Elemental Chaos

Curated by Alex Zheng January 7, 2024

This collection includes four games dealing brilliantly with the theme of ‘chaos’: real-time, multi-task and randomization with their strategic driven mechanics. Elemental Chaos is fascinating. It is a spirit living in a functional machine, while pure chaos is dull, in which everything alive will be wrapped up in some singleton. In the difference between these four games with and without the mechanics that cause chaos, there is something magical. In this vast labyrinth, you have less control than you imagine and more control than you realize.

Casual Crusade

Antti Haavikko Each decision in this game is made by pushing through several strategic layers, considering map construction and collection, current hand and the deck. Antti Haavikko writes:

I've been making games for a long time and I always make games I'd enjoy playing myself. I mainly make games for game jams and always run solo as I enjoy all the different sections of game development from coding to art and audio. The initial idea for this game actually came from the board game Betrayal at House on the Hill. But that was just the level building mechanic but I knew from the start that I wanted to make it a score based game. That's what I usually go for with jam games as they can be short but very replayable too. Then I just kept adding more and more skills to make the scoring more interesting and give runs some more variety. But then I actually had to start limiting the ideas as I was already hitting the size limit, the game was an entry to js13k jam, where everything needed to fit in a zip of 13 kilobytes. It was my first time participating in a jam with a hard restriction like this but I really enjoyed it! It was fun trying to size optimize and try to squeeze every byte out that I could. After the jam I did expand on it a bit adding all the things I had to leave out and I will keep on working on it more in the future too.

Bee Game

mul_dev Navigate the map with 'point & click movement' as you guide a bee toward light balls, while changing colors swiftly using the color panel. Engage in a dynamic strategy that blends logical inference and rapid reactions. Explore elegance and beauty in a simple, compact design that promises a captivating gaming experience.

SERPENTES

Benjamin Soulé Featured in Frank Lantz's The Beauty of Games, Serpentes exemplifies cognitive design. Engaging in a deliberate gameplay experience with a randomized rule system that is fast-paced and exciting, the game prompts players to take swift actions while learning, turning the process of internalizing encyclopedic knowledge into an immersive gaming experience.

Tiny Island

David King Experience the sensation of Tiny Islands by David King, a captivating blend of map-drawing, rogue-like randomization, and card-building mechanics. Select landscapes strategically, considering each one's quirks, preferences for proximity, or distance. Use a pencil with three chances to draw outlines and shape the islands. An addictive and engaging game awaits.