Stencyl Jam 2015 Winners

[TomFulp]

This Spring we hosted Stencyl Jam 2015, where participants developed original games with Stencyl. Not familiar with Stencyl? Check it out! No programming experience required!

Thank you to the Stencyl team for helping to determine the winners of this event. Here they are!

1st Place - $500 + Stencyl Studio License

• 

  Crayon Poke

  by Raiyumi

  Collect skulls and use the power of "crayon" to venture your way up toward new beginnings!

  Game

  83,730 Views

  (Everyone)

Crayon Poke is a very polished, clever platformer. Charming visuals, music and sound.

2nd Place - $300 + Stencyl Studio License

• 

  SARCO

  by CosmicGhost

  First episode of a mysterious adventure game.

  Game

  40,695 Views

  (Everyone)

SARCO has great atmosphere and a novel protagonist. It's short and leaves you wanting to explore this universe much more, hope to see it continue!

3rd Place - $200 + Stencyl Studio License

• 

  the NEXT jump

  by filsdd

  the NEXT jump is a turn based shmup with Tactics and Roguelike ingredients.

  Game

  19,817 Views

  (Ages 13+)

The NEXT jump is a unique turn-based shooter. The bullet collision and punch attack feel nice and crunchy!

4th Place - Stencyl Studio License

• 

  Down is Up

  by Inversion

  Bend Gravity to Complete Puzzles

  Game

  40,657 Views

  (Everyone)

So many concepts have been experimented with in platformers at this point but Down is Up still feels fresh. The small character controls well and there are always little nooks to fit into.

5th Place - Stencyl Studio License

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  Iridescent

  by PixlWalkr

  Use the spectrite stones and your trusty slingshot in your quest to find the cure.

  Game

  39,675 Views

  (Everyone)

Iridescent has a cute protagonist and cool mechanics with the different gems and how you use/enhance them. The music fits well with the way your character scurries along.

Congrats to the winners! I'll be PMing you with licenses info.

Honorable Mentions

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  Worp

  by MAXGLOCKLINGGAMES

  Like dodgeball, but in space. Also a lot cooler than dodgeball.

  Game

  14,979 Views

  (Everyone)

Worp is a fiendish high score challenge and I feel really competitive when I play it! Definitely worth some time for anyone who likes devilish high score games like @TerryCavanagh's Hexagon (which unfortunately doesn't track high scores on NG).

• 

  Princess Protector

  by xcmn

  Escort the runaway princess to her castle.

  Game

  6,277 Views

  (Everyone)

Princess Protector has some fresh mechanics, complimented by great art and design. The controls could be better and I would prefer restarting on the screen where I died, vs regularly saving and going back to save points. I was a little confused at first on where to go on the very first screen (top left exit) as well as revisiting the bush after the bridge scene but overall it was fun to figure out.

• 

  Pandactilo

  by Munguia

  Learn or test how to type

  Game

  12,189 Views

  (Everyone)

Pandactilo is a great game for learning to type properly. All these years and I had never given any notice to the bumps on the F and J keys!

• 

  PACO-PACO

  by inspectorgeek

  Run fast and don't be eaten by a Huge Monster!

  Game

  13,749 Views

  (Everyone)

PACO-PACO is a cool endless runner with some great visuals! Limbo fans will enjoy the aesthetic.

• 

  Doomsday

  by faroreforelorn

  2D narrative game.

  Game

  4,007 Views

  (Everyone)

Doomsday has you scrambling to gather resources to stop a meteor from destroying earth. A funny game with a good sense of urgency!

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  Sim Apocalypse

  by Blobzone

  How long can you survive in a randomized apocalypse scenario?

  Game

  234,152 Views

  (Everyone)

Sim Apocalypse has lots of great humor but as an idle game I still would have liked some more interactive options beyond the initial setup. This was the most popular jam entry and there's big potential here.

• 

  Fridge Runner

  by TerribleDesign

  How many levels can you beat before you cheat?

  Game

  20,809 Views

  (Everyone)

Fridge Runner shares some concepts with Down is Up but also has its own unique puzzles to solve. The aesthetic can be a bit jarring but I still enjoyed it!

