Global Game Jam Cologne Round Up #1

Let’s switch to something more pleasant, shall we? There was a Global Game Jam last weekend after all and I don’t want to end up yapping only about my AWESOME modest contribution. There were a lot of other wonderful games being worked on at Global Game Jam Cologne and I wanted to present some of them to you:

Authors: Fabricio Rosa Marquez, Olga Epikhina, Achim Fell, Benjamin Gögge, Volker Zerbe.

Phantom Limb

Phantom Limb is a simple platformer where your character is slowly dissolving. You must break apart and absorb other objects to regenerate your character’s body. But by absorbing other objects, you character also changes it’s shape. It’s a pity that technical details limited the team’s ability to concentrate on the gameplay. I still think the result is quite fascinating. The visuals are striking and I like details like the fact that the game runs from right to left. The team said it was because you are playing a destructive force.

Authors: Jonathan Giroux, wsmind, Fabian Kampa

The Split-Up Game

The Split-Up Game is based around a quite unique concept. It is a game made for two players. The players are supposed to play at the same keyboard sitting next to each other. A cardboard separator needs to be installed to split the screen in two halves and make sure that each player can only see their side. The players are supposed to be a couple. Within the game, they also play a couple. The game revolves around exchanging objects between the players and using them to cooperate… or secretly gaining an advantage. Although the game-play could use some work to create more difficult dilemmas, the core idea of splitting the screen is quite bold. It reminded me of the recent concept of using 3D TVs with glasses to make two players both see a different screen.

Authors: Tim Fehske, Marcus Bösch

HIV Extinction 1981

HIV Extinction 1981 (game playable here) is a very creative take on the subject “Extinction”. The game takes place in a gay disco in 1981. It’s the outbreak of HIV and the player collects “hearts” to shoot condoms at other people dancing so that they gently float into the sky. Oh and the game comes in black and white aesthetic. And it’s length is tied to the length of the song.It’s fair to say that Marcus Bösch blew everybody’s mind with this concept and it remains one of the audience’s favorites. It also seems like it caught some attention over at Gay Gamer. Dennis Farr made some excellent observations about the game there. I think this is a good example of how an game idea doesn’t need to be technically complicated to be effective.

But these are only 3 of 9 games from our Game Jam location. More coming soon!