This jam is now over. It ran from 2020-07-31 23:00:00 to 2020-08-16 22:59:59. View results

Make a game at 64x64 resolution or lower!

Join us on Discord


Optional Themes:

Here are the multiple OPTIONAL themes, you can use one, two, all of them or none of them, it's just to help along those of you who like the extra challenge or need some inspiration

  • Infiltration
  • Always Moving
  • Parallel Universe
  • You Are The Weapon
  • Recoil
  • Hotdogs
  • Slippery
  • You Are Terrifying
  • Life As An NPC
  • It's Not Really There

Who?

The LOWREZJAM was originally devised and hosted by Devi Ever. I, Jack Oatley, have been hosting it since 2017 (2020 will be the 4th for me), the show must go on! Also this year, my co-host on JamCraft, Matharoo, will be helping out! LOWREZJAM 2016 was my first jam on itch.io, and I met a lot of cool people and it was fun to enter. My hope is that this can be the case for many others!

When?

Jam: August 1st (Saturday, start of day) - August 16th (Sunday, end of day)

Voting: August 17th (start of day) - August 24th (end of day)

Where?

You're already there! The jam will be hosted here on Itch.io. Though it is highly recommended you also share on Twitter using the hashtag: #LOWREZJAM. And join in on the community chat in the jam forums here (See Community link near top of page), it is also good to keep a devlog of your game's progress here. And you can join our Discord server!

What?

The goal of the jam is to create a game with a resolution of 64x64 pixels or less. You can use whatever programming language or tools that you wish. With no other restrictions on graphics, sound, 2D or 3D, nor a theme. The world is your oyster, as long as you stay in your 64x64 cage, of course! The game can be scaled up to fit in a bigger window, but the view in game must remain 64x64! More can be found out in the FAQ below.

How?

Creating something in such a small space is certainly a challenge, but far from impossible. You only have to check out 2016's 387 submissions, 2017's 233 submissions, 2018's 169 submissions, and 2019's 178 submissions to see so many possibilities. Here's straight up examples:


2016's highest rated game: Umbri by Cronus
2017's highest rated game: Legend Of Xenia 2 by Baku 		 
2019's Sushi Belt by Munro

2016's Norman's Sky by nothke
2018's 3rd place Demon's Hymn 2 by Untied Games
2019's Heart by havik

So, what do I win?

There are no prizes for this jam. Only the enjoyment of friendly competition within a great community, the experience of challenging oneself in news ways and to gain learning and inspiration! You are however welcome to make friendly wagers with your personal friends on who orders the next take out.

Who decides?

After the submission period there will be a rating period where others' who submitted a game (including teammates) can play and rate games. There are 4 rating categories; Gameplay, Graphics, Audio and Authenticity. Authenticity is the most subjective category here, some people see it as a hard rule where if your game isn't perfectly 64x64 or less, or has sub-pixels going on, you'll get a low rating, some people see it as how your design works given the restriction. It tends to be the case that most people get rated highly in the category, so they may end up 89th, for example, but actually have a perfect 5 stars. Don't worry, this would actually have little effect on your overall score as it's the rating itself that matters, not your position in that category! There is also a few optional questions to give people rating your game a better idea/context of your experience while making it.

Extra Resources:

Graphical Ideas - Need ideas for a graphical style? Check out this Pinterest board by Seba: https://pin.it/pe76ygrxbhaebv

Pancake Library - Is an easy to use and well documented game library by MightyPancake that works with the LÖVE engine (Lua): http://mightypancake.games/#/. You can also find it on GitHub: https://github.com/pancake-library/pancake

Quadplay - The Quadplay fantasy console by CasualEffects is now in public beta. Designed to be easier than Nano (listed below) and other fantasy consoles such as Pico-8. https://github.com/morgan3d/quadplay

Pixel Vision 8 - is a fantasy console and has several templates designed for #LOWREZJAM to help you overcome and embrace the graphical challenges of the jam. You can find the templates here: https://www.pixelvision8.com/low-rez-jame-systems. And you can follow PV8 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pixelvision8

Nano - A nifty fantasy console whose native resolution is 64x64. It seems you have to run the game on the site, but you can generate a link directly to your project. https://morgan3d.github.io/nano/

FAQ:

  • Is there a theme? There is 10 OPTIONAL themes,  theme is an unrated category.
  • Can I work with a team: YEP!
  • Can I submit more than one game: YEP!
  • What language or tools can I use? Absolutely anything.
  • Are there restrictions on sound or music? NOPE.
  • What existing assets can I use? While it's encouraged to create original assets for your game, you're welcome to use any assets you have the legal right to use, furthermore; it's always good to credit sources even if you don't have to!
  • Can I scale the screen/window? YES! As long as the game resolution of 64x64 is maintained.
  • Can I go lower than the 64x64 resolution? As per previous LOWREZJAMS, YES!
  • Can I go higher than the 64x64 resolution? NO. That would just defy the point of the jam.
  • Can I make one dimension larger than 64 if I shrink the other dimension? NO. Stop being cheeky, you ain't getting outta this that easy!
  • My game is for mobile, can I include controls outside the 64x64 limit? YES! As long as they are just controls.
  • My game is for web, can I add border art outside the 64x64 limit? YES! As long as it's part of the page and not rendered by the game.
  • I want to use Pico-8, which has a resolution of 128x128, what do I do? There is a mode, called "mode 3" that sets your game to 64x64, I don't know much about it but this is how to set it: poke(0x5f2c,3). And here's a source reference https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=20835.
  • I want to use LIKO-12, TIC-80 or [insert other fantasy console here], but I CAN'T change the resolution to 64x64, what do I do?  In this case, YES you're allowed to clip the screen to only use 64x64 or lower, and leave the rest as empty (preferably black) space.
  • Can I have a higher window resolution if it's only to maintain a certain aspect ratio? Like above, YES, but make sure it's blank space. For example; most engines will do this anyway when going fullscreen, rather than stretch.
  • Can I use screen effects like CRT or scanlines that may exceed the actual 64x64 limit? YES! But, make sure it's optional and that the game itself is 64x64 before effects.
  • I use a software that forces a splash-screen that doesn't conform to the 64x64 resolution, is this OK? YES! It's not your fault, so we won't hold it against you!