This is a casual horror jam, open to any game engine and style of horror game. Simply put, pick one of the three Themes chosen for the current jam, then make a horror game in 32 days based on your chosen Theme, using whatever tools you want. There are also optional Bonus Challenges included with each Theme for those who want more guidance. Hopefully, by the end of the game jam, you'll have something playable you can be proud of!
You can also join the jam's Discord server!
For this game jam, you can select one of the following three Themes, with associated optional Bonus Challenges:
The open road calls, beckoning one to start their journey along the miles of asphalt stretching towards the horizon. From then on, life goes by in a blend of passing cars, cheap motel rooms and seedy gas stations. Those who set upon this path tend to take photographs of people they meet, places they pass by, for they might never see them again. And every so often, these photos reveal an unsettling truth lurking just below the surface.
The protagonist of your game will soon experience all of this. Will it truly be just a simple Road Trip for them? Or will they be running from something? Perhaps searching for a purpose that they feel they lack? And is there even an end to this road?
Well, there will be plenty of time to ponder such questions later. Right now is the time for them to pack their bags and set out on this Road Trip!
1) Sightseeing Tour: The goal of the game is to visit various interesting locations and thoroughly explore them.
2) Gas Station Stop: There's a part in the game where the protagonist has to stop at a gas station to refuel their vehicle.
3) Unsettling Photographs: The protagonist is able to take photos of various characters and points of interest, which might reveal unsettling things not visible before taking the photograph (for example, a shadowy person lurking in the distance, a dead body slumped against a fence, bloody messages written on the walls, people on the photo having their eyes scratched out etc.)
Time Travel is a very appealing concept. Who wouldn't want to prevent a tragedy that already happened, set right what went wrong in the past or visit the future? Of course, changes made by a time traveler can also cause unforeseen consequences. And this might result in entirely new tragedies, even greater than the ones that were prevented, no matter how small the changes made might be.
It's also possible that some outside forces won't take kindly to any disruptions caused by time travelers. Strange, sinister beings that hunt down anyone who dares to even try to alter the timeline in any way.
These are the dangers of Time Travel that your game's protagonist should be mindful of as they embark on their journey through time!
1) Journey Through Time: The game primarily takes place at one specific location, which will change significantly during different points in time.
2) Temporal Power: The player gets access to some time-related special powers as gameplay mechanics, such as stopping or reversing time etc.
3) Agent of Change: The game features a puzzle where the player must sufficiently alter a past event to reach a different outcome.
Somewhere in the world, there's a certain Secret Garden, a place that draws in those who have something to hide themselves. It promises to keep their secrets hidden, so long as they agree to let the other secrets buried here lie undisturbed.
The garden itself is filled with many different types of plants, both mundane and seemingly otherworldly, with decorative structures such as garden follies, fountains and statues giving it a refined touch. Cobblestone roads lead towards various areas of interest here in this enchanting place, such as the orchard, the hedge maze, various greenhouses and the conservatory. And deep within the garden's very heart, a small garden villa stands, full of mementos left behind by various lost souls who once sought shelter here.
But just as every rose has its thorns, so does this beautiful garden hide a much darker nature underneath its exterior. One that those who intend to uncover the secrets it wants to keep hidden are bound to experience. Your game might be about this particular garden, or an entirely different one. The important thing is that your game's protagonist has discovered some hidden, Secret Garden. Will they find what they seek there? Or will the hidden dangers of this place prove to be too much for them? That is up to you!
1) The Secret Keeper: The protagonist is entrusted with keeping some important secret.
2) Greenhouse of Horrors: There's a scene in the game where the protagonist is attacked by some kind of plant monster inside a greenhouse.
3) Flower Power: The player can utilize various types of plants to help them out in some way, such as restoring their health, hindering enemies by dealing damage to them or stunning them etc.
You can only start working on the actual game project after the jam's submission period starts, but you can start planning and creating/gathering assets and other resources before that time.
This is a casual game jam, so premade assets are allowed and you can reuse some code from past projects if you want. However, don't go overboard with it. In order to comply with the spirit of the jam, the bulk of the work on your game should be done during the game jam itself.
There's no restriction on the Engine, Libraries or Framework you can use to develop your game. Feel free to use Godot, Unity, Unreal Engine, Game Maker Studio, Construct, Adventure Game Studio, Ren'Py, RPG Maker or anything else you want.
AI-generated assets are allowed, if you disclose their use on the game's project page. This applies even if these originally AI-generated assets are later edited by you.
That said, this is only a requirement if there are any AI-generated assets in your game. It doesn't apply if you've used AI-generated images as inspiration or if you've simply asked ChatGPT for coding advice, for example.
Yes, you can.
Yes, you can form a team. There's no limit to the amount of team members your team can have. You can also work on multiple games or be a part of multiple different teams.
Your game has to be a horror game or at least contain significant horror elements. It doesn't need to be outright scary, so long as it can even remotely be considered one.
We tend to give games the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this, so don't worry about it too much.
This is a game jam, incomplete games are totally fine and expected. You are encouraged to work on your game even during the Rating Period.
Follow itch.io's Terms of Service and tag your game appropriately. We also advise all jam submitters to include content warnings in their games whenever it seems necessary.
You need to incorporate one of the three Themes from the current jam into your game in some way. It's completely up to you how you interpret the Theme, so long as it's obvious that you've at least made an effort to follow it. We aren't too strict with it and creative interpretations are encouraged.
Yes, the Bonus Challenges are totally optional and serve mostly to guide people who need that extra guidance. It's up to you if you decide to implement them or not.
There has to be some kind of free version of your game made available for the duration of the both this game jam's submission period and also its rating period. It could be a free demo version or the game itself being made free for a limited time. This requirement no longer applies after the game jam ends.
This jam accepts late submissions during the Rating Period. A Late Submission Thread will be set up in the jam's Community tab once the submission period ends. Anyone who wants to submit their game to the jam after the submission period ends will have to put a link to their game's project page in said thread and will receive a reply with a Submission Link that will allow them to submit their game to the jam.
After the Rating Period ends, the Community tab will be closed and no further late submissions will be accepted.
1) Follow itch.io's Terms of Service.
2) Follow the Terms of Use of any assets you use in your game.
3) Have fun!
Art by: Broody Gaming
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