QuantumPulse 2A

Solve programming puzzles on a fictional computer with radio-based communication and unique limitations in this Zach-like puzzle game. Competitively optimize to compete on leaderboards against friends and the global community.

Steam Store | More Info

Splody

The classic couch competitive gameplay of "Bomberman" brought into the modern era. Place bombs, get out of the way, destroy your friends, collect powerups, 'splode your way to victory in a variety of game modes adapted for smooth multiplayer with virtually unlimited local players!

Steam Store | Itch.io | PlayStation Store | More Info

Worlds FRVR

In-development browser-based, online multiplayer block building game focusing on exploration, building, and farming.

Play in your browser | Worlds FRVR Discord | r/WorldsFRVR

Jam-winning Games

These are the best of my short games made around a theme for time-limited game jams.

Snake Eyes for Dungeon Crawler Jam 2024 - Endless

Cosmic dungeon crawler with puzzley dice-based combat.
• This game was made in collaboration a musician, a writer, and heavily leveraging asset packs, in 9-day-long jam. Average time to beat is about 90 minutes.
• Ratings: Jam winner - 1st place (of 167 entries)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Itch.io page with hints, tips, full credits

Uncharted Wanders for Dungeon Crawler Jam 2023 - Duality

Journey across the perilous Divide between the Spiritual and Physical Realms. For profit, of course.
• This game was made in collaboration a musician and heavily leveraging asset packs, in week-long jam. This was a longer jam, and is a much longer game, average time to beat is about 90 minutes.
• Ratings: Completeness 1st place, Judges Picks 3rd place, Overall (community) 4th place (of 191 entries)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Itch.io page with hints, tips, full credits

Spacemine Defense for LD51 - Every 10 Seconds

Harvest all resources as quick as you can while defending against waves of enemies.
• Ratings: Overall 2nd Place, Fun 1st Place out of 623 entries!, Audio #35 (top 5%), Innovation and Graphics in top 25%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Ludum Dare 48-hr Jam Games

These are my short prototype games made around a theme in less than 48 hrs for the Ludum Dare Competition or similar - all game coding, graphics, art, and sound generally done by a single person (Jimb Esser) on a weekend.

DWARFS for LD56 - Tiny Creatures

Go fishing for exotic materials on gas giants.
• Ratings: Audio (#8) and Graphics (#9) in top 2%, Mood in top 7%, Innovation and Overall in top %17
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Summoning Circle Specialist for LD55 - Summoning

Design magic circles to meet specific magigeometric requirements.
• Ratings: Innovation (#12) in top 3%, Theme, Overall and Fun in top 10%, Graphics in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

QPCA-77B for LD54 - Limited Space

A competitive multi-threaded assembly programming game.
• Ratings: Overall (#21), Mood (#17) and Fun in top 5%, Audio and Humor in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Manual (PDF)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

▲●■♚ for LD53 - Delivery

A game with no words. Manage logistics between factories to deliver the shapes needed.
• Ratings: Overall (#18) and Fun in top 5%, Innovation in top 10%, Theme and Audio in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Fish for Catfish for small FRVR Fishy jam

Fishing minigame exploration. Catfish needs more fish.
• This game was made in collaboration a colleague in a 2 work-day jam.
• Ratings: Jam winner (of 5 entries)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Itch.io jam page

Dice Settlers for LD52 - Harvest

Explore an unknown world by placing, leveling, and constructing worker dice.
• Ratings: Overall 14th Place, Fun 10th Place, Innovation 11th Place, Theme #31 (top 10%), Mood in top 25%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Spacemine Defense for LD51 - Every 10 Seconds

Harvest all resources as quick as you can while defending against waves of enemies.
• Ratings: Overall 2nd Place, Fun 1st Place out of 623 entries!, Audio #35 (top 5%), Innovation and Graphics in top 25%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Aaron's Quest IV - While Moses Was Away for Gamedev.js Jam '22 - RAW

Place raw resources for your workers to gather and craft into interesting things.
• This jam game was done in collaboration with a colleague in 2 days and submitted to a 2 week jam.
• Ratings: 2nd place!
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Itch.io Jam Submission page

Carpentangle for LD50 - Delay the Inevitable

Fix leaks before your ship sinks in this simple game combining match-3 like mechanics and packing.
• Ratings: Overall, Fun, Innovation all around #53 (top 7%), Theme, Graphics, Audio around top 25%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Blood of Beasts for LD49 - Unstable

Distill the essence of beasts into valuable crystals in this game of resource balancing.
• Ratings: Overall: #77 (top 10%), Fun, Innovation, Graphics in top 15%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Dwarven Surveyor for LD48 - Deeper and deeper

Balance locating gems on the current floor against scouting out the next floor in this procedural puzzle game.
• Ratings: Theme #35 (top 3%), Overall and Innovation in top 10%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Dante Slumbers for LD47 - Stuck in a loop

Your cat fell asleep on the yoke, and you do not wish to wake him, so you're going to get through this using just the throttle.
• Ratings: Theme #40 (top 5%), Overall #66 (top 8%), Fun, Innovation, and Humor in top 15%, Graphics, Audio, Mood (all categories!) in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Sharkbait for LD46 - Keep it alive

