For this game jam, the parameters were to make a cozy game themed around autumn that started with a cutscene. Optional additions were using the color palette, making the game text incomprehensible, and make it where the player can never win or lose. I chose to only add the additional palette to my game as I am new to game design and wanted to start out simpler.

So I started by brainstorming ideas for the game. I ended up going with a small platformer game where the player is meant to invite people to a campfire party. It would be a simple and cozy game geared towards a young adult audience into casual games. I didn’t want the game to be too difficult and vere away from the comfy theme.

I then started sketching out the game and how its environment might look. I thought having it take place within a burrow, though I later changed the setting to the woods. I sketched out possible Non Player Characters(NPCs), and possibly ways for the Player Character to look. I wanted it to feel like a storybook to appeal to the comfy theme.

From there, I started on the pixel art for each of the characters. I wanted them to share a color palette to look cohesive, and for their personalities to show through their designs. I also created the first version of the Player.

However, after comparing the player character to the rest of the cast, I realized that they stood out more than I intended them to. So I redesigned them to fit a more simple silhouette and design.

From there, I began to set up the game itself. I created the player character, adding physics, and created the basic surface for the player to move around on. Through the process of coding I used many different tutorials to learn the code necessary to create the game. However, due to time and issues with coding, I ended up simplifying much of my idea for the game. Rather than setting up dialogue systems for each of the characters, I just set up one for the first NPC the Player meets.

Finally, I designed the end screen, and coded a trigger for the game to end when the player passed a sign. I was finished with the albeit simple game and was ready to upload it to the game jam page. Following a tutorial, I set up the game page and exported it.

Here is the link to the final game: https://itch.io/jam/comfy-jam-autumn-2025/rate/4048459.

Overall, I learned a lot from making this game, even though it didn’t turn out exactly as I had first envisioned it.