• 

  The Necrommando

  by bigdaddytool

  Light-gun style shooter with roguelike elements

  Game

  900 Views

  (Everyone)

The Necromander will take you back to the days of NES lightgun games, only none of them did it like this!

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  No Clue

  by BrennonRamsey

  No Clue

  Game

  10,924 Views

  (Everyone)

No Clue... Level 11 is making me crazy!

• 

  Phase Shift

  by Alones

  Use your gravity control powers to solve puzzles!

  Game

  6,597 Views

  (Everyone)

Gravity flipping has been done in a number of games now but Phase Shift brings great graphics and animation to the table. I really liked the overall feel of the character and would love a game like this with some combat elements!

• Unpublished Submission

Lonely No More is a sweet game about working together. Good for fans of puzzle platformers where you control multiple characters.

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  The Evil Resides

  by darrigaz

  Enter the world of incredibly small scale survival horror.

  Game

  7,502 Views

  (Ages 13+)

The Evil Resides is scary and atmospheric but also really darn hard! Give it a try though.

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  Retro Runner Remix

  by PsychoVisionGaming

  A new twist on old favorites! Come run, spin, and JUMP your way through iconic NES levels.

  Game

  6,212 Views

  (Everyone)

Retro Runner Remix is an autorunner where you can't let yourself touch the left of the screen. Gets tricky fast!

• 

  Tetramino´s Revenge

  by rogerrenno

  Tetramino`s revenge is a puzzle game that mixes attacks and player skills

  Game

  8,505 Views

  (Everyone)

Tetramino's Revenge answers the question: "Should Tetris have been a brawler?" Great character and fun art style, I'm curious just how high a score someone can get! Wish the actual combat felt a bit smoother so I could wreck these pieces easier... The puzzle aspect of prioritizing pieces really feels like it's on to something.

• 

  sidesplitter

  by StomachBug

  A must-play for any highscore junkies out there. Can you get to the top of the scoreboard?

  Game

  9,051 Views

  (Everyone)

Sidesplitter is a good high score competition!

• 

  Purple Machine

  by PoshRaven

  25 disconnected ideas

  Game

  3,208 Views

  (Everyone)

Purple Machine is a... deconstructionist platformer? Worth experiencing.

• 

  by <deleted>

  Under Judgment

  (Ages 17+)

Domestic is a touching interactive story; it's rewarding to see Stencyl give people an outlet to tell stories in different ways.

• 

  Dystopia 101

  by plopix

  Forced labor sim. Half-idle, half-rogue tycoon, a cynical view on resource games.

  Game

  31,053 Views

  (Ages 13+)

Dystopia 101 is a sinister sim where you bend workers to your will.

• 

  No More Instructions

  by StencylTuo

  Destroy the instructions.

  Game

  4,461 Views

  (Everyone)

No More Instructions is like Pong but silly and with surprises!

If you're looking to get hooked on more idle games, also check out Larva Pixel Colony and Planet Running Master!

Thank you everyone who turned out with games! It's cool to see so many great games made with Stencyl, as well as so many first-timers who can now call themselves game developers!

In other news, check out the new features, Best of April and Pico Day Winners!

Another game development event is launching this Friday, be sure to stop by for the announcement!

[Ragnarokia]

At 5/18/15 03:05 PM, TomFulp wrote: Sim Apocalypse has lots of great humor but as an idle game I still would have liked some more interactive options beyond the initial setup. This was the most popular jam entry and there's big potential here.

A sad thing people seem to like this so much, I literally went and did stuff elsewhere and came back to see if anything had happened multiple times before it ended. I can appreciate an idle game if it at least has some gameplay to it, this had absolutely none. Picking stats randomly then waiting until it ends.

At 5/18/15 03:05 PM, TomFulp wrote: Domestic is a touching interactive story; it's rewarding to see Stencyl give people an outlet to tell stories in different ways.

Sadly I couldn't really enjoy this "interactive story" as others seemed to. I had fun just moving the cat around left to right, that at least was enjoyable. When they give that little interaction I just frankly can't care enough for any story they are trying to give. Yes the point of it is "you can only watch and can't help" but its a game, this idea of just watching without being allowed to touch or interact with the stuff you are meant to be enjoying is the biggest flaw of the "art game"

Aside from those two problems with those two, happy to see the event go as it did.

