itch.io

These are the analytics from across my entire site, Orange Heart Creative.

I know, to some, it may not seem like much but, for someone like me who spends absolutely zero dollars on advertising, it is absolutely astounding!

That’s the link for the game jam. It doesn’t give me the option to accept the bundle.

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the game!

Snake in the Grass is a single-screen top-down arcade game built with Phaser 4 + Vite.

Core concept: You drive a lawnmower around a suburban backyard, mowing all the grass tiles and clearing creature-filled bushes. One bush hides a snake — disturb it and it starts chasing you.

Key mechanics:

Grid-based movement (arrow keys / WASD), one tile at a time 3 lives shared across all 6 levels Losing a life reshuffles which bush hides the snake, keeping it unpredictable Win condition requires both: all grass mowed and all bushes cleared Scoring: +10/grass tile, +50/bush, +50 pts per second of remaining time on a win After level 6 the game loops back with increasing difficulty (faster snake, wider detection radius) Meta features: High score via localStorage, 26 tracked achievements, ~7 min full playthrough.

Play Free Now!

The game is live. Free to play in your browser — no install, no account required.

Birdie Blues is a single-screen arcade platformer: navigate multi-tiered platforms, catch falling music notes from an obsessive Pianist, and throw them back at two relentless Jazz Cats who can never be killed — only knocked into a brief, ticking sleep. Six stages, looping forever, getting faster every lap.

Play it here: https://orangeheartcreative.itch.io/birdie-blues

Drop your Stage and score below — curious how far you get on a first run.

I don’t consider the AI disclosure “optional,” even though I know Itch doesn’t require it. Whenever I release a game, I immediately fill out the AI disclosure form, both for the sake of transparency and the functionality of being indexed along with other AI-assisted games.

I’m aware that many players will simply “move on” from my games, due to having the AI-assisted label, and that’s fine. Chances are, they weren’t people who would play my games anyhow. I share the same philosophy as the late Kurt Cobain: “I’d rather be hated for who I am, then loved for who I am not.” That is why, at Orange Heart Creative, I make sure to disclose everything that is AI-generated in my projects.

That being said, I don’t think people should be so quick to balk at AI-assisted games/assets/art, etc. Some people do put a lot of work into these projects - myself included - and I feel they should at least be given the same chance as other games to prove that they can be fun and engaging. Yes, there will be some terrible projects but, every once in awhile, you might run across a gem of which you otherwise would’ve never known.

All I’m saying is give all games a chance. If it’s crap, move on. If it’s not, let the creators know, whether or not they use AI, that you appreciate their work by leaving comments/feedback, replies in the community, donations; however you see fit.

It’s alright. I’ve never joined a bundle before, so I didn’t know if I would receive a notification or not. Guess there’s parts of the itch.io system I still need to learn! Thanks for letting me know. I just approved it.

Hello to you, as well! Nice to meet you!

As Obi-Wan Kenobi once famously said, “well, hello there!” My name is Thomas, and I’m the creative lead and designer behind Orange Heart Creative, a one-man game development studio. I’m relatively new to the game (pun intended), but I’ve enjoyed seeing all of the amazing work that everybody’s been doing!

Crash Derby Monsters

Airlock: The Oncoming Swarm

No problem! I ran into the same issue after I uploaded my first couple of games, so I reached out to them and, within 10 days or so, they had contacted me back, saying my games had been indexed.

Here’s hoping that you get this straightened out, and that your game has immense success! Take care!

The best advice I can give you is to contact itch.io directly. It may take them awhile to get back to you but, trust me, they will. Sometimes, it just takes awhile for them to approve/audit the games (in order to separate the quality projects from the spam) because there are so many games being uploaded to the server every day. As I said, contact itch.io at the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the site. They’ll be glad to help you out!

Another great option for game devs to get their projects seen is Discord (it was built for gamers, after all!) There are a lot of servers - even itch.io itself has one - that are tailored for game devs to get their projects noticed. I’ve utilized this tool on several occasions with my two latest games, and it’s been a Godsend! I won’t post any links here but, if you look around Google for “indie game Discord server,” or, “Discord to promote games,” you’ll find quite a few that’ll not only allow game promotion, but encourage it!

