#23

About the Jam

This is a casual horror jam. Simply put, pick one of the three Themes chosen for the current jam, then make a horror game in 45 days based on your chosen Theme. 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:

Theme 1: Endless Ocean

The sheer vastness of the ocean is as daunting and breathtaking as it is fascinating. This particular ocean goes beyond that though. Sometimes, there's no horizon to sail towards, other times, there are many different ones. It's possible to sail among the moon and stars or even on the underside of the surface. The currents shift and turn in incomprehensible ways and things that seem to be far are actually really close and vice versa.

Scattered islands show up from time to time, capturing glimpses of time and space, offering insights into what once existed, what will be, what could've been and what shouldn't be possible, but exists anyway. The greatest wonders as well as the most fearsome of horrors can be found here.

And now, the Endless Ocean beckons you to set sail upon it! Where will this voyage lead you to?

Bonus Challenges

1) Non-Euclidean Space: In the game, space sometimes doesn't work as it should work in a logical fashion. (For example, two locations that seem to be far apart could be connected by a door that shouldn't lead there etc.)

2) Truly Endless: The game world loops around or is otherwise without clear boundaries.

3) Islands Out Of Time: The game features various islands that seem to contain various random buildings, people and items, as if they were lost in time and ended up there.

Theme 2: Witching Hour

The Witching Hour is a time when supposedly, the magical powers of witches are at their peak and the monsters and evil spirits that stalk the night are at their strongest and most numerous. Traditionally, it is thought to be either the hour just after midnight, or alternatively, when the night is darkest, from about 3 AM to 4 AM.

Walpurgis Night, the night between the 30th of April and 1st of May, was strongly associated with witchcraft, for it was supposed to be the night when witches have their grand sabbath. And on this night, people would come together to light large bonfires and burn straw effigies of witches in them, supposedly in order to weaken their power.

Perhaps your game's protagonist ran afoul of a malevolent witch and now needs to break a curse that affects them or their loved ones. Or perhaps they are a witch who is persecuted for something they didn't do. Or whatever else you come up with for this upcoming Witching Hour, the choice is yours!

Bonus Challenges

1) Break The Witch's Curse: The goal of the game is to break some kind of curse that afflicts the protagonist and/or someone they care about, while an antagonistic, evil witch actively tries to hinder the protagonist's efforts.

2) Familiar: The player character is assisted by some kind of magical being who helps out the player in some way (for example it could fight alongside the player, be used in puzzles, used to distract enemies, provide helpful advice, act as a save-point/restore HP etc.)

3) Potion Brewing: There's a part in the game where the protagonist has to brew some kind of a potion by following a recipe.

Theme 3: Macabre Carnival

There are many strange rumours circulating around a certain travelling carnival, one that hides a sinister secret behind its bright and colourful exterior. And this secret ties it very closely to death and the underworld.

The many different rides and games are supposed to be hosted by restless spirits of the dead, who rely on various masks and costumes to hide their true nature. The rides might not cost money to let attendees use them, but instead require trading memories or souls. And the many carnival games one can participate in might carry greater consequences for winning or losing than the loss or gain of some carnival tokens.

Then, once night comes around, the carnival staff are said to take off their masks and costumes and unleash a maddening performance that beckons the remaining attendees to leave their life behind and join this travelling carnival... forever.

Is this all true, or merely a myth? That is for your game's protagonist to find out as they attend this Macabre Carnival!

Bonus Challenges

1) Masks and Costumes: The player character has the ability to wear different Masks and/or Costumes that each have a different effect, such as giving them special abilities or allowing them access to different areas.

2) Carnival Games: The player is able to participate in various minigames.

3) Danse Macabre: There are dancing skeletons in the game.

RULES AND FAQ:

When can I start working on my game?

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.

Is it allowed to use premade assets?

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.

Can I use any game engine or framework I want to make my game?

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.

Are AI-generated assets allowed?

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.

Can I make a physical/tabletop game for the jam?

Yes, you can.

Can I team up with other people for the jam?

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.

Does my game jam submission have to be a horror game?

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.

Can I submit an incomplete game?

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.

Can my game contain depictions of brutal violence, gore etc.?

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.

Does my game have to follow the Theme I chose out of the three possible ones?

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.

Are the Bonus Challenges optional?

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.

Does my game jam submission have to be free?

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.

Is it possible to submit a game to the jam after the Submission Period 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.

Are there any other rules I should know about?

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