I am not in authority here but I will say yes you can make a game like them. Just don't blatantly copy the same game. Try to have your own take on it, adding interesting mechanics and using different perspective like doing 3D for a 2D game might help. The thing is that every game has originated from other games, like every side scroller came from mario, but they had different takes on the same thing. This is your first jam, so just follow the rules and have fun!