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No Hope — Team Failsafe Collective Climate Jam 2025 Final Submission's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Aesthetics | #1 | 4.692 | 4.692 |
| Polish & Release | #2 | 4.385 | 4.385 |
| Overall | #2 | 4.200 | 4.200 |
| Writing | #3 | 3.923 | 3.923 |
| Gameplay & Mechanics | #4 | 3.846 | 3.846 |
| Use of Themes | #5 | 4.154 | 4.154 |
Ranked from 13 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Artistic Statement / Use of Theme
No Hope is a retro-futuristic Earth simulation and resource management game that explores the complex, cascading effects of climate change. Set in a control tower overlooking a dying world, players must manage real-world environmental systems to delay the planet’s collapse caused by both natural disasters, and human caused events, for as long as possible.
Inspired by the growing tension between technological power and ecological fragility, No Hope uses a stark visual style and atmospheric design to highlight both the urgency of the climate crisis and the illusion of control. At its core, the game delivers a clear message: true hope doesn’t come from an overseer, it comes from collective action.
Development Summary
Throughout development, the team remained committed to delivering on the core vision of No Hope. While the original concept was slightly overly ambitious, we were able to adapt by scaling back in thoughtful ways that preserved the spirit and quality of the experience. Some features, like additional task stations, randomized events, and the beloved-but-extraneous cat companion, were ultimately cut to maintain focus on what mattered most: the central gameplay loop and its underlying message.
One of the most unexpected and rewarding moments in development was welcoming Louise, our sound designer and composer, into the team. Unlike the rest of us, who had known each other prior to the jam, Louise was a new collaborator who brought fresh creative energy and a distinct musical identity to the project. In the end, our team was made up of 4 game designers/developers, 3 artists, and 1 sound/music designer.
Release Plan
The game’s current state is a satisfactory one and one that the team is proud of in the context of a 30 day game jam. The core idea and spirit of the game was achieved satisfactorily, and the gameplay is a fun but short experience.
The team sees incredible potential for the game if more time and effort is put in after the jam. For example, integrating the full math system and all of the original planned sub-tasks will most definitely add layers of depth and flavor to the gameplay and mechanics. While there is also an opportunity to develop the game in a more narrative direction through the environment or event system, hint at the lore or backstory of the control tower and its overseer. The team may look into further continuing the project, or may set eyes on a bigger more long term focused project together.
Topic Tags
Ozone levels, Pollution, Water/Atmosphere Temperature, Rising sea levels, Human caused Climate Change, Technological advancement
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Comments
This game is really great project. The atmosphere is tense and immersive, with visuals and sound design that really sell the stakes of managing Earth’s survival. While some modules took a bit to figure out, the core loop is super satisfying once it clicks. Overall, a polished and thoughtful game with a strong theme and aesthetic. Great work!
I like the art direction you guys took for this game. It was almost spooky, setting a reminder that anything could and will go wrong in this game. The theme is very strong, the balancing act to keep the earth in check is difficult, and if there is not enough attention towards it, it may not be inhabitable in the future.
The visuals of this game are very interesting and striking, but I had some issues with the performance and oftentime had lots of stutters during gameplay. While some of the games mechanics were clear to me, such as the temperature control module, others took a little while to understand, such as the water control. I would make these more clear as to what exactly the player needs to do to interact with these modules. Overall, the theming was well used and implemented, but could be stronger with more noticeable impacts to not maintaining habitability on Earth.
A fantastic game! Gives me strong lethal company vibes with both the visuals and sound design. I do have some issues with gameplay clarity, as a lot of the side objectives weren't very intuitive and I ended up failing pretty quickly. I would like to have a bit more impact on the world you see out your window be visible as well to give a real sense of impact on the planet, and it'd be cool if there was a sprinting option so that when the computer says "Run to the O-Zone Station!" you can actually run to it, but these are more nitpicks that could be worked on at some other time. Other than that, the storytelling was somewhat there but I think it could have been exaggerated a little more so the player has a real sense of impact in both the positive and negative directions (the scene that plays out when the player loses is a perfect example of the exaggeration I'd like to see more of, as it pauses everything to make the focus on the main console, very well executed on that).
Great work here! The art style and atmosphere are definitely my favorite parts. I missed the tutorial the first time I played and was a little confused lol, but after reading through the comments I replayed and had a much better time. I will say I wish I had a little more fine control of the temperature station though, as sometimes one button press always overshoots or undershoots the exact target. Still the game loop is pretty satisfying and the atmosphere you've created is spot on. Great work!
Phenomenal work you guys. This game had me hooked with the SCREENSHOTS GANG!! I love the retro design feel to it. It reminds me of the games that Coryxkehnshin always plays in his channel and this is the type of game he would play. The voice acting was amazing and the tutorial was very helpful and cool. I didn't finish the game because half of the time I didn't know what I was doing, but that's a skill issue on my part. Nonetheless, this game is Fantastic and I don't know how you guys did it in one month, props to you guys. PS I LOVE THE TITLE!!
Awesome game! The atmosphere your team created through the use of both audio and visuals was very compelling, and is really what sold the game to me. It did a good job of creating a dystopian esc setting that is still realistic to our modern day world. This really helps sell the theme of the jam, as it invites modern day perspectives into a futuristic universe.
Absolutely incredible work! I am absolutely blown away by how polished the whole game was. The tutorial was comprehensive and slightly ominous, setting the tone perfectly for the whole experience. And the whole management aspect struck that perfect balance of being slightly stressful but ultimately very satisfying. As someone who loves playing with machinery in games, I was having the time of my life dealing with all the events. There is nothing better than getting to push a bunch of buttons and pull some levers.
The visuals and sound design were also just perfect. The low poly textured aesthetic worked incredibly well and everything felt so cohesive (I was particularly enamored by the model for the coffee machine, so detailed while still managing to stick to that consistent style). I was just so impressed the whole way through.
I managed to reach 120 years before getting cut off by the dreaded No Hope button but I will return because my god was it super fun. And thank you for including that pet the cat button.
The attention to detail throughout was just amazing. Seriously incredible job!
Great concept and great execution! I'm surprised that y'all made every asset from scratch, but I guess that's the benefit of having all art school students ;)
The gameplay tutorial video helped a lot, but I feel like I would have been very confused if not for the video.
The idea of playing god on a simulated earth and doing Among Us-style minigames is fascinating, and the integration of different terminology and research like Ozone levels is great! Although I felt like adjusting water and core temperature levels directly was a little too Sci Fi-ey for my liking and would have liked a slightly more realistic approach (ex: melting/freezing glaciers maybe? Or adjusting clouds/rains for temperature) but I do understand that there are affordance issues vs a more direct approach.
The PS1 dithering shader and lowpoly assets really shine, though I felt like some textures felt a bit too high-poly/high def and stood out from the rest. A minor issue though, given the sheer number of assets!
Overall, amazing job yall! <3
This is amazing work for the time you guys worked on this. You guys clearly worked very well together, and I really like the final product. The art of it is wonderful, and the concepts are very engaging and fun to be a part of as the player. I love the visual effects of the tower.