Brackey’s Game Jam 2025.2 – Day 4
Day 4 brought a big breakthrough: the game finally has a point. Until now, you could collect gems, bank them, and even die but there wasn’t a real goal. That changed with the introduction of end gates.
Now, to finish a level you’ll need to bank a required amount of gems. If you die and lose your collection, it’s no longer just a slap on the wrist, it could mean failing the run. Suddenly, the “risk it for the biscuit” theme clicks into place.
What I built today
- On Death
- The player now respawns at the starting position.
- Achieved by injecting the Player node into the global GameState, letting the KillZone call die() directly.
- This also means collected coins remain hidden after death, without needing to reload the scene.
- Assets
- Added a background layer to give the game view more depth.
- Adjusted UI colors/layout to make sure text stays visible against the background.
- End Gate
- Added an end gate as the new level goal.
- Requires banking a set number of coins to open.
- Integrated with the UI via a new notification label that tells the player how many more coins they need to bank.
- UI
- Reworked layout so counters and notifications fit logically together.
- Added notification label for context-sensitive messages (e.g., end gate requirements).
Notes
- Injecting the Player node into GameState not only solved respawning but also sets up future checkpoints. That will make later levels less punishing.
- Adding the end gate solved the missing piece of the game loop. There’s now a real reason to collect, bank, and survive.
What’s next?
- Build the first full level.
- Make the current enemy move (instead of just hovering).
- Experiment with adding a second enemy type.
Reflections
The project has gone from “sandbox of mechanics” to “actual game structure.” With hazards, banking, and end gates all in place, I finally feel confident calling this an MVP loop. Next step is to package it into a level that shows off the theme.
Catch you in the next log.
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