Social media is a great start in marketing, but what if you don’t have a large community to check out your game? My personal advice is to go somewhere that players hang out, like Discord for example. Find a community where game promotion is not only encouraged, but emphasized. And don’t just promote your game and leave; actually become a part of the community you join. You’ll be surprised at just how many awesome conversations I’ve had on Discord about this very topic!

Thanks to its compression ratio, MP3 has always been the wiser choice, in my opinion. It keeps your game size small and, in many cases, game engines, like Phaser 3, import them quite easily.

It just depends on how much music you have in your game, and how much ambience is in the tracks. If you need something with high clarity and details, OGG is definitely your best bet. I would never recommend WAV for a game, due to its large file size and lack of fidelity (games tend to drop frames and, when they do, the music tends to stutter along with it).

Of course, I’m only speaking from my own experience. Your mileage may vary.

I use Phaser 3, since its open-source libraries are included within Github Copilot. It takes a bit to learn the limitations, especially when working with AI tools, but the payoff is absolutely worth it! I also use AI tools like Suno ($10/month), which creates the music for my games, and PixelLabs AI ($24/month) to create my animations and characters. In “KickBrawl: World Tour,” I even used Google Gemini to create the backgrounds needed for the game (on the free tier, nonetheless, thanks to a free trial from Coursera’s Google AI certification course).

I can’t decide which game to promote, so I’ve decided to promote my site instead, and let you decide which game is worthing checking out!

You can visit my itch.io site here: https://orangeheartcreative.itch.io

I look forward to hearing your feedback on these games, and thank you in advance for your consideration. I’ve enjoyed making these games, so I hope you enjoy playing them!

The mall is closing in 90 seconds. You’ve got a shopping cart, a tight budget, and a floor full of coupons and prizes. Your goal? Grab as much as you can and hit the exit before the gates slam shut. Check it out and see what kind of high score you can put up: Play Spree! here: Spree!

Hey everyone,

The wait is finally over. We are incredibly excited to announce that Kickbrawl: World Tour has officially launched and is ready for you to jump into the action!

For those who have been following our development, you know this has been a passion project focused on creating something fast, competitive, and unique. If you’re new to the game, welcome to the ultimate hybrid of dodgeball and kickball. It’s high-energy, it’s chaotic, and it’s finally live.

Experience the World Tour: Kickbrawl: World Tour takes the core mechanics of your favorite playground sports and ramps them up with specialized abilities and global arenas. Whether you are looking to master the perfect curve-kick or dive out of the way of a high-speed strike, there is a place for you on the field.

Where to Play: You can grab your copy right now on our official Itch.io page: 👉 KickBrawl: World Tour

What’s Inside:

Hybrid Gameplay: A fresh blend of kickball rules and dodgeball intensity.

Global Arenas: Compete in various locations across the “World Tour.”

Fast-Paced Action: Designed for quick sessions and high replayability.

We want to give a massive thank you to the community for the support during development. This is just the beginning of the tour, and we can’t wait to see your highlights and hear your feedback.

Head over to the Itch page, download the game, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

See you on the field!

I’m not exactly sure of my downloads; some are from testing, before and after release. I’ve been uploading to itch.io for the last two months. I’m currently finishing up a new game, so I expect those numbers to go up soon!

Dumb Waiters!, the newest title from Orange Heart Creative, is a fast-paced arcade restaurant game where you deliver plates, dodge rival waiters, chain combos, and survive escalating daily twists. Click the cover art to begin your first shift today!

Picture this: You're fighting through 12 increasingly hellish sectors of a compromised space station. The alien infestation is spreading faster than you can clear it. Your oxygen is depleting with every breath, and once it hits zero? Contamination starts eating away at your health.

But here's where it gets fun—you have a safe room. One single sanctuary where you can breathe, rearm with randomized weapon drops, and plan your next desperate push into the swarm. No saves, no checkpoints, just one brutal gauntlet from start to finish.

Airlock: The Oncoming Swarm is a hardcore sci-fi survival shooter that deliberately disables keyboard controls. Before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out—this "controversial" design choice creates the most visceral space station survival experience you'll get in a browser. Click the link to play today ... if you dare!