Cute paper games made in Godot get praise during multi-round gamejam, updates coming soon.
What is GDKO?
This is the Gamedev Knockout – a gamejam hosted by Xanderwood several years in a row. I entered for the second year in a row. Last year, I made it through the first two rounds before voluntarily dropout out due to burnout. In 2024, the approach was to aim to evolve the same game as much as possible to make it to the following rounds to avoid the same fate, and let the prior rounds’ efforts compile together.
I’m using this gamejam to not only further my own skills, but also to help push along parallel efforts:
- Migrate the Godot Road generator to Godot 4
- Migrate some of the scripts built for Wheel Steal to Godot 4
Curious about my entry from last year? Check out the “Impossible Staircase” Escherport level from 2023.
Each game is playable in the browser
Round 1: Art, style and visual design – Makin’ Paper
This first round had the theme of “Spectacle”. In order to stand out in the crowd, I focussed on a unique aesthetic: making everything out of paper! The game was actually drawn with pen and paper, scanned, and then “folded” into 3D models in this fun idle/simulation game about making money from fans of a racetrack.
Final placement: 11th overall out of 84
Oh my god this game is amazing! The art and paper craft style is so charming and I especially love the building animations whenever you buy a stand.
https://itch.io/post/9228209
Holy cow, I’m in love with this art style! I’ve wanted to make a sketchy, pen and paper style game for a long time
https://itch.io/post/9215838
You need to stop whatever you’re doing and expand this game… I want more! It’s so beautiful and awesome how you’ve designed this to be paper-like!!
https://itch.io/post/9203242
Round 2: Audio and Sound – Racin’ Paper
In this round, we had to design a game where audio is essential to the gameplay. How was I to salvage my prior entry into a fun game that required audio cues? Well, I put the player in the driver seat of a so-called paper rubber band car. Wind up and away you go – but overwind, and your rubber band will snap!
Final placement: 10th overall out of 38
That is a really original concept for a racing game! I adore the paper aesthetic and that all the sounds fit the style. Also, the driving mechanics are perfect for the task, because playing without the audio is practically impossible.
https://itch.io/post/9362739
I really had fun with this one. Beautiful art style and nice implementation. For some reason the repeated sqweeching (yes that’s a word) of the rubber band just had this absurd and delightful quality.
https://itch.io/post/9403067
Great idea integrating the audio cues into a racing game. The controls and physics felt really good.
https://itch.io/post/9367370
Round 3: Storytelling
The third round was all about story. With the self-imposed constraint of the paper artstyle and a car-related theme, the goal was to raise awareness about the dangerous conditions of “stroads”. This is a hybrid of a fast-traffic “road” and slow-traffic “street” seen all over North America. Though there was very little time devoted to the jam, it was still enough to make it to the next round. The game itself is an incomplete, short representation of a stressful morning routine.
Final placement: 15th out of 22 entries (barely passing!)
I think you’ve captured the anxious atmosphere really well and having the first person perspective works really well for this. I also love the 3D hand drawn look to your game and the diverse way of using one button
https://itch.io/post/9550595
The one button breathing mechanic is pretty fun and I love the first-person animations
https://itch.io/post/9567419
I wish it was a longer story, but what you have is super well told!
https://itch.io/post/9565584
Sure, there isn’t much, but what’s there is super polished. The animations are incredibly smooth, and seeing the hand drawn style in first person this time was incredible gratifying.
https://itch.io/post/9554368
Round 4: Classic recreate
The focus of round four is all about game mechanics, through a classic”recreate”. The theme is: Recreate the classic arcade game “Track & Field”. Though there was only time to work on this entry in final weekend where the jam ended, I was still able to pull together 3 unique events – and of course, sticking to the paper aesthetic.
Direct link: https://theduckcow.itch.io/stroad-olympics-r4
Final placement: 10th out of 15; did not qualify to proceed
Once again a super unique and charming visual style. I really like all of the events, the timing on the stoplight one was really tight. The turning one was really hard to see but I managed. Super polished except for the notable exception of sound. Overall, great job!
https://itch.io/post/9739895
Man I just love this art style so much.
https://itch.io/post/9757005
My weird favorite thing is the lovely countdown animation. Haha nice! Love the consistent aesthetic!
https://itch.io/post/9752482
I love that you’re sticking with the awesome hand-drawn style! The detailed stroads with the telegraph poles and street lights really add to the world. The concept of having the events taking place in a car is fantastic and creative
https://itch.io/post/9745433
A devlog about Makin’ Paper
Checkout the devlog for the first entry in the series, “Makin’Paper” which is a rather simple idle/simulation game about earning money from spectators.