itch.io

The results are in and they are very close! The overall winners weren't based on Itch's ratings (that wasn't really a factor). The deciding factor for me was the theme and how closely it matched it, with the narrative and game design being secondary.

WINNER: Kailun (Knifish)

RUNNER-UP: ingenoire

I'd also like to honorably mention SearedSquawker and add them as 2nd RUNNER-UP with the prize being a pre-release key for my soon-to-be-released Market Pack (if interested).

Thank you once again to all who submitted. In my opinion, everyone who submitted is still a winner in my books!

(This will be the last game jam I host for awhile, but I'm sure others will host some, including AmalgamAsh's Year Long Game Jam.)

The main character and city design are gorgeous!

I like the haggling system, but found it rather frustrating, as it's a bit hit-and-miss. Plus the MC tended to be somewhat discourteous. The addition of extra dialogue options as the game progresses is a nice touch, although many of them drove potential customers away right from the start. I tried to pay close attention to the descriptions when first approaching them and did see some interest, though "negotiating" too much still caused most of them to run away without a sale. If you can tweak the haggling system and dialogue, this would be a great game.

The overall concept of the game is quite fun and funny. Any form of humor - whether subtle or overt - is a good thing.

Thanks for submitting this to the game jam!

I will reflect what Phoenix said in his comment. Sometimes just creating something like this - as short or as long as it is - can be pure catharsis, and nothing else. And despite its brevity, I feel that pain and hear that frustrations on all levels mentioned. I won't rate this, as it's more an "expression of thought", and valid, so I put it in a category of its own!

Thank you for sharing and submitting!

Absolutely love this game!

I'm completely enamored by the unique dice-rolling mechanics this game has. I admit to wanting to rage-quit a few times because, well, with fighting Krampus, Lady Luck was not on my side more often than not, it seems. That element of "luck" rather than a fixed hit-and-miss ratio adds to the game.

This was a surprising entry to the game jam, so thank you for submitting it!

There's a word to describe your style: "grandiloquent". Your art style, animations, game mechanics, and GUI are unique. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised that one of the antagonists was named "OpponentWulf" (referred to by Odielak as "Wulfy"), which is piquant because my least favourite time of the year is Xmas.

I would say that the real-time ABS is hard to use. This isn't necessarily a reflection on the way it's designed, nor Bakin itself, but my own personal preference and my lack of hand-to-eye coordination. (And I don't have a controller so using a keyboard makes it a bit more awkward.) I think switching to the turn-based battle system at the end, Odielak's skills in particular hit harder, so it involved a bit more strategy and forward-thinking.

Thanks for submitting this game!

Nice and fun game. After several playthroughs I finally managed to memorise the ingredients and instructions, but the first two times as they were listed so rapidly I went cross-eyed and got lost! Haha.

Thanks for submitting this game!

This is a well designed entry with a good amount of lore (I'm a sucker for lore). I love the way the combat and systems are implemented, with multiple types of "magic", which makes you think more strategically on their use and not a kind of "one type for each".

I didn't dare to try Rogue Mode, by the way, daunted by the inferred insanity. I generally like a more casual, stress-free gameplay. But it's always great to see difficulty levels in games for something more challenging.

I'm incredibly curious about CharlieCat now. And equally intrigued by the game, where it's going, and to discover more of its lore. I'd definitely like to see progress on this game as a whole.

Thanks for submitting this. As short as it was, I thoroughly enjoyed playing it.

The winners for the Xmas 2024 Game Jam will be announced tomorrow.

As a remineder, here are the prizes up for grabs:

The WINNER will receive:

• One DLC of their choice (sponsored by SmileBoom)
• One of my assets packs, including any upcoming releases (sponsored by Companion Wulf)
• A custom script/plugin (sponsored by Jagonz)

The RUNNER-UP will receive:

• One DLC of their choice (sponsored by SmileBoom)

All participants will receive a special trophy (created by 8Pancakes4Lunch) plus Ultra Time System OR Flying & Paragliding System Plugins (sponsored by Knifish Games).

Thank you to all who participated. It's been a pleasure playing through the games, with each unique in their own right.

So close to the deadline - 4 hours at the time of writing this.

There are some great prizes up for grabs, so don't forget to submit your projects. Remember that it doesn't need to be complete.

Unfortunately, 2 submissions - from the same author - were disqualified.

Regardless, I would like to thank all participants and sponsors.

This will be the last game jam I'll host for a very long time. It's been fun hosting the Xmas 2024 and Halloween 2024 Game Jams, and there have been some remarkable games submitted.

There are only 2 days left to submit your games.

I can't believe how fast the time went or that it's 2025 already! As someone pointed out today to put things into perspective: "It's a quarter century after the Millennium."

Your games don't need to be complete games. Even if your game is a demo, proof-of-concept, or unfinished project, it doesn't matter because it's not the submission itself, but the participation that counts.

There are prizes up for grabs for the winner and a runner-up, as well as something for all participants.

