Round 1 of GDKO 2023 is now over and I have played through all 100+ entries. With the competition being specifically focused on art and visual design, I am serious when I say that people delivered. There were some absolutely beautiful games created. And without further adieu, I give my 15 favorite games from GDKO 2023, round 1.
Uyuni
Simple endless runner. But the pixel art is absolutely stunning. 3+ levels of parallax. A beautiful water shader. A layered fog effect to increase the difficulty a little ways in. Incredibly well thought out game.
Game: https://lio-lim.itch.io/uyuni
Creator: https://lio-lim.itch.io/
Riri
Visually stunning game 2D platformer/metroidvania game. You play as a forest wisp and shapeshift into various animals. Use their abilities to traverse the level and solve puzzles. Great concept. The lighting, layering of artwork, and the lighting are all particularly well done. Would definitely love to see this turned into a full game.
Game: https://zedrick1435167gmailcom.itch.io/riri
Creator: https://zedrick1435167gmailcom.itch.io/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnk2vkdS8xAVmK6m_1nKfEA
Uzuan Orbital
2D puzzle platformer/metroidvania. Unique setting, character, and mechanics. Conceptually great, but the amount of polish on this is just fantastic.
Game: https://jebouin.itch.io/uzuan-orbital
Creator: https://jebouin.itch.io/
Website: http://www.jebouin.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jebouin
POV
3D puzzle platform, but incredibly unique. You’re inside a kaleidoscope-type thing and all the planes reflect the level. You have to use them to traverse the level. Never seen anything like this before. I really think the developer, Solís, is on to something special with this one.
Game: https://solisu.itch.io/pov
Creator: https://solisu.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sol_isU
Hordes
A solid little 2D fighting/beat ’em up game. Looks and feels like playing an SNES game. Great pixel art. Good animations on the character. Wonderful 8-bit style soundtrack.
Game: https://samagana.itch.io/hordes
Creator: https://samagana.itch.io/
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Top down action/adventure style game. The visuals are fantastic and tell a story even with no words. Tons of small polish items. Just feels great to play all around. Would love to see more of this game.
Game: https://rio85.itch.io/gdko23
Creator: https://rio85.itch.io/
Astral Plane
2D platformer. Bloody and groteque eldritch style setting. Beautiful pixel art. An incredible level of polish. One of my favorites of GDKO 2023.
Game: https://nutt3d.itch.io/gdko-2023-round-1-astral-plane
Creator: https://nutt3d.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMNUTT3D
Reinoshima
3D puzzle adventure game set in the death realm. Well placed story elements. Does a great job of giving you just enough, but also leaves you wanting more. Dark, but without being scary. Reminds me of an early 2000s 3D game.
Game: https://wolfenrahd.itch.io/grim-reaper
Creator: https://wolfenrahd.itch.io/
The Hyper Pop Collective
Hands down, the best audio of GDKO 2023. Absolutely banging track. Wonderful use of space playing the audio relative to players position. Visually stunning with the almost neon purple. Great humor from the characters. Absolutely hits the vibe it was going for.
Game: https://cjtheegamedev.itch.io/the-hyper-pop-collective
Creator: https://cjtheegamedev.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJTheeGameDev
Planeshifter
One of the most visually stunning locations in GDKO 2023. The fairy realm would have some of the most unique opportunities to showcase graphics. And in this short exploration game, it is on full display. So many small, beautiful touches like particles effects, fog, water. Just breathtaking. Would love to explore a whole game like this.
Game: https://icygamesstudio.itch.io/planeshifter
Creator: https://icygamesstudio.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GamesYianni
Intergalactic Janitory
2D platformer. Great writing and humor. A unique puzzle mechanic involving floating in space. Feels great to play. Beautiful pixel art. Super well thought out. And some wonderful polish elements. I especially love the gradient/wavy text on the very first dialogue box.
Game: https://endmarkgames.itch.io/testgdko2023
Creator: https://endmarkgames.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EndmarkGames
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/endmarkgames
Scrapyard
Some of the best pixel art of GDKO 2023. A crazy amount of detail went into this. There’s ambient sounds when you walk in the snow. Different sounds when you walk on loose boards. It’s just amazing the polish in this. Could study it for a long while.
Game: https://spoonsweet.itch.io/junkyard
Creator: https://spoonsweet.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spoonsweet1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/spoonsweet
GRIM
If I had to pick one game as my #1 for GDKO 2023, this would be it. The developer calls it “more of an art piece than a game”. I humbly disagree. This is stylistically beautiful. Reminiscent of Paper Mario, but in a more mature and visually unique twist. Intriguing storyline with unique quests. And the symbolism! There’s a lot there that likely won’t be picked up by most players. Absolutely wonderful game and I hope development is continued.
Game: https://midorimonki.itch.io/grim
Creator: https://midorimonki.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MidoriMonki
VisLevel R1
In terms of graphics and visual design, this is probably my favorite of GDKO 2023. It has a hand-drawn feel that reminds me of something like Hollow Knight. But there are some many beautifully done polishing touches. The lighting, the particle effects, the depth and layering. This is stylistically what I aim to be as a developer one day.
Sadly, not many people found, rated, and played this game. It didn’t seem to appear in the Platform filters under the game jam submissions. Unsure of why. I sincerely hope it moves on anyways because I would love to see work continue on this.
Game: https://jbric.itch.io/vislevel-r1
Creator: https://jbric.itch.io/
Shilo
Ok, shameless plug. This one is actually mine. Do I think it’s actually in the top 15? No. But for my first attempt into pixel art, I am quite proud of it. I learned a ton. Visually, I do think it’s unique and pretty good. Overall, I’m estimating…42nd out 105 entries. We’ll see how close I am.
Game: https://mitchellopitz.itch.io/shilo
Creator: https://mitchellopitz.itch.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitchellopitz
Post Mortem: https://gamedev.mitchellopitz.net/shilo-post-mortem/
Conclusion
I’d be curious to hear other people’s thoughts. Do you agree with my list of the best art and visual design from round 1 of GDKO 2023? Was there one I missed? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Reminder, the video announcing the winners will be put up on Xanderwood’s YouTube channel on January 23rd. We’ll see how well my top 15 do then. Good luck everyone!