Game devs!

Hollow Knight, Ender Lilies, Ori or Axiom Verge might sound familiar to you. Metroidvanias (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroidvania) are very popular among game developers right now, and I invite you to join the trend in this game jam!

Rules

1. Game material should be made inside the jam's time frame.

2. Third party audiovisual content (exceptions are fonts, sound effects, and samples used in music production) should be mentioned in the "Third party content" field during submission.

3. The use of generative AI for audiovisual content is forbidden.

4. Playable prototypes are accepted.

5. There is no maximum team size.

6. Any engines and tools are allowed.

7. Games should have a Teen (https://www.esrb.org/ratings-guide/) rating or below.

8. Your game must be available for free.

9. Late entries are accepted for 24 hours after the end of submission period. To proceed, send me a link to your published game. Autonomous uploads are allowed during this period.

Make your own theme!

Pick one word from the left column and pair it with a word from the right. You need to interpret the result as a whole. During submitting, you will explain your interpretation of the combination you picked. It is mandatory to pick and follow a combination.

### Absurd### Generation

Controlled### Side Effects

Defective### Size

Rating & Criterias

Every submitter and contributor can rate. There is a rating queue of 5 games that can be unlocked after voting on 2.

Enjoyment

Was the game fun? Would you keep playing it? This criteria is highly subjective and mostly based on the feels you got.

Execution

Refers to how the game's concepts were put together. Did it have any bugs? Was the idea original and creative? If there was worldbuilding and narrative, how well was it implemented? Was the map and level design remarkable?

Sensory

How the game appealed to your eyes and ears, mainly using the visuals and audio. Were those components consistent and did they blend with each other? Atmosphere can also be considered.

Does this game belong in this jam? How creative was the implementation of the metroidvania genre? You can refer to the page up top on metroidvanias.

Relevance to the theme

To what extent did the game follow the theme? Was it obvious? Was the integration done in a creative or interesting way?

Prizes

Hover/tap on the logos to consult the prizes!

CraftPix (https://craftpix.net/?utm_source=itch.io&utm_medium=gamejam&utm_campaign=metroidvania-month) offers 1 year of premium access to the platform to the top 3 entries in the Sensory criteria. Check out their game jam here (https://itch.io/jam/craftpix-indie-jam-2-2025).

Yearly licenses of Anchorpoint (https://www.anchorpoint.app/) for the winners. Trial available by mailing [email protected] with your user email.

PaCorp

100 USD to a random top 5 game with controller support and 50 USD to any other random game with controller support. 100 USD to a random top 5 game with rebindable controls and 50 USD to any other random game with rebindable controls. A game can't win two of these prizes.

Azecy

One game from Azecy (https://azecy.itch.io/)'s wide catalog of game keys for the winners.

Community

Special thanks to Zahran Worrell (https://zahranworrell.itch.io/) for the design help.

Don't know how to get started? Check out this this guide (https://itch.io/blog/490276/so-you-want-to-make-an-metroidvania-month-entry).

The Discord server (https://discord.gg/metroidvania-month-jam-468048103212187658) is the all-in-one central for the competition and multimedia creativity in general. You should check it out.

Are you a musician ? Check out our in-house virtual music festival (https://www.youtube.com/@PixelNotesFestival).

Previous jam (https://itch.io/jam/metroidvania-month-31-magical-girl-game-jam-13)

Super edition (https://itch.io/jam/metroidvania-month-super-32) (https://itch.io/jam/metroidvania-month-19)