Welcome to the 3rd Retro Platform Jam! The objective of this jam is to make a game for any obsolete console or computer, either for real hardware or emulation.

The official community of the Retro Platform Jam is the RetroDev Discord Server. Join us today at:

https://discord.gg/3rJvha46Zm

Theme

"THE UNKNOWN"

Platforms

Games for the Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Game Boy, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, 68k Macintosh, Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga, Spectrum, DOS, MSX, PC-88, PC-98, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, Dreamcast, PICO-8, and more will be accepted! Platforms satisfying these criteria are allowed:

• Any game console or handheld released before November 22, 2005.
• Any non-Windows, non-Mac PC Operating System released before October 24, 1999.
• Windows 95 or earlier, as long as the game runs on a 486, Am5x86, or PCem virtual machine configured with a 486.
• Mac OS 9 or earlier.
• PC-9800 series computers (exempt from Windows restrictions).
• Any other computer, embedded device, or electronic device released on or before December 31, 1999.
• Pico-8.

Rules

• You may use any assets you have the rights to use. This includes libraries, frameworks, engines, external tools, and previously-made graphics or audio.
• Games must be either new or ported to a new platform. The game cannot have been released to players or submitted to a Jam previously unless a port to a new platform is submitted to the Jam.
• Your submission should specify which emulators or hardware revisions your game has been tested on. Users on the RetroDev Discord server may be available to help test your game on hardware, at their discretion.
• Team submissions are accepted with no team size restrictions.
• No NSFW content, sexism, racism, discrimination or any kind of exclusion is allowed.

If possible, we heavily suggest you record and upload a video of your game running on an emulator or hardware. This is especially important if your game runs on a lesser-known or difficult-to-emulate platform.

Voting

Games will be rated by participants and contributors in the following areas:

1. Fun - how fun is the game to play? How good does gameplay feel?
2. Game Design - how well is the game constructed? Do the game systems work together to make a cohesive whole? Are there innovative game mechanics or concepts?
3. Platform Usage - this is basically our graphics and audio category, but submissions might be for platforms with radically different capabilities. Do the graphics and audio represent the standards and style of the chosen platform? Are the graphics and audio aesthetically pleasing and/or creative?
4. Theme - how well does the game use the Jam’s theme? How creative is the game’s interpretation of the theme?

Engines, SDKs, and Dev Environments

Below are some tools and resources for developing games for retro platforms:

• GBStudio - drag-and-drop game development environment for Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
• 8bitworkshop - provides an online, interactive assembler and a number of books to build games for the NES, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and more. It would be possible to build your entire game on their site!
• NESmaker - commercial ($36) set of tools to build NES games with or without code.
• SGDK - C-based development kit for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive that can help a programmer start a game for the platform more easily than using pure 68k assembly language. If you want to get running quickly, are using Linux or MacOS, and are comfortable with Docker, the entire environment can be run from a Docker container.
• Turbo Rascal Syntax Error - "a complete suite (IDE, compiler, programming language, resource editor) intended for developing games/demos for 8 / 16-bit line of computers, with a focus on the MOS 6502, the Motorola 68000, the (GB)Z80 and the X86."
• Butano - modern C++ high-level engine for the Game Boy Advance.
• C64 Studio is a program that helps developers build for the Commodore 64 in BASIC or Assembly Language. A manual of Commodore 64 hardware and programming info is available here.
• PVSneslib - C-based library for SNES development with compilers and examples included. Additional information about developing for the SNES can be found at https://wiki.superfamicom.org/ and https://problemkaputt.de/fullsnes.htm.
• DreamSDK - modern development environment for the Sega Dreamcast.
• Jo Engine - 2D and 3D game engine for the Sega Saturn.
• Scorpion Editor (https://github.com/earok/scorpion-editor-demos), editor and compiler for Amiga.
• Multi-Platform Arcade Game Designer - tool to create games for various 8-bit computers including the ZX Spectrum, MSX, Amstrad CPC, and more.
• PICO-8 - likely the most well-known fantasy console.

Compilers

• z88dk - C compiler and assembler for various 8088 and z80-based computers.
• SDCC, Small Device C Compiler - C compiler suite for a large number of processors, particularly ones used in embedded devices.
• cc65 - C compiler for 6502-based systems including the NES, Commodore Vic-20 / C16 / C64, Atari 2600 / 5200, Apple II, and more.

Forums, Tutorials, and Wikis

• Msx.org -  MSX Resource Center.
• Lemon64 - all-around resource for the Commodore 64 scene.
• SpritesMind - community for Sega console and arcade hardware development.
• NESDev Programming Guide - very comprehensive set of articles, tutorials, and links for programming games on the NES.
• The Awesome Game Boy Advance Development List - links to various resources for GBA development.