The Best Games from GMTK Game Jam 2020

This month, viewers of Game Maker's Toolkit
were part of a record-breaking event.

Over one weekend in July, we held the GMTK
Game Jam for 2020 - which was a manic game-making

marathon where people had to create an entire
game with just 48 hours on the clock.

And that game had to fit a theme - which,
this year - was "Out of Control".

The jam saw a whopping 18,000 people sign up,
and they submitted an absolutely incredible

5,477 games.

Again, it was more than twice as big as last
year's jam.

Again, it was the biggest jam in itch.io's
history.

But this year's event was, by my numbers,
the biggest online-only jam to ever be held.

That's absolutely incredible: thank you so
much to everyone who took part.

Now of course, as much as I'd like to play
every single game - that's just not possible.

So, instead the public rated the games - generating
143,000 ratings.

This gave me a list of the top 100 games in
the "overall" category, which I could play,

and then pick out the 20 games that I think
are worth highlighting.

And so without further ado, these are my 20
favourite games from the GMTK Game Jam 2020

- in no particular order.

Let's start with Restless Wing Syndrome, by
Leko.

This game is about a bird who flaps its tiny
wings every time the countdown at the top

of the screen empties out.

So you need to focus on positioning yourself,
with the right timing, before the next flap.

Now, the basic idea - of having your jump
button be on a timer - was one of those ideas

that got explored over and over again by different
designers.

Even in the top 100, there were half a dozen
different games with this same idea.

But I’m picking Restless Wing Syndrome above
the rest because of one clever addition: the glide.

Having your jump be out of control can be
pretty frustrating, but letting you glide

back down to earth allows for more depth and
nuance to this otherwise simple mechanic.

Especially when you start chaining flaps and
glides in mid-air.

But that’s not all Leko does: the designer
has squeezed even more potential out of the

mechanic, with each level having a different
speed to its countdown, and pick-ups that

replenish your flap.

This is a super polished game, which really
shows the potential platforming thrills that

can be derived from taking control of the
genre’s most prominent mechanic.

Okay, what if you took that idea of actions
happening on a timer - and applied it to music?

Well you get Laserwave, by Daniel Ambrits,
which is a dizzying, neon-dipped, synth-wave

gem that will have you swinging your mouse
about like a DJ scratching a record.

Here’s how it works: the drum beat of the
song dictates what your tiny diamond spaceship

is going to do: low notes cause you to rocket
away from enemies, while high notes cause

you to shoot them with a laser.

What makes this really fun is that both actions
are dictated by the position of your mouse:

so your ship pushes away from your cursor,
but shoots towards it.

And because you generally find yourself pushing
in one direction and then shooting the other,

you’ll end up swinging your mouse back and
forth across the desk in a rhythmic fashion

to match the music.

At the beginning, it’s really tough - but
once you get attuned to the beat of the song

it just feels great.

When you can blast away two enemies in quick
succession as the song plays

that double high note - oof.
That’s the dream right there.

This is both a razor-sharp twin stick shooter
- and also a rhythm game that lets you physically

feel the beat of the music.

The jam also saw a large number of games where
your controls are in-world entities that you

can manipulate: like Game Fixer Kit 2020,
which sees you rewiring your control inputs

while a big scary skeleton breaks your controller
into bits.

The best of the bunch, though, was A Key(s)
Path, by Geegaz.

This looks like an innocuous platformer until
you realise that the controls at the bottom

of the screen can actually be picked up with
the mouse and dragged into the level.

This turns them into blocks that you can jump
on, or use to stop incoming fireballs.

But, here’s the rub: by removing the button
from the interface, you also give up access

to that button.

So that big space bar key might be a very
handy platform, but as long as it’s in the

world you can no longer jump.

This leads to a small handful of puzzles,
where you’re simultaneously thinking about

what you’ll gain - from bringing new elements
into the world - and what you’ll lose - by

cutting off access to your actions.

It can be a little fiddly: perhaps a grid
system or a pinch of slow-down could help

with that, but it’s a great idea and there’s
so much more potential to mine.

