.

Positive aspects

• Clear, simple goal
• Game feels responsive to player input
• Level difficulty increases gradually, keeping players engaged

Area of improvement

• Uncomfortable controls - who uses a mouse with arrow keys combined? -> Don’t try to innovate on how the keyboard layout looks. If you’re unsure, leave WASD as an option.
• Lack of instructions - The game doesn’t teach the player that they need to use the mouse to press buttons.
• Gravity switch is unintuitive - At first, it’s taught that the blue button shifts gravity up, which isn’t intuitive or explained - and that’s the core mechanic. Then, the game keeps switching the position of those two, making it unnecessarily difficult (that doesn’t account for how challenging the game is, that’s just punishing players for learning the rules) - if you insist on switching the position of buttons, then the corresponding ground should be corresponding color (blue button -> gravity shifts to blue color) so that I know which button will “lead me there”

If you follow these improvements, you could have a solid game prototype, which could then be scaled.

Cool entry!

This is a nice puzzle game. There are a couple of things you could improve to increase the longevity of play.

Positive aspects

• Simple, clear goal = Relatable setting: Space station, boxes.
• Puzzle difficulty increases gradually

Area of improvement

• The third level introduces a difficult approach without teaching the player how to first
• Clunky and unpredictable controls - the lack of control degrades the gameplay experience (creating frustration). One way this could be fixed is if you allow the snap position to grid and snap rotation of 45 degrees CW/CCW and then turn on physics when gravity is switched.
• Variety - A new gimmick should’ve been introduced after a few levels to keep engagement
• Any box could go in any slot - I finished the last level just by stacking boxes, it seems like the system doesn’t check which box is which or its rotation.

A solid puzzle game, if you fix these things you will essentially have a game, which you can then fill with levels and ship.

Very cool!

Stuck on the second level. No controls were explained, nor was it explained how to switch the gravity. It would be unfair to rate this game because the concept seems cool.

The game has some potential, but a series of game design issues regarding playability, intuitive controls, and game feel.

Positive aspects

• Simple, effective game loop
• Clear game goal

Area of improvement

• The game starts too difficult, punishing new players for trying your game.
• The game feels too random, leading to unfair scenarios for the player.
• The game should gradually or occasionally increase the difficulty
• It should be clear where the first movement (a la gravity-switch) will take us
• Movement is too chaotic, too fast
• The art style is missing accent colors

When you, as the developer of the game, can’t have a run longer than 20 seconds, you should immediately understand there is something fundamentally wrong with how you designed it, unless your desired average playtime is under one minute.

Fix these things and you will have a solid arcade game, which could go on mobile platforms.

That was very good! I couldn’t beat the bonus level :(

Hey, Smasher!

Here are a couple of games that fit the theme: Switching Gravity.

VVVVVV: A retro platformer where you flip gravity to navigate challenging levels.
Prey: A sci-fi thriller with gravity-defying environments aboard a space station.
Antichamber: A first-person puzzle game that challenges perception with surreal, gravity-shifting mechanics.
And Yet It Moves: A puzzle-platformer where you rotate the world to change gravity and solve obstacles.

Happy Smasheroni!

Honestly this is the most fun game in the jam, IMO.

I know i hate that, lol. I should’ve just uploaded a windows build like other ppl. There’s also like no post-processing in the browser. Oh well, it is what it is. Thanks 🤗😂

Here are a few tips to help you kick off your jam.

Start Small. Begin with a simple, clear idea you can realistically finish in the time you have. You can always expand on it if time allows! Draw a sketch or write out a concept as your entry point.

Focus on the Core: Decide on one key mechanic or feature that makes your game unique and prioritize it.

Time Management: Break your time into smaller chunks for brainstorming, development, testing, and polishing. Make sure you account for time for game submission and page.

Don’t Overthink it: It doesn’t have to be perfect — dive in, have fun, and see what you can create!

Leverage the Community: Need help or inspiration? Ask questions, share your progress, and bounce ideas off others.

Good luck and happy Smashing! 😂🤗

Hey there, Smashers!

We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular in just 24 hours!

Here’s what you can look forward to: 🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and collaborate with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests. 🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed before. It’s all about development and innovation. 🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than simply games; let’s have fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories in the comments section below or our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

Not sure what you mean by ‘laggy’ though, it runs fairly smooth (30fps) over here.

Yep, correct about it running poorly in the browser, no doubt about it. Hey, sometimes it’s better to make something than nothing. I would be sadder if I hadn’t submitted it, no matter its quality of current state. Thanks for noticing!

Hey there, smashers!

Here are some games to induce inspiration for the theme.
These games have a ‘death improves you’ mechanic/theme.
I hope you enjoy it!

Rogue Legacy - When you die, your children inherit your castle and wealth, each with unique traits that affect gameplay
Dark Souls - Deaths teach you enemy patterns and leave bloodstains with lessons for future attempts
Hades - Each death returns you to the House of Hades where you can upgrade abilities and advance relationships
Deaths Door - Collecting souls from the deceased increases your power and abilities
Loop Hero - Death returns you to your camp with resources to build permanent improvements

Happy smashing!

Cool tiny game. I think it would be better if the player moved automatically to the right, and there were more obstacles/content. Can’t wait to see what you make for Saturday Smash Jam ;)

Here are a few tips to help you kick off your jam.

Start Small: Begin with a simple, clear idea you can realistically finish in the time you have. You can always expand it if time allows! Draw a sketch/write out a concept as your entry point.

Focus on the Core: Decide on one key mechanic or feature that makes your game unique and prioritize it.

Time Management: Break your time into smaller chunks for brainstorming, development, testing, and polishing. Make sure you account for time for game submission and page.

Don’t Overthink it: It doesn’t have to be perfect — dive in, have fun, and see what you can create!

Leverage the Community: Need help or inspiration? Ask questions, share your progress, and bounce ideas off others.

Good luck and happy Smashing! 😂🤗

Hey, Smashers!

We’re thrilled to have you join us on this creative voyage. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to game development, this is the place to experiment, connect, and create something spectacular in just 24 hours!

Here’s what you can look forward to:
🕹️ Collaboration: Share your work, receive feedback, and team up with others! This is an opportunity to connect with other creators who share your interests.
🎨 Learning: Experiment with new tools or explore a mechanism you’ve never developed before. It’s all about development and innovation.
🌟 Flexibility: Any contribution is appreciated whether you have 50 hours or only a few. Create a short prototype, a small game, or polish anything.

Let’s make this jam about more than simply games; let’s have some fun, learn something new, and connect. 😂✌

Please share your journey, problems, and victories in the comments section below or our Discord.

Good luck and joyful smashing! 🚀

This game is beautiful and pacifying.

I thought it looked super unfinished. Thanks for kind words.