[Nijsse]

Crayon Poke was amazing. Maybe a bit short, but it definitely deserved to win the Stencyl Jam contest.

[TomFulp]

At 5/18/15 03:37 PM, AgonyTheCrux wrote: Also, LOL at my submission being called out by you guys. Man, I got so much hate-mail over Domestic.

I never understand why people get so riled up about things that don't fit the standard definition of a game... I think it's partly a problem with how we categorize it on NG; for example we need to add a Visual Novel category. Even then, does Domestic fall into the same category as a Twine game? Maybe?

I guess you could also argue that a Twine game gives you more control over the outcome than Domestic, but is THAT what makes one thing a game and the other not? People also argue that Twine games aren't games either...

These are interactive experiences that fall on the spectrum somewhere between movies, stories and games. I'm fine just letting them be games though and appreciating them for what they are vs what I think they're supposed to be.

[DieterTheuns]

At 5/18/15 04:03 PM, TomFulp wrote: I think it's partly a problem with how we categorize it on NG; for example we need to add a Visual Novel category.

If you allow users to add more tags and implement some preset ones, might that not help?

[Kcori]

Heyy, congrats to the winners!

Crayon Poke, like all of Raiyumi's work, was charming and solid through and through

SARCO's world was really captivating and I look forward to seeing where it goes (though I would absolutely love for the game to allow for more player choice)

The NEXT Jump was a really cool concept and I admire the developer for executing on it

[Listen2Reason]

"complemented"

[RazorPock]

Iridescent deserves more. It its better than the NEXT jump, but well. Tom leads here!

[filsdd]

WOW!!!!
SO HAPPY!!!! :D :D :D

[filsdd]

At 5/18/15 04:29 PM, Kcori wrote: Heyy, congrats to the winners!

The NEXT Jump was a really cool concept and I admire the developer for executing on it

Thank you! :D

[Shikamarana]

I like Domestic. I think it's s really good game. It's been so hard for me to get back into gaming ever since I lost nine of my fingers in the war but with games like Domestic, I still have a chance

[Kcori]

At 5/18/15 05:07 PM, AgonyTheCrux wrote:

At 5/18/15 04:44 PM, Zachary wrote: You answered yourself right there really, people have an expectation of what a game is. They don't typically see a game as something you just hold one button down and read text on a screen. As a game, that is boring. If you hand someone a pile of shit with glitter on it and tell them it's a sirloin steak, they are going to be disappointed.

The way I see it, sure, you can call those games, that is what they are I guess because they are at bare minimum interactive, but then you have to hold them to the same standard as other games, and that is exactly where they fall apart.

I don't think they should not be created or anything, because that is up to whoever makes them, but the reaction to them should not be surprising at all.

Yeah, I agree with what you are saying here-the points you are presenting are very valid. Whenever someone reviewed Domestic and said it wasn't really a game, I agreed with them. Honestly, I personally prefer gameplay over story by a 9-1 margin (I cannot stand Metal Gear Solid-I feel like I am just watching and never playing). That being said, I wanted to try something different for the jam, even though I knew it would be put up against more traditional games and judged as such. Also, since the game is so short, I didn't feel like it would be a huge issue (shows what I know).

So, while I understand why people wouldn't like my submission, I don't understand the anger in people's reviews and messages they sent to me. It's like they felt like I was trying to deceive them and the 30 seconds it took for them to figure out that it wasn't a traditional game was invaluable and I stole it away from them. Man, gamers are such an entitled bunch...

Anyway, it was an interesting experiment, but I won't be creating a game like that again.

TL:DR - I understand the judgment, but not so much the hatred. Also, not gonna make a game like that again. One and done.

I've gotten quite a few hostile comments/messages from my games here, especially for You Are Disabled which was intentionally a frustrating game with a """message""", but also just for general game design decisions that weren't so great

I got sort of used to it and they don't bother me too much anymore (they do a little though)

Ignore the hostility and try to focus on the constructive elements and don't be afraid to continue experimenting

[BuddhaBilski]

this was was a pretty good year for NG! ill see next year at the the Newgrounds con!

