Welcome to the first ever Hallo-Horror game jam! This nearly 2-month long jam is dedicated to making something spooky. The main goal of this jam is to give new devs an easy oppurtunity to learn how to develop games, or a chance for pre-existing developers to try something new. 

The only theme you need to stick to in this Jam is "horror". There is no secondary theme. 

The only prize for this jam is the fun of getting to make a game! There will be a winner for this jam, voted on all of you!

The Jam will end on October 26, and winners will be announced on Halloween. (Public Voting ends October 30th)

We strongly reccommend you join our official discord server here https://discord.gg/FXuYurt5b . This server is here to help guide you through the process, alongside giving you a chance to show off progress!

Judging Criteria:

Gameplay: Is your game fun to play? Is there minimal jank/bugs?:Art Direction/Style: Is your game pretty to look at? Does it match the atmosphere of your gameplay/world?

Horror Elements/Scares: Does your game contain clever jumpscares, or spooky atmosphere? Nailing this section makes your project extremely memorable, as a good scare is hard to forget!

Sound Design/Music: Does your music fit the vibe of the game? 

Story: Does your game have a narrative that feels impactful? How do you convey your world to the players beyond simple text?

RULES (please read these carefully) :

No AI: No part of your game can be generated by gAI (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.). This includes (but is not limited to): Art, Programming, Music, and Writing. Proof of Artificial Intelligence use is grounds for immediate disqualification. If you ever need a team member, you can always reach out on the discord server, as there are sure to be other teams in need of members.

Teams: Developers are allowed to work in teams, however we ask that your teams are limited to at most 3 people. This balances the playing field of the competition, as a solo developer will not be able to compete against a 10-Person team.

Pre-Existing Assets: Due to this being an introductory Jam, you are allowed to use some previous assets (Art, Music). HOWEVER, all art must be made by your team, or credited properly to a royalty free service. You are not allowed to copy code or writing. Any undeclared assets will be marked as plagiarism, and could be considered grounds for disqualification. You must have worked on your project during the duration of the game jam, you are not allowed to submit a previously-completed project.

Games Must be Horror-Themed

Platforms: All Games should be playable on Windows devices, and if possible playable on browser, however we understand that not every game CAN run on browsers. If you would like to add other additional platforms you are free to do so.

NO GRACE PERIOD: When the Jam ends, it ends. Please make sure to upload your game before the jam deadline. Preferably, upload it at least a day in advance or so to give you some leeway to design your itch.io page. Submissions will be locked after October 26th, 11:59:59PM ET.

NSFW: If your game contains any mature elements (I.E. Gore), you must explicitly state this in your description, and if possible inside your game as well.