{"id":909,"date":"2026-02-03T15:09:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T15:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/?p=909"},"modified":"2026-02-15T02:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:07:56","slug":"globalgamejam2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/globalgamejam2026\/","title":{"rendered":"GlobalGameJam2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Theme: Mask<\/h5>
Click here to play:\u00a0https:\/\/1015lhw.itch.io\/the-masked-hero<\/a><\/h5>
Game site: https:\/\/globalgamejam.org\/games\/2026\/masked-hero-6<\/a>\u00a0<\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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General Concept<\/h5>

This project was developed during a 48-hour Game Jam with the theme \u201cMasks.\u201d<\/strong>
From the very beginning, we wanted to explore not only masks as a gameplay mechanic, but also as a narrative metaphor<\/strong>\u2014something that empowers the player on the surface, yet potentially limits them in deeper ways.<\/p>

Our final game is a 2D combat-focused experience<\/strong> with a looping narrative structure. The player takes on the role of a hero who repeatedly challenges a dragon, gaining masks before each attempt. These masks appear to make the hero stronger, but the true path to victory lies in rejecting external power and trusting one\u2019s own abilities.<\/p>

Initial Idea & Gameplay Direction<\/h5>

Our first idea was to create a 2D side-scrolling action platformer<\/strong>, where players could obtain different masks that unlock new abilities (such as double jump, dash, or special attacks) to access new areas. The structure was inspired by Metroidvania-style progression<\/strong>, where exploration and ability gating are core to the experience.<\/p>

However, after several rounds of discussion, we realised that within a 48-hour time limit<\/strong>, it would be extremely difficult to innovate meaningfully on mechanics alone. The scope of programming required\u2014movement systems, ability interactions, level design logic\u2014was simply too large for our team and timeframe.<\/p>

At that point, our teammate Jeremy<\/strong> proposed a new direction:
Instead of relying on complex mechanics, we could focus on looped narrative design<\/strong> to deliver the core message of the theme Masks<\/em>.<\/p>

This shift became the turning point of the project.<\/p>

Final Gameplay Design<\/h5>

The final game is a 2D combat game<\/strong> structured around repeated encounters with the same enemy\u2014a dragon.<\/p>

  • The player plays as a hero who must defeat the dragon.<\/p><\/li>

  • Before each challenge, the hero receives a mask<\/strong> that increases HP and attack power<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li>

  • In the first three levels<\/strong>, the player is forced to wear the mask.<\/p>

    • Despite the increased stats, the player cannot defeat the dragon<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li>

    • In the fourth level<\/strong>, the player is given a choice:<\/p>

      • Wear the mask \u2192 still lose.<\/p><\/li>

      • Refuse the mask \u2192 win the battle.<\/strong><\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>

        The hidden rule behind this system is that:<\/p>

        • The hero\u2019s base stats are already higher than the dragon\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li>

        • When the player wears a mask, the dragon\u2019s stats scale up accordingly<\/strong>.<\/p><\/li>

        • By relying on external power, the player unknowingly creates a stronger enemy.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

          Only by trusting their original strength<\/strong>\u2014without the mask\u2014can the player finally succeed.<\/p>

          This mechanic allowed us to express the theme Masks<\/em> narratively and mechanically, without introducing overly complex systems.<\/p>

          Development Process<\/h5>

          We chose Unity<\/strong> as our game engine, as it is well-suited for 2D game development.<\/p>

          Before this Game Jam, I had almost no experience with Unity<\/strong>. However, the extremely tight schedule forced me to quickly learn:<\/p>

          • Unity\u2019s editor workflow<\/p><\/li>

          • Basic C# scripting<\/p><\/li>

          • Scene management and combat logic<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

            Although stressful, this rapid learning process was incredibly rewarding. Seeing my code turn into visible, playable results within such a short time gave me a strong sense of accomplishment and motivation.<\/p>

            For collaboration, we used a GitHub repository<\/strong> to synchronise our work, which helped us avoid conflicts and maintain version control during the jam.<\/p>

            Art & Audio<\/h5>

            Due to time constraints, we made pragmatic choices for assets:<\/p>

            • Art Style:<\/strong> Pixel art<\/p><\/li>

            • Masks:<\/strong> Hand-drawn by our team<\/p><\/li>

            • Backgrounds:<\/strong> AI-generated images<\/p><\/li>

            • Dragon & Hero sprites:<\/strong> Sourced from online assets<\/p><\/li>

            • Sound Effects & Music:<\/strong> Selected from Unity\u2019s asset resources<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

              While not all assets were created by us, we focused on ensuring visual consistency and clarity, prioritising gameplay readability over polish.<\/p>

              \"\"\"\"<\/p>

              Reflection<\/h5>

              Because of the limited time, many aspects of the game remain rough, and there is plenty of room for improvement\u2014especially in combat feedback, animation polish, and level pacing.<\/p>

              However, within just 48 hours, we:<\/p>

              • Completed a playable game.<\/p><\/li>

              • Delivered a clear thematic message<\/p><\/li>

              • Learned new tools and workflows under pressure<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

                Most importantly, this project taught us that strong ideas and clear narrative design can sometimes outweigh complex mechanics<\/strong>, especially in a Game Jam setting.<\/p>

                Overall, this was a challenging but deeply fulfilling experience, and a reminder that sometimes, taking off the mask is the real victory.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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                Theme: Mask Click here to play:\u00a0https:\/\/1015lhw.itch.io\/the-masked-hero Game site: https:\/\/globalgamejam.org\/games\/2026\/masked-hero-6\u00a0 General Concept This project was developed during a 48-hour Game Jam with the theme \u201cMasks.\u201dFrom the very beginning, we wanted to explore not only masks as a gameplay mechanic, but also as a narrative metaphor\u2014something that empowers the player on the surface, yet potentially limits them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":1088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=909"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1091,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions\/1091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sz3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}