[StomachBug]

Shame SIDESPLITTER didn't get into the top 5 but much appreciate the honourable mention! Thanks to Tom and Newgrounds for all the help, as well as the Stencyl crew, I really enjoyed using it to make my game and plan to use it again in the future!

Congrats to the winners, all well designed games this year!

Awra best,

- Stomachbug

[HomicidalDragon]

congrats to all the winners. there are great games here. the crayon game was fantastic.

[PhoenixFree]

this is sad
Crayon Poke is nothing more than LOW remake of the game i realy LOVE - Depict1 ( http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/546057 )

not worth of 1st place at all.

Iridescent is good game. thats all.

come look my entry.

• 

  Glory March

  by PhoenixFree

  Mechs and stuff

  Game

  2,661 Views

  (Ages 13+)

[LucidShadowDreamer]

Awesome!

I honestly haven't given myself time to play these yet, but I will play many of these shortly :D
Congratulations to all the winners, and all the participants for that matter!

[CosmicGhost]

Oh Thank you!

It was a lot of fun to make my first game with Stencyl and I've recieved many helpful reviews here, what a great community :)
I've learned a lot, and I'll make sure the next Sarco is both better and longer!

[SmokeAvery]

I need to start learning to make games

[deathink]

Congrats fellas.

[PsychoVisionGaming]

Whelp, the five I picked from day 1 were indeed the five that won. Congrats to the winners! I guess I'm pleased with an honorable mention; albeit, I still think my game is slightly more nuanced than "autorunner". :P

[RiverofBloodyTears2]

You're all winners, never forget this

[DIWAKAR]

Congratulations to the winners!! Well i was unable to participate, my bad.

[lwyzlwyz]

What a great jam. Really happy that Crayon Poke won, I thought it was the best of the lot.
I'm also a bit sad that my game didn't do so well, but it's my first one and I have plenty of learning to do.
Mega congrats to everyone who participated.

[Cyberdevil]

Some pretty creative games here. Congrats to the winners!

[TerribleDesign]

Well, 12th overall isn't too bad! Stencyl definitely isn't my cup of tea though... it is a lot more buggy than vanilla Flash. It is a nice tool for learning, but much like Flash it needs a better manual. Especially since the basic materials about how to use it aren't 100% up-to-date.

Fridge Runner was originally going to have more Rube Goldberg style "puzzles", but they caused a lot of frame skipping with even just a few components. A bit of a shame, but that lead me to use some of the other built-in functions that ended up being similar to quite a lot of other Stencyl games. I have now played a lot of the winners and honorable mentions, and I can see how these functions are over used. That was not my intention.

I took advantage of a glitch in later levels were if you walk off of one side of the screen and into a wall on the other, the walls will now act like empty space and the empty space will act as walls. Those were some of my favorite puzzles, and I have no idea why that happens. I may have made that the focus of the game had I played some other entities. I may actually make that game for this Friday's game jam! I know to make the boxes bigger with more friction now!

I also have two questions as a user of the NG API. Could it be updated to allow a game to access the number of times a Custom Event has occurred? Is is feasible to to show subsequent pre-roll ads in place of the standard preloader style ad? I have an idea for a game that could really use both of those things. Besides, more pre-roll style ads is a good thing, right?

I am definitely looking forward to the Friday game jam news!

[CrackerJack30]

At 5/18/15 04:03 PM, TomFulp wrote:
I never understand why people get so riled up about things that don't fit the standard definition of a game... I think it's partly a problem with how we categorize it on NG; for example we need to add a Visual Novel category. Even then, does Domestic fall into the same category as a Twine game? Maybe?

Adding that category would be a great idea imo.
Even when some discussion may occur, it would still be a good, general help for every user. If you don't like a Visual Novel, with lots of storytelling and less interactivity, just don't bother.
BTW, many programmer add that information already in their author comment, but not everybody reads them before they start playing (me neither, I read them after the first minutes of playing).

And, of course, congratz to all the winners! ^^