Are You Ready for CloneJamOrange?
CloneJamOrange is almost here! Running from May 15 to May 17, now is your chance to make Orange08 inspired games. This raises a question: what is an Orange08 game like?
Orange08 is a master of tightly coupled narrative and mechanics. His short games have never failed to deliver an unexpected, concise, and gripping experience. As you can tell from the header banner (as well as from the screenshots throughout this piece), his art style is refreshing when compared to the sea of HD and retro-pixel graphics we face on a daily basis.
But what’s fantastic about Orange08’s alternative graphics is how fluid his animations are. His attention to minute details brings these worlds to life. More so, the player interactions within his work are easy to control. Not once during an Orange08 game have I ever been frustrated by an in-game bug or wished for any control tweaks. You’ll never catch his game’s off-guard; they’re prepared to handle your meddling.
Examples!
Below are a few of my favorite Orange08 games.
Short Narratives
A strain of games that Orange08 explores is that of short narrative interpretable experiences. They often employ the use of a game-y mechanic or goal for the player to occupy themselves with, while the story unfolds around them. The interaction is simple, usually just ‘A’ and ‘D’ (or the left and right arrow keys). More complex interactions (such as digging up skeletons, operating machines, filling water pails) happen passively, allowing the player to remain focused on play rather than on controls.
My favorite of these games is harvey skeletons. The music and sound help set the mood and the crisp animations solidify the play.
My second favorite game of this type is jerry clouds. You play as jerry, and you have a wonderful cloud machine! I won’t spoil the rest.
Further playing:
Meaningful Platformer
Just as atmospheric as Orange08’s shorter narrative games are the meaningful platformers. The label of “platformer” doesn’t quite do them justice though. They’re not Mario-clones by any means. While playing these games can be exciting, the tone is often melancholy or contemplative. The fine-tuned mechanics paired up with thoughtfully crafted level design within these games offer deep nuanced experiences.
Because these games are longer than the short narrative work (long enough that showing gameplay won’t spoil the experience), I’ve included the trailers below.
On With the Jam!
There you have it! A slew of Orange08 games to check out! If you’d like to see all the games he’s released, check out his Gamejolt page here. Don’t forget to join us May 15-17 for CloneJamOrange!
Spread the word on social media using the hashtag CloneJamOrange as well.
#orange08 #gamejam #clonejam
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