What Was Made

I started the game jam with no ideas. I did have two anti-ideas, though: I wasn't going to make a shooter that automatically shoots and I wasn't going to make a game that randomizes important elements (what keys do, what upgrades you have, etc.).

I knew I was going to us GBStudio, since it was the program I was most experienced in. My concept had to be workable on a GameBoy, so I decided to go with a puzzle game.

While brainstorming ideas, I made up the GMTK Game Jam logo into 2-bit art. As I was working, I came up with the idea of slowly removing the player's controls. I quickly typed out some design notes.

Original Design

My original design notes were:

• A puzzle game where the player slowly loses control of what they can do. The start out able to move in any direction, then only three. Later, only two, then only one.
• Important puzzle elements: switch that opens gate(s), teleporter (maybe changing destination?), conveyors/pushers (force character in a direction until wall)
• Story: A knight's child is ill and needs a potion. They go to find it, but are cursed by the evil wizard. They must return home and view their magical mirror to reset themselves.
• 4 Areas: Lake Side (switch/gate), Deep Forest (teleporter), Desert (conveyors), Wizard's Mansion (all three, combined)

What I Finished

I made the central hub, the knight's home, and the village. Then I added the small pyramid (it was originally going to be past the first teleporter puzzle). I programmed the first part and tested the switch controls, teleporters, and removing a direction. That was the end of the day on Friday.

On Saturday morning, I began to design puzzles. I designed 6 puzzles for each of the basic elements. I programmed the first four in the lakeside. Then I was called into work, and had to leave the project.

At work, I managed to design about twenty puzzles for the wizard's mansion.

In the evening, I made up the tutorial in the village. I programmed the characters, and made the first four teleport puzzles. Then I realized I was running out of time. I scrapped the desert and the conveyors, which eliminated the puzzles in mansion as well.

Sunday morning, I programmed the first four mansion puzzles and the final cutscene. By this point, I had four hours left, so I abandoned the remaining puzzles, despite how much I wanted to include them.

I did testing, made a quick title screen, fixed as many bugs as I could. I uploaded a version at two hours before the deadline, then a second version fifteen minutes before.

What I Did Not Finish

There are still several bugs in the game, including the gates opening in weird directions. That is a bug I'll fix for the final release.

One of the gate puzzles looks complicated, but has a really simple solution. I want to re-work the puzzle.

I did not manage to create any sound effects or music for the game. GameBoy music gets repetetive, but I would have liked to add effects for the gates and teleporters.

Most annoyingly, I didn't manage to program all of the puzzles. I wish I could have added the desert and added many more puzzles for wizard's mansion. Especially a final set of puzzles with the player only able to move in two directions that change between puzzles: left & up, right & left, down & right, etc.

What is Next?

After the Game Jam judging is over, I want to add more to the game: the desert & conveyors, the additional puzzles, and more levels to the wizard's mansion. I want to do some more testing to fix bugs and arrange the puzzles in a proper order.