While a great deal of games in the jam took
the word “control” to be about the game’s

actual input controls - I’m glad that at
least some smart designers explored a different

meaning: situations that are chaotic, hectic,
and uncontrollable.

Take Puffballs from Lethandralis: a strategy
game about herding a cast of colourful critters.

These Puffballs rapidly multiply when in close
proximity, which means the situation can quickly

go from a couple Puffballs chatting in a field
to a whole civilisation of fluffy orange blobs

all bouncing about.

The idea is to find the right balance between
loneliness and overpopulation - as dictated

by this meter up top - by strategically moving
the Puffballs about until there’s the perfect

number on screen.

If you can maintain that harmony for a few
seconds, you’re onto the next one.

The game soon introduces new Puffball variants
with unique roles.

The red one, for example, eats orange critters
before multiplying, so some levels will have

you boosting the red population while culling
the orange.

It’s actually very difficult - and once
the ball starts rolling, it’s very hard

to stop it with your limited influence.

So I’d definitely like to see some balance
tweaks and further exploration of the idea.

But as one of the more creative takes on the
theme, this game definitely deserves a nod.

Hellfiler, by OS Boys, is another utterly
chaotic game that’s actually just a joy

to play.

You’re in hell, and your eternal punishment
generally involves a whole lot of paperwork.

At the start, you’re signing contracts before
stuffing them in the out tray.

Then you’re ticking surveys.

Not long after that, you’re looking for
spam and counterfeit paperwork with typos

- and shoving those in the recycling.

Like the premiere document dyostopia Papers,
Please, there’s way more paperwork than

you have time to deal with: though, in Hellfiler
there’s no orderly line: there’s just

a never ending stack of forms to fill out.

Ultimately it’s little more than a silly
gag of a game, but hell if I didn’t dig it nonetheless.

Another chaotic game, next - it’s Genre
Hopper, from Fish Mug Games.

This Wario Ware-style romp is all about changing
between game genres.

A simple platformer might morph into a space
shooter, or a Doom-style FPS, or a Zelda-like

action RPG, all at random intervals.

What’s really clever is that the level design
and enemy placements don’t change between

genre shifts.

This makes the change between genre way easier
to handle than you might expect: especially

as the speed of the game rapidly ramps up.

Right now it’s a single-screen proof-of-concept
with just a handful of genre types: but I

can totally see this being expanded into something
bigger with a bit more time.

Another surprisingly prevalent idea in the
jam was the “involuntary shooter” pattern.

Games where you endlessly fire out a column
of death or a barrage of bullets, and so have

to carefully position yourself in a way as
to avoid collateral damage.

Take Laser Guy, from, uh, Laser Team.

You play as an alien in the midst of an allergic
reaction that causes him to shoot a deadly

laser beam out of his face.

And so you’ll need to carefully navigate
your way to the infirmary without frying your

co-workers in the process.

So what looks like a manic twin-stick blaster,
is actually a careful puzzle game.

I’s about working with the level design
and the predictable patterns of the other

characters to get around without causing damage.

In fact, there’s an almost stealth-like
feel to the game, only in reverse: you’re

the one with the vision cone, after all.

There’s one really clever addition to the
formula that puts Laser Guy above the crowd:

destructible objects.

While walls will always stop your laser beam,
cabinets and desks will burn away after a

couple seconds - and metal stuff lasts longer
than wood.

Clever stuff, all round.

Next up: You are now Possessed, by Lonebot
- which, judging by the scores - won over

pretty much everybody who played it.

So the game is a turn-based puzzle game about
getting to the musical instrument in each level.

But - as the name might suggest - you're not
in complete control over your movements.

The bar at the bottom of the screen shows
you when you get to move yourself, and when

the game will make movements for you.

This means you need to think very carefully
about your next move and think ahead several

steps to where those automated movements will
lead you.

Hopefully not off the side of the level.

This is a remarkably polished game, and if
it had a few more levels you could buy this

on Steam and not even know the whole thing
was made over a weekend.

Wonderful stuff.

