Such an incredible, in-depth entry. Congrats on the big win! 

Sent you a message on Discord about claiming your prize btw 🎉🎉

true that!

No problem, I'm late all the time.

Perfect! Follow the steps here and you'll be in the jam! https://itch.io/jam/412371/add-game/4232341/7763968?token=OVoKB7oQjmcsXJuVeoGNsE...

Yeah for sure!

Found your game, and just to note one thing, per Rule 2, the theme game name needs to not be in the title of your own game (ie Rogue or anything close eg Roguelike)

But other than that yes! Let me know when you updated the title and I'll send you the link to get your game in!

Had to disqualify this I'm sorry BUT! Please make an embeddable version to get your game requalified!

This looks awesome but it does seem it was not made for our jam, since it is submitted to multiple and it doesn't appear to be like Rogue in any recognizable way.

Technically there is no official rule against such entries, but unofficially and historically I've categorized these as "spam" submissions, and usually disqualified them. But since it is technically a "roguelike" it's a tougher decision... 

Ah, wait. There's no web version. I'm afraid I do have to disqualify this for at least that reason, and the context above. UNLESS you can get in a web version by the deadline and it is apparently intended for our jam. Which I kind of doubt.

I see your game is not gonna be called Rogue so this is just a reminder to update the title of the actual game page to not be too close to Rogue 😊

Hey!! Just a reminder to update the game name even though I'm sure this is not quite "the title", I'm just going through and making sure!

I love that, yes that's totally okay!!! 💜

Good idea! 😁 And yes, that name is all good!

Hey there! Just giving you a heads up that per Rule 2, your entry needs to have a name that doesn't include the word "Rogue" or anything too close!

Rule still applies!

See Atari's patent for example: https://uspto.report/TM/98354576

ETA: Roguelantis is a bit too close IMO. I'm imagining "Super Mario-lantis" or "Pokemonlantis" or "Baldur's Gatelantis" or "Pac-Manlantis" -- all sound like lawsuits to me 😆

No limit whatsoever!

But, only up to 4 members per team can win the premium Craftpix membership prize.

Share any others you know of here!!

https://hypergame.dev/downloads/1527ce/rogue_inspo_map.png

Yes, totally fine! 

Just asking to help you find someone -- what kind of skills do you bring to the table? 👀

That's up to you! 

Few points for you to consider:

1. Take a look at the past Game-like jam entries/winners. There's a wide variety
2. A top winner is specifically chosen for their "creative twist" on the original!
3. Nobody is going to stop or disqualify you for taking the game wherever you want.

With that said, I think it's worth taking inspiration from the original that's embedded/linked on the jam page. But you're free to do with that what you want 😁

TL;DR the jam is for you to learn and make what you want, above all else!

Got something interesting or useful to share? Post it here! I'll add some of the best stuff onto this top message.

Game Manuals

A nice one from the 1985 IBM release: https://hypergame.dev/downloads/1527ce/rogue-manual.pdf

The likely most original version of the manual! https://docs-archive.freebsd.org/44doc/usd/30.rogue/paper.pdf

_______________________________________________________________________

Interview with the original co-creator

https://spillhistorie.no/2024/07/14/the-story-of-rogue/

I love this interview... It touches on what the game was intended to be like originally! From the dev:

Cover images are designed by marketers to get people to buy games. I didn’t like any of the marketing materials that the later commercial games used. If I had my way, Rogue’s look and feel would be much more like Spelunky. To me it was always a light-hearted and funny game.

- Glenn Wichman, co-creator of Rogue

Look at this original artwork from the 80's that was intended to be in a monster manual for the game!

Hopefully it can be a reminder that your Rogue-like doesn't have to be all hardcore and serious (though it can be)... a little goofiness would even be closer to what the OG creators had in mind.

_______________________________________________________________________

Short post from someone who completed the game

https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/search/label/Rogue

Useful to get an idea of how the game goes if you don't/can't finish it.

