Top-rated entries from Game Off 2021

The results are in! Game Off, our annual game jam (hackathon for building games), finished with over 500 amazing entries this year. 🤩

Last November, almost 8,000 participants were challenged to build a game with the theme “BUG,” and that spawned all sorts of creative and colorful games created with a variety of different game engines and programming languages. All sorts of creepy crawlies, intentional in-game bugs and glitches, plus some other interesting interpretations of the theme can be found in the glory scroll below.

Here are the top entries as rated and reviewed by the folks that created them. Many are playable right in your browser and/or a quick coffee break. Enjoy!

do;MIN(0)

“Well if there is a such thing as a perfect game this would be it. I loved the music, sounds, puzzles, choices, the theme fits just enough to make it cute and quaint.” – @chreeshendolo

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @anttihaavikko

Bendyworm

“Dang, what a fun game! Just beat the whole thing, I might go back and try it again! The concept was really creative, the mechanics were perfectly fluid, the graphics and the sound design were all incredible!” – @snuffysam

Play (Web, Windows, macOS) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @Bauxitedev

Hivemind

“Absolutely gorgeous! I’m honestly amazed at the beautiful models, animations, music, textures… everything! It’s all gorgeous!” – @Trigonious

Play (Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @Raformatico, @BuendiaGames, @jjramos, Fran Arroyo

Doorframe OZ

“Very cool and innovative game with lots of nostalgia for people of a certain age. Great job!” – @joegaffey

Play (Web, Windows, macOS) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @craftyclawboom, @7SevenStudios

godot_platformer.exe

“Fun game! Very unique, I enjoyed playing it – and really enjoyed the sense of humor with real Godot error messages which we’ve all had the pleasure of seeing at some point!” – @sredna43

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @TheWinrawr

Bug on the moon

“The mechanic is super cool. I love the idea of modifying the game codes on the fly.” – @sh1ft15

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @lopes-vincent

Bumblebee Blitz

“I LOVE this! The music is spot on, the game play is fun, the art is cute! Very nicely done! The AI is well done too, I had issues winning against them!” – @Daverinoe

Play (Web) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @nisovin

Don’t Bug Me!

“Simply amazing -one of my favourite games of the jam. I loved all the little details that went into making the levels feel like a real micro environment.” – @christopherbot

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @octobass-games, @majicmoo, @OdetteParkes, @Madmouseman, @AdamskiPadamski

Cordyception

“5 stars for me!! This is hands down one of the most fun game to play. Nothing is missing: cool powers, a very innovative plot (and I watched those fungus parasite documentary before, very nasty on ants!) everything made sense to me.” – @Harmades

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @nwallenfang, @nheeb

PatchDroid

“Like the puzzle platformer elements and gradually increasing how to use your skills and testing them. I also love the neon style and the visual effects like the 0s and 1s you put to the character. Really polished game!” – @michaelprimo

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @adidinchuk, @ArtomD, @corynorris

Use That Gravity Bug

“The game is so addictive. So innovative!” – @divinelight2021

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (JavaScript) · By @letmegoforit

Apex Colony

“I don’t think I have ever seen an rts at a game jam before! I had fun amassing an army, and the game felt easy until all my units died to a worm” – @WAEliasmith

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @Huntrt

Squashy Bug

“What a well polished game with such cool aesthetics, gameplay and even a leaderboard! The soundtrack and the sfx’s are so cool too! Maximum score!” – @Murilomsq

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @PetPumpkin

Shield of Faith

“I love the Pokemon vibe! It’s a well polished game, gameplay is on point, sound effect and music all come together very nicely.” – @Harmades

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @nlaracuente, ProdigalSon Games

We Follow The Fickle Path

“For me the ambiance is astonishing. I LOVE narrative stories, and I felt immediately in love with this one too. The Ants ecosystem is so well retranscripted and by so in such original way, I couldn’t stop playing.” – @Harmades

Play (Web) · Source (JavaScript) · By @seleb, @thehetmanm, @ianmart1n

Skittering Peaks

“This game is so beautiful, the little details are incredible, the grass movement, the fact the player is looking to the face of the nearby NPCs, the right choice of shader and consistency over the art during the entire game.” – @lucasteles

Play (Web, Windows, macOS) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @luninm

Bugged Out

“Very slick visuals, and it’s very satisfying to take out enemies.” – @emulrooney

Play (Windows, macOS) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @Charlesthed3v

Boog Doodles

“This was a really fun game to sit down and play! I absolutely love the detail and care put into the art and designs, and I smiled when I saw Baba Yaga show up.” – @rohaid-bakh

Play (Windows) · Source · By Mad Mushroom Games, Krqck, Marun, Anatole Arakelov

Gnatscapade

“Simple yet creative game. The art definitely stood out for me. It has a distinct story-book style and I quite like that.” – @OneThatEatYou

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @soapykelp

Boutheina: A Bug’s Adventure

“Wow this is amazing loved the art, music and mechanics of the game” – @adoankim

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @athenadai27, Yaz, DakotaHall

B.U.G.

