Welcome
To celebrate the launch of Horror Game Kit 1.5, we’re bringing you a new type of challenge! We’re providing detailed theme settings to help you enhance your game development skills by incorporating popular elements in horror game design.
Plus, you'll learn to promote your game by completing a video creation task.
Theme
Forbidden Dungeon
Background
In the heart of a desolate no-man's land lies the entrance to a legendary dungeon, shrouded in mystery and fear. According to ancient tales, this dungeon holds unimaginable treasures, hidden away for centuries. However, those who dare to seek these riches must first face the terrifying truth: the treasure is never left unguarded. Something—or someone—lurks in the shadows, watching, waiting, and ready to defend the dungeon's secrets at all costs.
In this game jam, you will create a horror adventure set in this mythical underground labyrinth. As treasure hunters, players must navigate through treacherous traps, solve ancient puzzles, and confront the terrifying guardians that dwell within the dungeon’s depths. The allure of the treasure will push players forward, but the growing sense of dread will make them question if the reward is worth the risk.
Key Elements to Include:
- Dark and Foreboding Atmosphere: Use the dungeon’s eerie, labyrinthine corridors and ancient architecture to create a sense of claustrophobia and fear.
- Puzzle and Exploration: Players must explore the dungeon, decipher ancient texts, and solve complex puzzles to unlock the path to the treasure.
- Survival Horror: The dungeon is guarded by terrifying entities that players must evade or defeat. Each encounter will test their resolve as they inch closer to the treasure.
- Treasure and Temptation: The promise of riches will lure players deeper into the dungeon, but with each step, the dangers grow more menacing, and the guardians more relentless.
Hints:
- Draw inspiration from classic dungeon-crawling games and horror stories about cursed treasures and ancient guardians.
- Use lighting and sound to create a sense of unease, making players feel as though they are never truly alone in the dungeon.
- Incorporate narrative elements that reveal the dungeon’s dark past and the origins of the guardians who protect the treasure.
Special Task
1. We have prepared a tutorial on how to replace Don't Look Back Jumpscare, and now we invite you to try replacing it in your own game!
2. Take a screenshot or record a video of the Don't Look Back Jumpscare in your game and put it on your game itch submission page.
3. We will give you additonal 10 points to your game if you do 1&2!
4. Looking forward to seeing your puzzle!
Awards
1st place * 1 - 100USD$
2nd place * 1 - 70USD$
3rd place * 1 - 50USD$
Participation Prize *n - 30USD$
Horror Game Kit 1.5
Horror Game Kit 1.5 is a comprehensive template that empowers you to craft spine-tingling horror games with minimal to no code. The newest version 1.5 brings exciting updates, including a new package system, enhanced prefabs, and upgraded smart assets. This all-in-one solution includes a robust template packed with essential features, a curated selection of assets and tools, pre-built systems to streamline development, and a demo game to spark inspiration. Plus, with the new SDK framework as the foundation, you'll soon be able to take the fear to the next level with multiplayer horror games.
To see the difference between HGK 1.0 and HGK 1.5 →Horror Game Kit Overview
How to Join
Official Jam
1. Sign up for the challenge by joining the jam on this page.
2. Submit your game project on this itch.io page.
3. Record the most exciting part of your game (less than one minute) or capture some exciting moments during your development process and upload it to YouTube as a short video. Make sure to mention us by @yahahastudios to submit the video, and use the hashtags #Forbidden Dungeon and #horrorgaming. (Please make it public, or we cannot receive your video).
Rules
To be a valid submission, please follow these requirements:
1. Create and publish an original project. (AI tools, including the YAHAHA AI scene generator and 3D model generation, are allowed and not prohibited at any stage of the creation process.)
2. Your submitted games should be made with the Horror Game Kit within YAHAHA Studio.
3. Get a score over 60 and submit all the required materials (project + video) to qualify for the participation prize.
4. When editing the itch page, enter "yahaha" in the tag field.
5. Send the co-author to HorrorHatch (https://horror-hatch.itch.io/) before uploading.
Rating Rules
| Criteria | Definition | Score | |
| Gameplay mechanics | Plot | Coherent and thematic game story, with multiple triggers and guidance methods to ensure that players do not feel monotonous. | 20 |
| Highlight | You have fully showcased the game idea that you most want to highlight in this game | 20 | |
| Audiovisual game elements | Game art | Includes all visual elements in a game, such as landscapes, animals, animations, special effects, and user interfaces. | 20 |
| Game music & Sound effects | Game music refers to background music that plays continuously and loops throughout the game, typically unrelated to player actions or game state. Game sound effects are triggered based on specific scenarios or actions and only play when the triggering conditions are met. | 20 | |
| Youtube Shorts | Video Record | Record a short video (less than one minute), upload it to YouTube and mention us by@yahahastudios and use the hashtags #Forbidden Dungeon#horrorgaming. | 20 |
How to Submit Your Game to Itch
What is YAHAHA
Using YAHAHA Studio empowers creators with little or no coding experience to bring their imaginative game ideas to life. YAHAHA has significantly reduced the barrier to 3D game creation through this exceptionally user-friendly creator tool, designed with all the principles of the Unity development environment. This tool could be your gateway to a new life as a creator in the metaverse. Accessible through the YAHAHA App, it provides an opportunity to reach an audience of thousands of players worldwide every day.
NOTE: We'd love to hear your opinions and any suggestions you might have for enhancing our future game jams. If you wish to provide feedback, please send an email to creatorservice@yahahastudios.com and use the subject line "GameJam." If you use any other subject line, we may not catch it!
YAHAHA does not claim ownership of Entries, however, except where prohibited, by participating in the Campaign, Entrant grants Yahaha and its agents an irrevocable right and license in perpetuity to publish, use, edit, adapt, and/or modify any or all of the content in an Entry that was created or contributed to by Entrant without the need for further approval, in whole or in part, in any way, in any and all media throughout the world, and to associate the Entry with Entrant’s name, likeness, and biographical information, without limitation and without compensation for the purposes of annoucing winners, showcase and marketing promotion associated to the Campaign. Entrant agrees that Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Entries by third parties.
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