The Resist Jam was a game jam that challenged developers to create a game that resists the oppressive authoritarianism in all its forms. This jam was also in partnership with IndieCade. 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.

Freedom Through a Lens is a unique narrative that takes you through a protest in a very different way. Instead of a person who is protesting or having strong feelings on some new ‘anti-freedom’ laws, you are a freelance journalist trying to take pictures and obtain stories from various people at a protest. Not all of these people have come for the same reason however - some aren’t even a part of the protest while others have very clear opinions one way or another. You get to speak to each of them and see their own unique point of view before taking a picture - if they give you permission too.

Once you have explored the protest enough and spoken to quite a few people, you will be able to select the stories to include in your news release. Exploring a protest in this way is very important. Not everyone protesting will always understand exactly what they are protesting against, while others will know exactly what is happening and what is happening around them. Being able to experience a multitude of different points of view in this game, from children to grandfathers, is a great way to view a political event.

PUNKS - a 2064 Story is a narrative story about two young boys looking to rob a house. This story seems to be based off of another narrative game about some punks vandalising this house, but with this version of events, you get to see what went on inside the job and the reasons behind destroying and stealing someone else’s property. I have not read the main story this game is based off of, but enjoyed this smaller version of events nonetheless. Oli and Chad are apart of a Human Revolution group who are against hybrid people. Hybrids are a cross between humans and animals - not something either of you really dislike, however Chad’s dad is the leader of the group, so Chad tends to go along with you. You are Oliver - Chad’s boyfriend - and you would do most things with him.

Chad doesn’t help his dad’s group in any conventional ways and instead breaks into homes and leaves messages that go against what they stand for, stealing expensive stuff as they go. Chad’s father doesn’t approve of this approach, something you know about, but you have never asked why Chad continues to cause issues, until you are trapped in the apartment tonight. Chad and Oliver have a very interesting time in this appartment. Chad has his own reasons for upsetting his father, even if he claims he is still promoting the group in a way. PUNKS - a 2064 Story is very captivating and interesting to read.

Unloop is an interesting story based game where you are stuck reliving the same day, over and over, until you are able to survive. You are a scientist living in a time when the government has strict control over everything in society. This includes the work that you are doing, the food you can eat, and your studies in your job. Even in this sad time, you and your best friend and working together on a herculean project; a time machine! You have been chosen to be the first person to use this machine and see if it works.

Now, the future is playing out. You have 5 minutes before the time loop you are trapped in restarts. This loop has you stuck, reliving the same path over and over, until you can find a way to break it. To make matters worse, your science partner does not believe that you are trapped in this loop, so you have to convince him and make him understand to get you both correctly back in a timeline! Unloop is a really intense game to play through. The time literally ticks down as you need to figure out a way to break this loop. Your lab is a small place, but you need to focus and learn about your environment to help you get out of this repeating timeline.

Yellow Haze is a super funny looking game that has you playing as a monkey, in a time when monkeys from another world have brought some strange bananas called the Yellow Haze to your town. These new bananas are meant to be the best things ever - they are meant to taste like bananas but also bring you eternal joy! It sounds too good to be true, but the chef has tried them and wants all of his people to experience it too.

These monkeys are divided into four different tribes. These tribes are all competing with each other to produce bananas. Your tribe isn’t too sure about replacing the bananas with some new and strange type of banana, so instead they decide to sit out the Yellow Haze tasting. Your tribe is also unsure what is going on with the other monkeys so you must see if there is a way to help the rest of the community in a time of these weird new fruits. This game is not quite complete yet, but from where it is at, it is a really neat start!

NNC News, with Tom Vandercar is a funny Papers, Please styled news game where you must censor out what is being read live on the news. Tom Vandercar is reading the news on live TV from the broadcasting board. These stories are already typed up, however some words have been banned. Each day you will get a new list of banned words which you must replace in the news line. These various buzzwords have to do with huge events that went on that week, that your studio does not want to talk about. If you miss one of these words, your studio will lose funding.

As Tom reads each story, you must skim the board, replacing the worlds that he is not meant to say before he speaks. When you click on a banned word, you get three options of replacement words. Some of them are really funny, others accurate and fitting to the news, and some even are just bizarre. Depending on what you choose, Tom’s voice and inflection when giving the news will also change. Sometimes it sounds like not even he believes what he is reporting! NNC News, with Tom Vandercar is a really polished, fun game.

All you have to do is survive is a narrative chose your own adventure story where you must make important decisions while being trapped inside a cell. You are there with one other person, both of you are trying to survive. In this game, you have to make direct decisions - fight back or be compliant. Fighting back will drain your health, while listening will heal you up. There are two very different endings based on what path you choose - though you do get to switch paths at various parts of the story.

I don’t want to give too much away, but All you have to do is survive is a very emotional, well written adventure that shows you both outcomes. It is very skillfully written and does make an impact - no matter what choice you end up making.

(Un)Marked is a tribe survival game with multiple different endings to figure out. You are one of the Marked tribe members - your tribe has stolen a precious gem from the Unmarked tribe and you are now looking to kill the Unmarked king so that your tribe has total control. You get to decide what to do - kill the king with your tribe, return the gem to the rightful owners, or help the fallen people from both sides.

You can pick up weapons like the members of your tribe do and head out to explore and fight. There are many Unmarked tribe members that have fallen, begging for fruit to increase their health. You can finish them off, or you can bring them fruit to help them. Unmarked tribe members will also fight back if you start to fight them, throwing rocks at you if you provoke them. The rightful owner of the gem is hoping to have their gem returned to them, but it is very clear your tribe isn’t going to help. What are you going to do?

Romantic is a short but stylish game that takes a look into the children of people who are arrested, specifically for a political reason. You start off with your mother, seeing your father in jail for running a political newspaper that said something untoward about the government. You don’t know much about what is going on, but your father has left both you and your mother, which naturally is a huge deal to a child. Your mother isn’t coping well with the situation either, so you in your infancy have it pretty rough.

You end up in your room, dealing with your emotions by a show of anger, as you feel your dad has betrayed you. Romantic does end after this small room scene, but I feel that this game has a lot to offer if it is ever continued. Exploring the actions of a child - especially a child in this kind of situation - is a whole new view and a peek into an adult world. The different room scenes have an aesthetic that is very symbiotic with the game.

#ResistJam #FreedomThroughALens #PUNKSA2064Story #Unloop #YellowHaze #NNCNewsWithTomVandercar #AllYouHaveToDoIsSurvive #UnMarked #Romantic