The recommended voting criteria advises to save your 5-star rating for the best in each category. Now that voting has ended, which entries got your 5? Did multiple win one category? Did none win at all?
Overall: This was a tight eleventh-hour race. While it ultimately went to Harolds In Time for the sheer amount of love, detail, and effort put into it, Harold In just barely trailed behind for most of the same reasons. They excelled in every category and offered great characters, story, and even custom art!
Gameplay: My favorite-playing game of the RPG Maker-themed game jam was not a RPG. Harold Voidskipper just felt really good to play! I played with a keyboard and mouse which definitely influenced my vote, as having one hand on WASD to move with the other on my mouse to aim, slash, and throw sparks was very comfortable and easy to get the hang of. In addition, the game is very simple from a foundational standpoint, but lay on those enemies thick and make that final boss one crazy mofo and it practically turns into a bullet hell. I mentioned in my review it's a great blend of difficulty and forgiveness.
Music: This one was surprisingly close, but I had to abandon my gripes about 8-bit music in a RTP setting and give it to Crueldown. Sawyer got my 5 with a completely original soundtrack that told a story and created a multiverse. I've been saying Sawyer can just write a really damn good song regardless of constraints. Check out his BandCamp album Heroic Return, featuring both the music of Crueldown and his amazing final boss theme from Harold Voidskipper!
Story: The best story of the jam is... nothing?! I ended up not giving a 5 to any game in this category. Heroes Come and Go would have easily taken it, but the story ends mid-climax and couldn't receive my 5 for that reason. Harold In and Harolds In Time both exceeded 45 minutes, so I unfortunately had to judge based on the glimpse of the story I got.
Graphics: Once again big Nate comes through with Harold Voidskipper. What sold me was how clear and expressive his sprites are despite the low resolution. This is something I've been dying to achieve with my own game, so this was awesome to see. Honorable mention goes to Harold In for nearly snatching the 5 with its original sprites and distinctly RPG Maker style.
Comedy: POO WINS COMEDY? Brew wins comedy with Mental Gear Solid: The Twin Japes! It was a very tight race between this and Loriesquare's IN-sane eventing, but MGS barely edged it out because it stuck in my head longer. Classic Brew puns and japes everywhere, but the highlight was definitely the timed Snake Eater sequence as Harold climbs the ladder. I also know lightning and air manipulation.