The One Button Jam was a game jam that challenged developers make a fun game that only uses one button. I was able to play and record all of the games entered into this jam in my video compilation series. Below are a few of my favorites, in no particular order.

Pork Chopper is a side scroller where you slash and kill your way through everything in your path. You play as a pig that is automatically moving forward. You have a sword with you, and you can block or slash enemies. Holding down your mouse will charge your weapon behind you, enabling you to deliver a huge blow. If you click your mouse quickly, you will block, and if you do a sort of mid-length click, you will backhand your weapon into the enemies. As you move across the screen you will reach a star at the end. This star will drop you down to the platform below you,and sometimes a different world. Sometimes there are vending machines on a level, which you can use to buy upgrades to make your journey easier. You are also able to level up as you defeat more enemies. This game is quite challenging, as there are always more levels to explore!

COLOR DROP is a turn based game where you are combining colors to select where your player moves to and which tiles will drop. Every turn you play, you must move to one of the tiles around you on the board, then drop one off of the screen. Dropping a tile means you won’t be able to move to that space. If a tile is dropped while you or your enemy is on it, then that person will fall off the board and lose. Your enemy can either be the AI or a friend if you want to try local co-op. Selecting tiles is another interesting mechanic in this game. Colored dots will appear around the tiles you are able to move to. You must control the person at the bottom of the screen - tapping once to move to the next button or holding down the keyt to select the button. These buttons are only primary colors, so if you want to select a tile that is not highlighted by a primary color, you will need to combine colors before selecting. This game does start off at a slow pace, but once you and your enemy end up close to each other, you must really think about where to go and how to drop the tiles!

Moven Aurum is an auto-scrolling adventure game that has you collecting treasures throughout the lands! You are looking to collect as many coins as you can while you explore a world that’s changing around you. While you walk around, you are able to press spacebar to jump. If you hit a wall, you will simply turn the other way and continue on your journey. There are many different areas in this game - some of which give you new powers like the ability to hold down space to jump and smash down on a button located in the game or to perform a double jump. Some areas will not be unlocked until you have the prerequisite ability to get to them. You also have a minimap that is at the top of the screen, to show you where you are and where you can go from there. There are objects such as spikes in this game - which will kill you if you touch them. Your final score will be lower if you die. This game can be quite challenging and take some time if you miss a button or don’t take a jump. Get your timing correct and work your way through this world as fast as possible!

Cannon Bob is a simple but very charming arcade game where you blast a bob out of a cannon into the next cannon on the screen. Shooting your character is a bit tricky - your cannon moves back and forth, so you must click at the right moment to get Bob to the next cannon. There are things like spiked balls and hands that will instantly stop the head or slap it back down, so you need to aim around these things. You can bounce him against the wall to guide it where you want it to go. Even though this game is simple in concept, aspects of it are super remarkable. The whole game is done in claymation - all of the sound effects and music sound like they were made by someone’s voice. These little details polish the game and give it real character!

Cell Driller is a lovely action puzzler where you are boosting a ship through glass circles! This atmospheric game allows you to tap space once to change directions or hold space down to charge up your boost. You need to boost to get around an area faster - but be aware of walls! If you run into walls too much (or to hard) you might destroy your ship. If you boost your ship too fast you can change direction while moving to slow yourself down. Each level has a number of glass circles to smash through before the end rectangle lights up and allows you to go to the next level. Some levels introduce new things like buttons that can be pushed to remove walls or dangerous water. Water is a bit tricky at first, as if your ship sits in the water for too long, it will sink and be destroyed. The sound effects and music to this game are quite relaxing, though some levels do pose quite a challenge!

Jaded Jacks is a slow paced rogue like that has you moving around, fighting other enemies, and collecting upgrades all with one button. An arrow moves around you, allowing you to push any button to move in the direction it is pointing. You will find keys, items to upgrade your party, and potions around each dungeon level. You will need keys to open chests and doors! Specific colored keys open specific doors or chests. When you explore the dungeon, you will also find enemies lurking around. If you run into them, you will enter battle mode. Battle mode shows you your party of three characters. Each character has four different moves it can use - some requiring mana. To make a move, you need to press a button to start a casting gauge bar. If you are not pressing a button as the gauge hits the lines in it, an up arrow will appear, if you are holding down a button a down arrow will appear. This line of four arrows will then make an attack (if they are the same as one of your characters attack). This may all sound complicated, but after playing it for a level, you will be a pro in how things work. See how far you can get in this dungeon!

Current is a short, story based game that has you helping out some strangers by controlling a current. You are an electrical current that has been asked to help out some people who sound like they are trapped. As you click and hold, you will burst up the line. Sometimes there are lights along the circuit that you can trigger or different directions you can go to. As you play this game, you will hear more from the people you are trying to help - they will ask you to trigger specific things or help you go through areas that are blocked off. This game is pretty simple, but quite fun to figure out. The mysterious narrative along with it is quite intriguing as well.

Boss Bashing Button Brawlers is a super fun online multiplayer button bashing game! In this game, you and up to 3 of your friends can defeat awesome pixel monsters by playing different brawlers. Each brawler is given a number and a color on the screen. When it is your turn you need to press spacebar down when your number needs to be pushed. Sometimes you will need to push and hold your button for a bit or until the next player who needs to push their button does. If one of the players push their button out of turn, you must all start over. If you take too long, the enemy monster will destroy you, and you will have to restart the whole game. This game does take a bit of learning and teamwork between your friends, but once you get defeating enemies, you will be hooked!

#OneButtonJam #PorkChopper #COLORDROP #MovenAurum #CannonBob #CellDriller #JadedJacks #Current #BossBashingButtonBrawlers