Eat. Swim. Live. Chill out while exploring these procedurally generated ocean caves.
• Ratings: Graphics and Mood in top 10%, Overall, Fun, Audio in top 15%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

SOMtHINGa from NoThINGa for LD45 - Start with nothing

Use fission and fusion to make SOMtHINGa from NoThINGa in this simple yet challenging puzzle game.
• Ratings: Overall #20, Innovation #18 (top 2%), Fun #65 (top 9%), Audio, Mood in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Legend of the Red Demon for LD44 - Your life is currency

Inspired by classic BBS Door games like Legend Of the Red Dragon, go fight things, get stronger, and fight tougher things!
• Ratings: Nothing special, had only a few hours to make this while traveling. Humor, Mood in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Slime Laboratory for LD43 - Sacrifices must be made

Brew potions, feed them to your pets, then utilize your pets to make more potions. Fulfill 10 orders to win!
• Ratings: Innovation #78 (top 10%), Overall, Fun, Theme in top 20%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Escape from The Alliance for LD42 - Running out of space

Escape from The Alliance carrying as many refugees as you can by dropping equipment along the way.
• Ratings: Overall #10 (top 1%)!, Fun #36 (top 4%); Mood, Graphics, Audio, Innovation in top 5-10%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Deck Shooter for LD41 - Combine two incompatible genres

A deck-building bullet-hell shoot'em up, what more is there to say?
• Ratings: Fun #31 (top 5%); Overall, Theme, Innovation in top 8-14%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Delver's Sunset for LD40 - The more you have, the worse it is

A simple platformer gets less simple as you are plagued with afflictions and disabilities. Gets ridiculously difficult, only 4% of people manage to beat it. Had time to compose original music for this one!
• Ratings: Innovation #62 (top 6%); Theme, Overall, Fun in top 15%-25%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Drone Supervisor for LD39 - Running out of Power

Give orders to an army of drones in this turn-based production-line building simulation game! One of my more complicated and successful jam games.
• Ratings: Innovation #24, Overall #29 (top 3%); Fun #64 (top 10%)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Exploitation for LD38 - A Small World

Ship people off to nearby islands to harvest food to keep your home population alive and profitable, in this light strategy game! Another small entry made while traveling, nothing too exciting here.
• Ratings: Overall, Innovation, Theme, Fun, Graphics all around top 35%
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

Deadly Spirits for LD37 - One Room

Trapped in a room of a house haunted by evil, you light up your room, break down walls to make your room bigger, rescue other survivors, and, eventually, escape.
• Ratings: Innovation #21 (top 3%); Mood #75 (top 10%); Overall #196, Fun #230 (top 30%)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page

TI-82 DODGE for LD36 - Ancient Technology

Having only a few hours, and given the theme of Ancient Technology I created a (very simple) game using Turbo Pascal and a TI-82 Calculator graphics library for 16-bit DOS.
• This Ludum Dare was not rated, but people loved my interpretation of the theme ;)
• Download (16-bit DOS)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page [archive]

Triple Shift for LD35 - Shapeshift

Shift shapes to match colors. My most successful casual game, judging from the fierce high score competition.
• Ratings: Fun #340 (top 30%)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page [archive]

Precision Rainbows for LD34 - Two Button Controls & Growing

Test your ability to react to two different streams of targets in this simple but challenging game. My first web game for Ludum Dare, and the first of many to include a global high score list.
• Ratings: Innovation #92, Theme #92 (top 10%); Fun #141, Overall #233 (top 20%)
• Play in browser (WebGL)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page [archive]

Doomed Settlers for LD33 - You are the Monster

Grow a settlement to be strong as quickly as possible in this side-scrolling town simulation. My first ever Ludum Dare entry, was a bit ambitious, but turned out quite fun!
• Ratings: Fun #223 (top 20%)
• Download Game (Windows)
• Screenshot
• Ludum Dare Compo page [archive]

Shrapnel

Shrapnel is a game inspired by Scorched Earth, the "Mother of all games". Supporting virtually any number of local players, all players set their orders for the next turn simultaneously allowing for speedy turns. Additionally, players who have fell victim to the onslaught of others still get a chance at taking shots at the surviving players so their post-mortem game experience is far from boring.

This game is still a work in progress, though it is entirely playable and quite enjoyable for groups of 4 or more.

Download (2.5 MB)

Red vs Blue Prototypes

We have developed a couple local multiplayer games involving players wearing red or blue glasses, depending on the team and situation. For the players, this means that, despite looking at the same screen, each team has their own hidden information. Only the spectators (not wearing any glasses) see the entirety of what is going on, which makes for great party games.

Probably the most successful is a take on Pac-Man where all of the ghosts where colored glasses limiting their vision to just the area around all of the ghosts, and whoever is playing Pac-Man gets to see the entire board, and plays (almost) like a normal game of Pac-Man, except it feels a bit like a stealth game, as you're sneaking by the edge of the visibility range of the ghosts, hoping they don't turn and look your way, all the to the gasps and exclamations of any spectators of the game.

Under more recent prototyping is a team-based stealth game using familiar "domination" (control point) mechanics, but played on a single screen with glasses providing hidden information between teams.

(Prototypes, not currently available for download)

BBE

BBE development has ceased, please check out Splody instead.

BBE Archive