Joggernauts is a local multiplayer auto-runner party game with a twist on team cooperation set in a derpy alien universe.

Have fun trying not to kill your friends for a change!

Joggernauts First Access is now exclusively available through Itch.io's Refinery!
Help us finish our game! Ask us about joining our private beta!

Hello Itch community!

Joggernauts is being developed by Space Mace, a new game development studio in Minneapolis, MN. We are a team of three: Zachary Johnson, Tommy Sunders, and Robert Frost III. After about a year working on the game, as of October 2016 we are very excited to announce our First Access program through Itch.io's Refinery! We are now releasing limited batches of keys to people who are interested in helping us create this game.

Joggernauts is a cooperative auto-runner party game for 2-4 players where you try not to kill your friends. Take turns (probably failing) to lead your team through deceptively difficult color-coded platforming levels. People who love Bit.Trip Runner, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Space Team, or even Bop It should be right at home in this tricky multiplayer game.

Watch this Devlog forum thread to read about our progress, or join us over at our own Community Forum.

Why make a local multiplayer runner game?

The honest truth is liquid inspiration. We were all sitting on a couch in front of the TV taking turns playing the amazing single-player game Bit.Trip Runner by passing the controller around. We were imbibing many an adult beverage between turns when inspiration struck, "Wait, why can't this be multiplayer?" we asked. Exploring that idea a little, we quickly realized one of the mechanics would need to be that you could take turns being in the front of the running group.

Why is your multiplayer game cooperative instead of competitive?

We love local multiplayer deathmatch, and there are a lot of those games. We thought it was time to create a game where you were forced to work together to keep everybody alive. There are two ways that we wanted our game to be different than deathmatches:

1. We wanted all of our players to be continuously involved and engaged through the entire play session. We never wanted a moment where one player had nothing left to play for, or worse, was reduced to just watching.
2. We wanted our game to be fun for both experienced and new players, and we wanted them to be able to play together. We wanted our game to be accessible to casual players. And we didn't want advanced players to dominate new players in a way that wasn't fun for either.

At it's heart, Joggernauts is a game for parties and for friends. We want you to get together on your couch, and yell colors at each other. It is a game we hope people will play with their hardcore gamer friends just as often as their friends who shyly say that they "aren't good at games."

I got my key for Joggernauts, now what?

Alright, I'll try to write some helpful instructions here. If you get stuck somewhere, let me know, and I'll update these steps.

1. We recommend you install Itch.io's desktop client! This is better than downloading our ZIPs directly because you will get notified about updates to the game, plus your future downloads will be much smaller and installed automatically!
2. Claim your key and install the game.
3. Connect 2 - 4 gamepads to your computer. We recommend any Xbox controllers for Windows users. We recommend wired Xbox 360 controllers or Playstation controllers for Mac users. If you're having trouble getting gamepads working, let us know. We'll post better instructions about drivers or pairing controllers.
4. Play the game and post your thoughts for us here or on our Community Forum.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!