N64brew Game Jam 2020
This is an exciting announcement for the Nintendo 64 homebrew community. The N64brew community on Discord hosted the N64brew Game Jam 2020 during the autumn months which challenged participants to make an original game and enter it in a competition to see whose is the best.
The theme of the game jam was TBD at first, but then revealed to be SIZE. Entrants could register and find development teams over on the N64brew discord channel.
It ran over the course of two months from 13 Oct 2020 to 13 Dec 2020, so submissions were finalised by that date.
There is a cash reward for the winner, to be expanded if more people donate to the pot.
N64brew Game Jam 2020
This is the first game jam for the Nintendo 64 in over 20 years, last time it was Presence of Mind 99 (POM ’99) on Dextrose.
Finalists
The results for the game jam are in – out of all the 12 teams and 32 solo entries announced at the beginning, 14 of them managed to submit a project to the judges. The entries are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Telocation: Gemini
Telocation: Gemini is a Nintendo 64 homebrew game made by Ultra Rare that won 1st place in the 2020 64brew game jam. Well done!
Kumi-Daiko Beatoff 64
Kumi-Daiko Beatoff 64 is a Nintendo 64 homebrew game by Team Riistahillo in which you swing a taiko drum around to smash your opponents.
sblobber 64
Sblobber 64 is a homebrewn puzzle game made by VRGL117 for the 2020 64brew game jam, winning 2nd place. Let's take a look.
Lunar Assault 64
Lunar Assault 64 is a homebrew game for the N64 by Daniel Savage where you have to save the moon from lunar beasts in1st and 3rd person.
The Swoop 64
The Swoop 64 is a homebrewn N64 flight simulator where you play as a bird who steals objects to build a nest as high as possible.
64Noid
64Noid is a Nintendo 64 homebrew game by Game Master Plc that replicates the style and gameplay of the classic Arkanoid game.
Big Burger
Big Burger is a homebrew game by Allie made for the 64brew Game Jam 2020 where you stack a burger till you reach the heavens.
Castle 64
Castle 64 is a homebrew game for the Nintendo 64 by Manfried where you guide a knight through a castle's basement maze.
Juicin’ 64
Juicin' 64 is a Nintendo 64 homebrew game made by Kivan117 where you lift weights and avoid gym rats for a high score. Get those gains!
Just Add Water
Just Add Water is a homebrew game for the N64 made by Joeldipops where you manage drying and expanding clothes in the ever-changing weather.
Tecto
Tecto is a homebrew game for the N64 where you travel through a jungle by enlarging objects that allow you to bypass obstacles.
Retro Dash
Retro Dash is a N64 homebrew game by SpiritOf1776 where you run and dodge upcoming obstacles without pause.
Test 3rd Person Demo
Test 3rd Person Demo is a hombrewn game for the Nintendo 64 by Team Ultranauts where you explore an alien 3D environment.
Thornmarked
Thornmarked is a homebrew game for the N64 by Team Vanadium made for the 64brew game jam 2020 where you destroy thorned creatures with magic.
Theme
The theme for this N64 game jam is… Size! That means that in order to be eligible for the prize, the game has to incorporate ‘size’ into the game in one way or another. The theme is very vague – and for good reason. It has to be that way so that the contestants have enough flexibility to create a game of any genre or style. You can see the video announcement for the theme here.
There have been many ways that size has been implemented into the competition’s entries. Some games have the main characters have different sizes such as Telocation Gemini, Sblobber or Retro dash; others have you interact with objects of different sizes like 64noid, Just Add Water, Kumi Daiko Beatoff 64 or Tecto. This seems like the most direct approach. Besides that, some games like The Swoop 64, Juicin’ 64 or Big Burger interpreted the theme as accumulation of growth. Castle 64 went on to interpret the game from a technical level in that ‘size’ refers to the game’s resolution and sprite size. Thornmarked and Test 3rd Person Demo were incomplete so they didn’t have the chance to interpret the theme.
The most creative interpretation of the size theme is in Lunar Assault where it’s not only about the size of the monsters you battle, but the story as well.
Judges
There are five judges who will be deciding the winner of the game jam:
- David Doak (Goldeneye/Rareware)
- Allan Findlay (Software Creations/Acclaim)
- Neil Voss (The New Tetris/Tetrisphere)
- Snooplax (N64 Youtuber)
- Buu342 (Pyoro 64/N64brew Discord admin)
What about N64 Squid?
I didn’t participate or judge, there is too much stuff that I need to be doing that I’m constantly postponing. I have reviewed each and every one of the games that were submitted, and you can find the links to them above.
Signing up
The competition is over, so this section is just for reference.
Go to the discord chat to find a team if you want, and then fill out the registration form. Be sure to do it by Tuesday 19 October 2020 to qualify. I know it’s a bit short notice, but do register if you want to be part of the competition.
Prizes
Besides bragging rights, there is an ever-increasing pot of gold for the top entries. The prize pool $1,127.10 to be split among the top three in a 6:3:1 ratio. However, since there was a tie in 2nd and 3rd place, the final distribution is:
- 1st: $676.26
- 2nd: $169.07 each
- 3rd: $56.36 each
Winners of the N64brew Game Jam 2020
There was originally going to be 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the competition, but due to two ties, there are five winners in total.
1st place: Telocation: Gemini by Ultra Rare 64 with 117/125 points.
2nd place: Kumi-Daiki Beatoff 64 by ptimonen and Sblobber 64 by vrgl117-games with 104/125 points each.
3rd place: Lunar Assault 64 by danbolt and The Swoop 64 by zestydevy with 102/125 points each.
Interview and discussion
The judges (and some others) had a 2-hour long discussion about the games in the N64brew Game Jam and N64 development in general.
And no, I’m not writing a transcript for this one. I might include some quotes on the corresponding homebrew game post though.
This contest was brought to you by the fine folk over at the N64brew Discord channel. Be sure to check them out.
