Roll the Dice With GMTK Game Jam 2022
GMTK Game Jam 2022 is all about rolling dice. These indie devs have only 48 hours to build a game from scratch!
Game Maker’s Toolkit is a channel I’ve been following for many years now. I got hooked during his Boss Keys series over on his YouTube channel. In the series, Mark Brown breaks down Legend of Zelda’s dungeons and looks at each of them through an analytical lens. Since then, his channel and brand have grown quite extensively. To that point, GMTK Game Jam 2022 is currently wrapping up over on itch.io.
A Game Jam is an event where video game developers work to make a brand new game from scratch in some predetermined allotment of time. Once time’s up, the games are released to the public and the voting begins!
The Game Jam will usually have some theme, as decided by the one running the event. In the case of GMTK Game Jam 2022, the theme was “Roll of the Die” and devs had a mere 48 hours to complete their game. There are purposefully no guidelines on how to interpret the theme. Game Jams are meant to drive creativity, so however the dev wishes to engage with the theme is up to them.
The submission period is over and there are over 6,000 entries this year, making it the largest Game Jam in itch.io history!
The GMTK Game Jam 2022 submission list is randomized by design, and voting is open to anyone with an account. You have to review a selection of 10 random games first, but then you can go vote on any submission you want. But, here are a few that I’ve enjoyed.
Keep in mind these games aren’t meant to be completed games. They are prototypes, showing off what could become a fully-fledged game, if it gets enough attention.
Pip Factory
Pip Factory is a mix between Factorio and Cookie Clicker, but with dice. You start with a single die on an infinite grid. Clicking the die earns you as many points as the die shows. Keep clicking and eventually, there’s a little pop-up in the corner. This lets you buy an additional die. Now you alternate clicking between both dice.
After more clicking, you unlock cards that offer special abilities. This could be a higher chance of rolling well, bonuses for rolling triplets, things like that. And eventually, you unlock Cups. Cups will automatically roll every adjacent die. Soon, you’ve set up a small factory of automatically rolling dice, and you’re raking in the points.
Pip Factory is definitely one with good potential. The foundation is solid and it’s easy to imagine new and inventive mechanics that could slot very easily into a game like this. I really hope this one gets more development after the Jam.
Randomancer
Randomancer is a Plants vs Zombies-style wave defense game. Enemies appear on the right side of the screen and slowly walk left. You have a selection of weapons and defenses to stop them, which are all on your dice. It took me a minute to sort out the process. First, you roll the die anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Once the die settles, then you will have a weapon that you can place somewhere on the board.
Between waves, you’ll gain new dice and recycle out old ones. Not only is this a fun game overall, but it’s also got voice-over for the opening! Randomancer is genuinely really fun and I had a great time playing through a few waves.
Dice’s Odyssey
I’m a sucker for puzzle games, and Dice’s Odyssey is a simple but clever puzzle game. The premise is simple: You are a die. Get to the end of the maze. But, there are certain spaces that you can only enter if, when you roll onto it, your top face must be that value.
It’s a game that really makes you think about the way dice move and roll. This game gave me heavy Baba Is You vibes, not only in aesthetic but in the additional mechanics that start to get added in later on. As absolutely terrible as I am at Dice’s Odyssey, I can see myself playing for many hours.
I’m a big fan of dice games in general so GMTK Game Jam 2022 has been great for me so far. I’m still running through a lot of the submissions and finding new gems.