“This was like a playing micro-game of WarioWare micro-games. I had some good fun for the short time it lasted! The art style is awesome and the games brought a smile to my face. Well done!” – @FussenKuh

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @spaghettioh

FAD

“Oh wow this is unique! Very good entry! Absolutely loved the voice acting and other audio elements.” – @AvatarGreggles

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Python, JavaScript) · By @DouglasOrr

Fireflies

“Art and music are beautiful. I really love the atmosphere. Game feels really smooth and polished.” – @starzonmyarmz

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @diego-escalante

CodeBreakers

“Amazing game! I loved the rhythm aspect and the sound design!” – @azbeaver

Play (Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @aljonpineda, nycelly

Memoria Castaway

“Beautiful experience. Love the designs and everything is so calm.” – @pke1029

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @tpeng3, @ethverie

It´s Bug Season!

“For a game created within 30 days for the jam, that’s a one hell of an impressive feat!” – @GMPguy

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @juliopm99, @ArtemAnk1

Oshi

“Nice game, the music is very suggestive, the designs are well done, the gameplay and the UI work very well. Really a great job.” – @LucaFin

Play (Web, Windows, macOS) · Source (C++) · By @ldweller245, Melomadness, stefanomusilli, ZrEx

Trapped

“Super fun idea! Seriously the game controls were perfect. I feel like often games that are trying to do something new and tricky end up having really difficult controls, but this was perfect – great job!” – @chreeshendolo

Play (Web) · Source (JavaScript) · By @starzonmyarmz

Bugs Inc.

“Super awesome game. I love the diverse movement and characters and the puzzles weren’t that hard but thoughtful.” – @KennanHunter

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @Alliones

Venus Pie Trap

“I absolutely love that the game was so easy to pick up! And the difficulty ramped up nicely! The graphics were fun, and the music was enjoyable! And the theme is there of course, it all works together nicely!” – @avatargreggles

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Phaser, JavaScript) · By @david8zhang, @zhang-edward

Bugnic

“Genius! I was laughing all the way through, the start and end cutscenes really got me Gameplay was simple but addictive, trying to get the combos drove me on” – @JackEvans24

Play (Web, Windows, Android) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @patrickbard, giupetry

Bugs On The Meadow

“Love the calm music and the choice of graphics! I love the oversized insects (especially the bee) and the flowers!” – @Vikerysh

Play (Web, Windows) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @alexvwegen

Feature

“This game really threw me away (in a positive way). The idea of modifying code within the puzzles is very unique.” – @nwallenfang

Play (Web, Windows, macOS) · Source (GameMaker Studio) · By @MamaGoblinGames

Decomposer

“What an interesting idea for a game. The platforming is so creative. The entire atmosphere of the game is very serene. Nice job!” – @dakotahall

Play (Web) · Source (Phaser, JavaScript) · By @christopherbot

Without Abandonware

“Awesome innovative mechanics. Good mix of “weapons”. A little bit hard to grasp, but once you get it, it’s fun.” – @nunes

Play (Web) · Source (Unity, C#) · By @aaronlws95, @BrianPrassad, @Aesaire

SYNTHESIA=NOX

“Really cool game idea. I thinks that fits well with the target audience you got here.” – @OrangeJam

Play (Web) · Source (Electron, JavaScript) · By @programmingincluded, @hirudan, cantataku, TellerRomantique

Squorm

“Wow what a simulation, fantastic effort on graphics and gameplay for the worm’s movement! I tried it on web and Linux and it works well, the puzzles are fun, the tutorial hints get you through it nicely, the game feels polished, well done!” – @sinisterstuf

Play (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux) · Source (Godot, GDScript) · By @MrBundles

Phew! There are hundreds more for you to try out—just view the submissions on itch.io and filter by operating system/browser.

Thank you, everyone, for joining this year’s Game Off and for rating and reviewing so many games. Hopefully, they’ll generate hours of entertainment for folks and be of educational value to folks learning to create their own games. 💖

We’ll see you again next year!

Did you miss the Game Off? Check out these other great game jams that are coming up: Global Game Jam (January 20—30, 2022) and Ludum Dare 50 (April 1—4, 2022). Or, keep your eyes peeled on itch.io’s game jam listings for something that piques your interest.

Written by

Lee Reilly

@leereilly

Developer / Marketing / Community at GitHub. Twitter: https://twitter.com/leereilly.