Edna - Out of Sight, Out of Control is a game
by kcaze and Varun Ramesh - and it has got

a great idea, which is explored to a pretty
striking extent for a 48 hour jam game.

So here's the concept.

You play as Edna, and if you get one of these
tiny knights in your sight-lines - as visualised

by a pink arrow - you can then shift control
over to them and move them about.

Until the sightline is broken and now they're,
ahem, out of control.

Huge props to the devs for giving you a split
second moment of control over the character

as you lose influence.

It's a tiny bit of leniency which adds so
much to the feel of the game.

Anyway.

This smart concept lends itself to some pretty
smart puzzles about placing characters on

pressure sensitive buttons, using characters
as platforms to make jumps, and even using

moveable mirrors to boost your sight-lines.

And then once the game starts introducing
the concept of chaining together sight-lines

- well, there's no end to the puzzles the
devs could put together.

The top 100 was chock full of great tile-based
puzzle games about robots that I’d love

to recommend - like Alice.

And Cell Machine.
I mean I wish I could talk about all of them.

But here’s at least one that definitely
deserves a top spot on this list.

Losing CTRL, by IndieBurg, is one of the most
inventive games I had the pleasure of playing.

It takes something we’re all intimately
familiar with: copy and paste, and applies

it to a puzzle game.

So you can highlight a bunch of tiles, hit
control-c, and then press control-v to paste

down a copy of those tiles: creating a path
for your little robot friend to move across.

The developers quickly find new ways to spin
this idea: like lava which spreads from tile

to tile.

You’ll figure out that you can actually
copy and paste the empty void to create gaps

in the level, and stop the lava flow.

Right now it’s a little easy: even with
the limitation that you only have a limited

number of copy and pastes in each level (as
you literally become “out of control”),

the puzzles aren’t exactly stumpers.

But for a 48 hour game, this is super impressive
and really deserves further exploration.

Top marks for this one.

Alright, alright.
One more robot puzzler.

Emergency Protocol, by Tyrix and Haru, is
about a tiny robot who can move freely on

green tiles.

While you do so, your movements are recorded:
as shown by arrows at the bottom of the screen.

Then, when you drop onto the grey tiles you
lose control and your recorded movements are

repeatedly played back.

So to get from one island of green to the
other, you need to record a sequence of movements

that will safely guide you across no man’s
land.

It’s a really simple idea but immediately
lends itself to clever puzzles that will have

you stumped.

It’s a game where a single green tile can
have you pulling your hair out with frustration.

But when you get it right?

There’s a real sense of satisfaction from
seeing your plan come to fruition as your

little robot buddy automatically shuffles
across the screen and gets itself to safety

- all based on the commands you carefully
set up.

Speaking of games where you have to think
ahead: meet Time Lock, by Marshall Cannon.

This is the sort of game where the only person
you can blame… is yourself.

Here’s the deal: each level is split into
a handful of tiny rooms, and your actions

in one room can sometimes be recorded and
then repeated in the next.

So in one room your character might be jumping
about like a loon: but it’s actually entirely

based on when you jumped in the previous room.

So, the game is about thinking ahead, to ensure
that you solve one room in a way that will

make your life easier in the next.

It sounds complex, but smart design makes
it extremely obvious how everything works.

A clear timeline system shows your actions
being recorded and played back, it’s easy

to see the level in its totality so you can
plan ahead, and you can quickly go back to

the previous room and re-record your movements.

All in all, this is a super original idea
and very quickly generates tricky puzzles

with just three actions.

You can easily see how this idea could be
expanded and explored in every direction.

Crystal Ball Chaos, by Yogurt - or Yo-gurt
- is a really enjoyable platformer with a

unique idea at its core.

Basically, you've got to get these crystal
balls to their plinths and the only way to

do so is to smash them with your magic wand.

This causes them to bounce around the room,
ricochetting off walls like the ball in Breakout.

You'll also need to knock away skulls, which
damage you upon impact.

There's potentially a lot of mastery in a
game like this: not only do you have to get

the ball in a goal with a well aimed whack
- like a golf game - but you've got to do

it while simultaneously controlling a character.

So there's lots of room for mid-air thwacks
and other-such techniques.

