RORY LYONS - GAME JAMS

GAME JAM PROJECTS

Below is an overview of a select few of the game jam projects that I have worked on. My entire library of game jam games is available on my itch page

SHIP SHOPPER

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A submission to Mini Jam 185: Aliens where it achieved fourth place in enjoyment and eighth place overall. I worked as the sole developer on this project. I designed, developed, and created all of the art for this project. This game is a "bullet-heaven" style game where the player outfits a ship with various items that can be purchased between rounds of spawning aliens. The player must balance the limited space available on their ship with the limited power generated by their generators. The player gains credits as they kill enemies and can spend these credits on bigger and better parts for their ship.

EAT YOUR CAKE

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A submission to Mini Jam 163: Dessert where it achieved first place. I worked as part of a team as a game designer on this project. The game is an arcade style shoot em' up where the player must feed kids at a party the correct food to prevent the overall happiness of the party dropping too low. My main role was in gameplay design and creating the algorithms used for spawning various game elements. This included the rate at which new kids appear and also the order in which the various ammo refills show up. I did a large amount of playtesting to identify bugs and ensure a polished experience.

WHEN FISHES FLY

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A submission to Mini Jam 153: Fishing. I worked as part of a team on this project where I was the primary designer and developer. I handled all of the programming and gameplay design. The game is a fishing game set on a floating island where the player must catch increasingly large varieties of fish by purchasing various upgrades. The game has a satisfying combo system where smaller fish can be used to catch bigger fish. I implemented a spawning algorithm which controls the rates at which various tiers of fish spawn as you progress through the game and balanced this to ensure a smooth and consistent player experience.

A STORMY LEGACY

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A submission to the Brackeys Game Jam 2024.2 where it was placed in the top 5% of entries. I worked as part of a team as a game designer on this project. The game is a narrative puzzle game in which the player must solve a murder by piecing together clues through a family tree. I spent the majority of my time playtesting and looking for solutions to various issues to make the gameplay experience as smooth as possible. This included identifying elements which felt unclear or confusing, and proofreading text to localise it into more natural sounding dialogue since our narrative designer's first language was not english.