itch.io

This was made for the TOY BOX JAM 2025 that happened over the winter holiday.  It reveals assets for that game jam.

The jam is over, but if you want to solve the Mystery that this program helps you with, look here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/162i60pFHCN7uRD1RYUtDwkaYoYtglz9a?usp=dri...

However, the jam is over and the prizes have been given away.  But the set of clues and puzzle was nice.

Heh, thanks! I just put this here to hold the place for my cart (I was sick during my own Jam).  

To play it properly -- please go here!  Instructions and images and everything!

https://thattomhall.itch.io/mad-scientist

Haha, yeah WHO TOOK THE BOOKS? is the sequel to this game, adding a few elements!

The Legend of Zelda, DOOM, Ultima, and many other games use "slightly different wall" to mean secret wall / wall you can destroy.

Have fun!

Also don't get sick during the Jam so you can make your own Jam game for your own Jam. :/

Aw thanks for starting this topic!  Nice to discuss here.

Successes:
-largest TBJ ever!
-most TBJ submissions ever! And really cool games!
-Discord really helpful
-CraftPix.net prizes were cool and a good mystery motivator
-mystery well received
-Doriencey's great art a hit
-kc00l's Picotron translations awesome, a gift to the PT community
-proud of the CODECANE idea / cart 
-proud of the arranging-six-words part of the mystery!

From the Discord, Toy Box Jam suggestions / improvements:
 -iron out bugs in gfx beforehand
-make sure Picotron sfx are there, tested
-make sure sound fx are NAMED (whoops)
-all puzzles should be color-blind friendly
-32x32 assets would be cool for non-retro engines
-message about launcher, playability of games on itch.io being important
-isometric tiles / sprites could be cool
-more cats, more dogs, maybe a rubber duck

Likely Gruber!

SPOILER: You have to find a secret wall, walk through it, and come in from the room to the left! Search for a wall that looks different. 

Yep no problem!

Look at the bottom of the Jam Page under Credits. 

You can’t get it from THIS room…

Thanks for playing!  The other ones are hidden in harder and harder secrets. It’s a secret-finding game! You can’t die, so maybe try another time…. There are secret walls and ways to walk elsewhere….

There are a lot of spam submissions, which may just be spammed games, but could be VIRUSES.  I try to delete weird ones.  If you don't see TOY BOX JAM assets in screenshots, do not run the game. ESPECIALLY if it is a downloadable EXE file.

Okay thanks!

Does it fit now?  I used the res that PAHammond used for Phoenix picotron cart....

Thanks! Ah  wondered about that. will fix back to what I originally had. And still finishing a later deluxe surprise!

dang hah

welp next year!  Or just make another one sometime. 

It’s fine to use rectangles / circles / pixels of color, but just don’t use that as the primary method of drawing. Devs need UI, particles, sky, etc.

Wow you just used the first few days!

(Big shout out to Doriencey for working overtime to get the 16x16 chicken assets done!)

Max has seen what you folks like and has sent a poster, a poem, and NEW ASSETS!

New Chicken Assets are found here:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15os4EHFR9FOjK2J86Y5vON3rlnDwS4bd?usp=sha...

Also removing the post. Good luck in other jams!

This jam provides all the assets -- graphics, sound effects, music -- with no external/ new assets allowed. Sorry!  

Yeah, scaling a sprite is fine!  Just do those things live.

Ohhhh, looking up resolutions... "1366x768: Still present on older or budget laptops". Ahhhhh.

Yeah for sure -- will try it, thanks! 1366 seems very specific! :D

It's in the middle of the Jam page, but I get there's a lot of text!

TOY BOX JAM Discord: https://discord.gg/dJ98GVrXpy

DEMOCART:

• random useful sfx
• -- -00-21:sfx
• -- -22-59:songs
• -- -60-63:sfx
• -- songs: by gruber
• -- 00 happy land
• -- 06 chill
• -- 12 scary dungeon
• -- 18 fight
• -- 21 evil
• -- 23 defeat
• -- 24 celebrate
• -- 25 puzzle
• -- 29 sand
• -- 33 read or wait my dude song

The start carts and demo carts have sfx and music in them. If you solve the mystery, there are more sfx and music to find!  Inside one of the zips are tons of songs, and a whole sfx cart.

Fantastic homage!

Say, what itch.io W x H are you using?

Great! Yeah, the main challenge is "working with what you get".  Just added the themes if people like that kind of thing!

You're welcome. Thanks for playing!

Giving hints in the Discord...

Wooo!  Keep going!

Yay! Glad you are having fun!

Keep trying -- go on the Discord for hints!

Glad you like it!

Regarding the file TBJ2025_1-1scale_16x16.png:

We made the image initially for Picotron (color 0 is transparent) -- but it should have transparency so you can use it easily in other engines.

Coming later today!