Congratulations Aurion Games!

The results were very close, but the winner has been determined. Thank you to all those who submitted to the Halloween 2024 Game Jam.

• WINNER: Lost Dream: The Tomb by Aurion Games.
• 1ST RUNNER UP: To Their World by Knifish Games.
• 2ND RUNNER UP: Dahlia - Lost in the Underworld by KatStart.

In my opinion, though, everyone who participated is a winner for submitting their games. The quality of submissions to the jam was spectacular and we all had fun playing them.

As a reminder, these are the prizes:

• One DLC of the winner's choice (sponsored by SmileBoom)
• $10 Steam gift cards for the top 3 submissions (sponsored by 8pancakes4lunch)
• Ultra Time System OR Flying & Paragliding System Plugins (sponsored by Knifish Games)
• A unique model for all participants, with the winner receiving a gold variation (created by Companion Wulf)

Please contact me, Companion Wulf, in Discord to claim your prizes!

Thanks!
Yes, the spinning camera definitely needs work. I just lost patience with setting up the cameras LOL.

Frustratingly fun! I thoroughly enjoyed this game. The underlying story was succinctly told but in a way that fit the game. A very nice touch was the NG+ bonus game!

Very nicely done! Thanks for this submission!

Unfortunately yes. Submissions ended about an hour and a quarter ago (at the time of this post).

I can't believe the deadline is almost upon us. 6 hours left!

There's still time to finalize and upload your submissions, which we're looking forward to playing (and judging, of course).

Congrats and thanks to those who have already submitted. I'm going to start going through the games at the weekend.

Who Will Be Judging

The judges will be:

• Me (Companion Wulf)
• AmalgamAsh
• Ophidian Ren
• Jagonz
• Melon Toucan

We'll play through each one and discuss them at length most likely in a private channel on Discord. And then we'll decide the Winner, who will receive the following prizes:

• One DLC of the winner's choice (sponsored by SmileBoom)
• $10 Steam gift cards for the top 3 submissions (sponsored by 8pancakes4lunch)
• Ultra Time System OR Flying & Paragliding System Plugins (sponsored by Knifish Games)
• A unique model for all participants, with the winner receiving a gold variation (created by Companion Wulf)

¶ To clarify, by "all participants" I mean those who have actually submitted the game, not those who have joined and not submitted anything (for whatever reason).

Once the Winner has been decided, Ash will make the announcement in Discord and I will announce it on my X (Twitter) account and on the Bakin Athenaeum.

Thanks to All Participants

Thanks to all those who did submit their games to the Halloween 2024 Game Jam.

¶ I might also host the Xmas 2024 Game Jam, depending on what happens between now and November.

There are 5 days left!

There's no need to panic. There's time enough to finish your game. (That said, I might be kinda panicking!)

It doesn't matter if your submission is finished. The purpose of this game jam is more about participating and challenging yourself. There might be many reasons for an incomplete submission - work, life, or personal stuff - but it's better to submit something, right?. This doesn't reflect what you can do or the best you can be. It's more an expression of your ideas, which can be expanded upon later. For me, it's interesting from the standpoint of a gamer and developer to experience even a part of the developer's vision.

If some areas are unfinished, why not place a barrier? It could be a message like "Area unavailable in this version." or blockades to indicate that the area is inaccessible, perhaps security guards who tell you the same thing when you talk to them.

Games can be demos, proof-of-concepts, unfinished games, or of course completed games. They'll be judged equally with the main theme - the Afterlife - in mind.

You can even submit a placeholder, with an "early" version made available. And that way you can upload a more "ready" version nearer to the deadline. Consider this as a safeguard or failsafe, with your submission safe. We will overlook any bugs - unless they're completely game-breaking - because we get that there will be some you might have overlooked.

One of the most important things to remember is to check the countdown on the Halloween 2024 Game Jam's page. This is accurate according to your timezone. Nothing is worse than submitting a game after the deadline because you missed it even by a few minutes. Games submitted after the deadline is up won't qualify, so don't wait until the very last minute.

I'm looking forward to playing through others' games, as there have been some truly amazing ones created for other game jams. And some of them push Bakin to their limits or beyond. It's a testimony to what the engine is truly capable of and the talent of the creators themselves.

So, let's get cracking. push through the barriers, and get those creative juices flowing!

Thanks to Knifish Games, another prize has been added.

It looks like there are prizes after all, so all the more reason to join and submit.

So the prizes are:

• One DLC of the winner's choice (sponsored by SmileBoom)
• $10 Steam gift cards for the top 3 submissions (sponsored by 8pancakes4lunch)
• Ultra Time System OR Flying & Paragliding System Plugins (sponsored by Knifish Games)
• A unique model for all participants, with the winner receiving a gold variation (created by Companion Wulf)

Regardless of who wins, aside from the credit for creating a game, demo, etc., you'll still be a winner.!

Thank you times two! 