I ended up having a lot of fun with this one,
and even though the crystal balls are out

of control - it's not annoying because you
have so many options for redirecting them

to their goal.

Something else, now.

Two-Timin' Towers, from Zachary Richman and
pals, is a tower defence game that fixes the

most obvious problem with the genre: the boredom
of sitting back and watching your impenetrable

death machine rip through enemies.

So what’s the fix?

It’s to change your role from an omnipotent
god to a tiny mechanic on the battlefield,

and to give the towers friendly fire.

Which means the game instantly switches from
a breezy strategy game to a bonkers, out of

control bullet hell nightmare.

And this gives the game a big dose of dynamic
difficulty: the stronger and more powerful

your defences become, the more deadly the
battlefield is to navigate.

Good luck picking up currency and health pick-ups
when the screen is completely awash with ordinance.

There’s a similar bargain to be made in
Midnight Monorail, by Default Frogs.

This game is about drawing out tracks, so
trains can run from one tunnel to another.

The only way to get points, though, is to
create stations by having tracks cross over

each other.

So, very quickly, you’ll be at risk of trains
colliding, and will need to click on one to

turn it incorporeal for a split second to
let the trains pass without a crash.

Like Two-Timin’ Towers, it’s tempting
to make your train tracks as profitable as

possible by creating endless criss-crossing
stations: but every crossing increases the

chance of a collision and gives you more fires
to put out.

Soon enough, the whole thing gets completely
out of control.

Both of these games put the level of control
in the player’s hands.

Though, Two-Timin’ Towers - with its ever-encroaching
enemies - does a slightly better job of actively

encouraging the player to push their luck.

Make the Way, by Vimlark, asks the question:
if the character is completely out of your

control, how do you get them to their destination?

The answer is: by slapping down boxes, platforms,
and springs, in order to build the level around

them.

This was another popular take on the theme,
but many games in this pattern suffer from

issues of trial and error, and a disconnect
between building the level and then watching

it play out.

Make the Way solves these problems by having
everything run in real-time: you’ll often

need to place down a spring only when the
character is in motion, and can even pick

up and place down an object after the robot
has used it.

It makes the game feel fast, frenetic, and
responsive - though it definitely ends up

being more about precision than pure problem
solving.

One thing I’d love to see is some kind of
reward for finishing the level with fewer

objects than you get in the tool bar.

While each level has an intended solution,
it seems, it feels great to finish a level

in a way that goes beyond the obvious answer.

Here's a slightly different take on that idea:
Dumber Dwarves, by deepnight.

This is a dungeon-crawler about beating up
imps, avoiding boss monsters, and picking

up gems: but the catch is that your adventurers
aren't actually in your control.

They'll walk around automatically - and all
you can do is manipulate their AI by plopping

down tasty meat, or slapping them silly.

It turns the game into a slapstick strategy
game, about herding cats and putting out fires.

What makes it really work is clear and predictable
AI routines: the dwarves tell you exactly

what they're doing with speech bubbles above
their head and arrows towards their destination.

This wasn't the only game like it: it was
a close toss up with Mini Map, which is more

of a puzzle game, as you have a limited number
of chances to influence your adventurer.

And Shield Bearer, which has you bouncing
the real hero away from danger with a shield bash.

Shooty Ballz, by Team Shevin, is a fun, addictive,
and juicy twin stick shooter that turns out

to be one of the most elegantly designed games
in the jam.

Here's the premise.

You're not worried about your own health:
you're worried about protecting this green

ball that slowly bounces around the screen.

Protecting it from yourself, that is, because
the only way to break it is to shoot it.

But you can't just spend your entire time
trying not to hit it the ball: because the

game has a "control" gauge that's always ticking
down.

And when it hits zero, this happens.

You turn into a bullet hell boss monster and
spew ordinance in every direction with only

a hint of control over your movements.

Good for killing lots of enemies, but it puts
your green friend in a lot of danger.

So how do you keep control?

By killing red enemies and picking up their
yellow eggs - and thus putting yourself at

risk of shooting the green ball.