_______________________________________________________________________

Design variant from the Atari ST

A classic approach to avoiding text-based representations of items
https://hpergame.dev/downloads/1527ce/rogue_atari_img.jpg

_______________________________________________________________________

This was enjoyable, if bleak 😅 Gave the 12/31/2025 version a try  about 4 hours and 50 minutes in! 

Tried the 12/31/2025 demo around 2 hours in! 

Super fun, super cute, loved it. Started playing it around 30 minutes in! 

BTW let me know where best to send your prizes for winning! (Congrats btw -- so deserved!!)

My email is lyz"at"hypergame.dev, but Discord DM's also work 👍🏽

I had so much fun playing this in the stream showcase (and off). You deserved this (SECOND!!) Game-like Jam win for sure!!

Let me know how best to send you your prize btw -- I DM'd you on Discord but if you prefer, I can send it via email.

My email: lyz"at"hypergame.dev

Anyway congrats and as always I'll look forward to whatever projects you're up to!

Yep got  it! Sending now 👍🏽 Congrats again!!

Very true to the original, even if I got confused sometimes xD -- Congrats on the jam win, you deserved it!

Let me know where I can send your prize! It's some game asset keys :) Discord, email - just let me know. 

You can email me too, "lyz"at"hypergame.dev" with @ and minus the double quotes :)

Such wonderful realism. You made this happen and it turned out so good! I love my little stick bug.

Sneak peek at next jam's voting scheme:

More thoughts!

After playing the games, I'm understanding where y'all are coming from a lot better.

Having to give mid (3 star) ratings to games with great individual aspects feels wrong.

Plus, if there are more categories, participants can get more feedback on their specific strengths/weaknesses.

For at least a couple jams moving forward, maybe more...
Let's bring back the system used in Game-like Jam 1: Frogger.
See it in action here: https://itch.io/jam/gamelike-jam-001/results 

--- Next GLJ Categories ---

- Best Most Like the Original
- Best Creative Twist on the Original

Will still be the most celebrated categories.

- Overall Winner/Runner-Up

Will still be determined and equally celebrated as the previous two.

- Game Completeness, Artistry, & Sound Design

Or some slight variation, will be brought back as additional categories intended to:

1.  Help determine an Overall Winner/Runner-Up
2.  Provide a chance to celebrate a game's specific victories
3. Offer feedback to entrants on their strengths/weaknesses

Thank you for giving your input (not just the two here on this thread but others in the past too) -- I think this will be a good change moving forward!

For whatever it's worth, I realized one of the reasons I resisted making an extra category in the past.

The two we have now are so opposed to each other that a single game will probably never win both.

But, adding an extra votable category like Best Game wouldn't come with that guarantee, and so the same game could win that and one of the other two. 

In fact, I think it's possible that *every* Best Overall (voted on) game would also be one of the two that win Best Most Like the Original or Best Creative Twist.

I could be wrong about that, and maybe it doesn't matter that that happens tbh. But, I can't help thinking that makes the category pointless if it's just going to be won by another winner. (See the first GLJ for an example, where the Creative Twist swept every other category!... except most like the original 😉)

I think by adding the new one, and letting it cook for a few GLJ's, it would be an opportunity to observe what actually happens. Then go from there.

And maybe it's worth having Best Game -- however unuseful I think it could be for determining winners -- just so that voters can not feel as boxed in by the two we have now.

Just some thoughts 😊

Heard!! 

Great point that there's an unrecognized valley between most/least similar.

💜 100% agree!!

Fair points rulric, thank you for expressing it so well!!

I like the idea of formalizing the overall category into something votable, where good overall game design is celebrated regardless of the game's adherence to the theme. 

The categories are a WIP so this is extremely helpful. Interested if others have thoughts too (well you're not the first to have concerns tbh 😅)

Disqualifying this because it's not a Tamagotchi-like nor made for this jam specifically. But good luck with your game :)

Cool idea! Yes absolutely 🤗