You're right about Bakin just clicking. It was the same way with me and SGB originally. Right place, right time when I was offered to beta-test it and that clicked, so since Bakin is essentially its spiritual successor the same applied. However, whatever knowledge I gained from SGB was more easily transferred to Bakin, as opposed to going straight to UE5 or even Godot. Teaching an old dog new tricks. LOL

The only problem is I want to now push Bakin to beyond its limits, hence The Explorer's Guild!

Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, I put quite a lot of work into the game, including learning Blender more seriously. It's been fun creating things for it and trying to push Bakin (and myself) a bit further each time.

I played through a bit of Tragedy of the Fell Crab and enjoyed it immensely, though would ideally like to start doing video playthroughs of games as well.

I hear ya about the "million updates every hour". Stopped following a few of those. It's like cleaning a window. Once the grime is gone, you can actually see out of it again. Haha!

THANK YOU to all who participated in this game jam and managed to come into the announcement livestream.

There were some remarkable submissions and it was a tough decision to determine the winners. But...

Everyone who submitted is a winner regardless!

The winners were announced in the livestream. For those who missed it, they are:

  GRAND WINNER: OnePlay Family

  1ST RUNNER-UP: ChipSet Games

  2ND RUNNER-UP: Knifish

~ CONGATULATIONS! ~

Please contact me in Discord DM for details on getting your prizes to you including the trophies!

Thanks to all those who sumbitted qualifying games to the RPG Developer Bakin 2023 Game Jam.

The jam's deadline is upon us. So over the next week or so, AmalgamAsh, Flawmore and I will play through the games and decide together who wins Grand Prize, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up.

It's going to be a tough decision, but in my opinion everyone's a winner for being able to conceive, create and submit a game - short or long - in a relatively short amount of time.

Once we've decided the winners, I will play through them in livestream and announce the winners at the end, probably around the 14th or 15th of May. I realise that not everyone will be able to attend. However, I'll try and accommodate a time that suits everyone.

Deadline Extension

The deadline for submissions has been extended to the end of the month (30th) at 1159pm GMT.

This will give participants - at least those who haven't submitted yet - a chance to polish their submissions off. And it'll give those who haven't submitted to bash out something Easter related.

There are a lot of cool prizes in this jam and I will be adding 2 more before the end of the month!

Important Notice

I have noticed that at least two games are NOT made in RPG Developer Bakin - something that was very clear - so they will be disqualified. They are automatically ineligible to win any prizes.

I will disqualify these games in livestream and play through those made in RPG Developer Bakin in the stream, but we will announce the Grand Prize winner and the two runners-up then as well!

Submissions are officially open to the Bakin Easter 2023 Game Jam.

The closing date is 27 April, 2023, which gives about 3 weeks to create, complete and polish off your submissions.

There are some great prizes up for grabs, which will be updated later in the game jam (depending on a number of factors). Additionally, all participants will receive a special award model and/or image to show their participation.

The winners will receive a unique trophy model (with an accompanying image):

• Grand Winner - a gold trophy
• First Runner-Up - a silver trophy
• Second Runner-Up - a bronze trophy

These can all be used in future games or showcased on websites and social media.

After the game jam has ended, AmalgamAsh, Flawmore and I (the judges) will determine the winners, which will then be announced in May. I will be doing a live-stream to showcase the submissions and announcing the winners live!

Thanks for your comment!!

Glad that it inspired you. There's so much more to do in this game (models and game play).

Thx. More to come at some point!

Cool, thanks!

SOON!! :D

Awesome, thanks!
I'm not producing any more SGB assets/content, but we can all refer to this collection!

What can I say about this game? Err...Well, a lot. Too much for here.

The character models (and their animations) are superb, very content appropriate. I love the way each character is introduced and how they fit into the context of the game.

There is so much depth, content, subtext, and background lore to the game. I've only played a fraction of it, but was instantly drawn in!

Considering this is a game jam submission, very good job! I am in awe of this game and the way it's put together. Can't wait to play more.

Cat puns!! This game was meow-velous, a clean departure from the usual games created in SGB. I felt very fur-tunate to have played this (sadly and embarrassingly I never had a chance to properly play The Miserable Clown - that needs to change). I didn't finish the game....Who am I kitten? I had to finish it to see who the cat-assin was! (OK, enough cat puns.)

The Cleudo-style map is brilliant, something so simple yet so suitable for the core of the game: an interactive-fiction whoddunit. I guessed correctly second try, maybe because I just over-analysed things.

A treasure! I thoroughly enjoyed this style and would definitely like to see more in the series!

What an absolute gem this was and a joy to play! Absolutely LOVED ALL the references and "shout-outs"! Hilariously apt! As for the gameplay, it was pure destructive fun, something different, with some off-the-wall humor. I haven't played it all the way through yet (kept dying way too much right before I figured out a proper strategy), but looking forward to continuing after the game jam.

The soundscapes added "texture" to the tension building up to the finale. And when I went through it all, actually with a real sense of foreboding, I did NOT expect that ending! Well executed, short and simple escape-room style game!