Oh, and the red enemies multiply if they touch,
so you'll want to kill them.

And the eggs hatch into more enemies if you
don't pick them up quickly enough.

Basically, the developers have managed to
mine so many interesting ideas out of only

a few simple elements.

And they all aim in the same direction: to
force you to play loose and fast and reckless,

but always with one eye on your bouncing green
charge.

It just feels great, and I can't recommend
it enough.

Okay. What about a game where you have full control
over your character - but the world itself

is out of control: like the raging rapids
of Pink River?

That would totally fit the theme.

So take the wonderful Between a Clock and
a Hard Place, by Kira and co.

This cute and claustrophobic platformer suddenly
gets super interesting when the entire world

spins around in big chunky increments, every
few seconds.

Suddenly the wall is the floor, the floor
is the ceiling, up is down, down is left,

and now we're flying towards spikes.

That idea alone would be fun enough - just
look at the similar Rotato Ship - but where

A Clock takes it to another level is by introducing
physics objects that still have normal gravity

even when the level itself is spinning.

So this giant pendulum will always swing towards
the bottom of the screen - which means you

can trap it between some boxes, wait for the
room to rotate back around, and now you've

got a path to the exit.

It's like a teeny tiny sidescrolling Zelda
dungeon - I love it.

The devs squeeze a lot out of this idea in
the game's short run time, but there's definitely

potential to take this idea even further.

Okay. One more game.

This theme came bundled with something of
a trap.

Many developers would be tempted to make the
character itself be out of control.

Maybe dragged around by a manic dog.

Or hopelessly attracted to the very bullets
you're supposed to be dodging.

Or just every now and again, your buttons
stop working.

These games can be a lot of fun - hence them
all being in the top 100 - but you have to

be very careful to not introduce frustration,
tedium, or just the sense that the player

is, well, out of control.

Unless - you just lean right into it.

Cleaning the System, by Nasheik, shouldn't
be any fun.

You play as a stick with a spring on each
end, and all you can do is slowly rotate the stick.

This means your character is constantly bouncing
all over the place and springing out of your control.

It should be the most frustrating game and
yet, I've finished it four times already.

There is an incredible source of satisfaction
from getting this crazy double-ended pogo

stick under your control and manipulating
it into getting through the level.

Every successful bounce is a cheering moment
of glory - every busted bounce that sends

you flying back through the level is a hilarious
sight to behold.

And there's just enough room here for speed-run-style
mastery: you can learn more about the physics

of the game and improve your ability to get
through the level.

There's a Snake Pass-like quality to wrangling
this nightmarish control scheme and becoming

a true master of the pogo.

And there we have it.

All of these winners winners will be given
some free GMTK merchandise - I'll be in touch.

As for some honourable mentions?

Sure, why not.

Remember that these games are only from top
100 for fairness.

So… Jukemeister mixes up a stealth game, Superhot,
and kiting enemies in Dark Souls.

One Last Game is an affecting vignette about
playing checkers during a war.

Chess Dungeon is a roguelike with the tricky
movement restrictions of chess pieces.

Bonsai Fairy is about nipping at branches
to make the perfect tree.

Press Ctrl is a mind-bending meta adventure.

Pongeon has you simultaneously playing a dungeon
crawler and Pong.

Don't! Heroes is a Paper Mario-inspired RPG where
your heroes have a suggestion and all you

can say is "Don't!".

And Inefficient Deliveryman is a funny game
about delivering boxes in the most roundabout

way possible.

You can browse all 5,000 games over on itch.io
- and you can also now see the rankings for

all the games.

Thank you so much to everyone who took part
in the jam, or chatted with us on Discord,

or watched my streams where I got increasingly
manic as the hours ticked past.

Mark on Stream: "Bob, I'm not even doing anything.
Bob!"

"Bob stop"

"Bob"

"Bob, no..."

"Bob. Bob! No..."

"Bob! Bob!
You stupid Bob"

If this looks like fun and you're sad you
missed it, the jam will be back in 2021.

Subscribe to this channel to see the date announcement
sometime next year.

Thanks for watching, and goodbye!