Before I explain why I made this decision, let me give you some context about last year’s Spooktober Jam. Participating in this jam has become a tradition for me—this will be my fourth time taking part. However, this time around, I’ll be taking on a different role. While I’ll still lead the project, I won’t be handling the programming. Since I don’t have much experience with the Godot engine, I’ll focus on what I’m best at: production and narrative design.
The idea for the narrative of this game came to me last year, right after finishing our entry for the previous Spooktober Jam. I thought, “What if we did a twisted version of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, but with a humorous twist similar to The Addams Family?" And that's when the idea for Cook or Be Cooked was born.
At first, I shelved the idea because I had other projects and personal matters to focus on, but the concept kept resurfacing in my mind—how the story should unfold and how the visuals could complement the narrative.
I started pre-production some time ago, working on initial concepts and creating a spreadsheet to organize my ideas and plot the story. To be honest, I could have started this project earlier because I think it has the potential for a proper commercial release. But I decided to officially kick off development with this year’s October jam for a few reasons.
First, Spooktober Jam has become a tradition for me, and it felt appropriate to start this project now to honor the fact that the idea was born after last year’s jam ended.
Second, this jam attracts a lot of participants, and it’s more visible than other game jams. If streamers or YouTubers notice our game, we could gain some feedback and additional visibility, which is important for the game’s development. We’re planning to release a self-contained demo by the end of the month, and I expect the full game to be ready in five to six months. This aligns with my strategy of releasing one or two games per year.
And, most importantly: I’m just looking forward to having some fun with this project! I hope everyone participating in the jam is having a blast, and I wish you all the best!
Below you can find some draft concepts of the characters.
https://www.alexitsios.com/2024/09/why-im-participating-in-this-years.html
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I'm loving your drafts, especially that frankly sinister and haunting beauty at the bottom. You can feel the disenfranchisement from the one wearing the star and the gentleman looks like he's about to either crack the biggest case in history and/or absolutely ruin someone's day with what he has to say.
I look forward to seeing what you bring to this year's competition. As the host, I appreciate this write up on your reasons for joining, and I'm glad the competition has become something worthy of holding a tradition for.
Thanks for your kind words, Nai! I hope I'll make something worthy of everyone's attention this year!