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Hi everyone! 👋

Just a quick reminder that all submissions to Hands Off Jam #2 must be playable directly in the browser. This is to ensure that everyone can enjoy your game safely and without the need to download files.

Download-only games will not be eligible for judging, so please make sure your entry can be played in a browser before the jam ends.

Thanks for helping us keep the jam accessible and fun for all players!

— Hands Off Jam #2 Team

Hi Zekos Studio,

Thank you for submitting Soap Hero to the Hands Off Jam #2.

I want to make it clear that a browser-playable version is a requirement for all entries in this jam. Download-only games do not meet the eligibility criteria and cannot be judged.

If you would like your submission to be considered, please update it to a version that can be played directly in the browser.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards,
Kirk 
Hands Off Jam #2

Thanks a lot — I really appreciate you taking the time to play it and give feedback.

And yes… “meet your death” is definitely an accurate description of what happens 😄

I’m really glad you picked up on the step-based timing and that it still felt possible to plan moves — that was exactly what I was hoping for with the one-button mechanic. 

You’re very welcome to steal the idea and make the best version of it possible. A level creator is a great idea, and I agree it could take the concept a lot further. If you (or anyone else) ever build on it with custom levels or expansions, I’d genuinely love to see what you come up with.

Thanks again for playing and for the encouragement — it means a lot! 

We have just 10 days to go until submissions close on December 31st! I’m so excited to see the creative and accessible games you all come up with. Remember, the focus is on low‑effort controls that make your game relaxing to play. Try to stay away from repeated clicking or strenuous inputs — minimal interactions like mouse movement, hover, swipe, or voice commands work perfectly. Good luck, and have fun!

That's awesome. Keep up the great work! 

Having played the first Don’t Look Away, I was curious about how the sequel would build on it—and I have to say, Don’t Look Away 2 is a massive improvement. Going in, I had my own ideas of what could make the game better: maybe entities that moved closer eventually filling the screen, bonus points for last-second reactions, or a fast-paced mode for speed demons. But the developer went in a completely different direction—and it turned out even better than I imagined.

The game’s pacing is fantastic. You get just enough time to stay engaged without feeling rushed, which keeps you playing longer than you expect. The different modes cater to both casual players and those looking for a real challenge. Visually, the screens are impressive—the static effect adds atmosphere, and I love that areas are labelled with names like “hallway,” which gives the game a little extra personality.

There are some cleverly designed challenges, too, and the game over sequences are genuinely enjoyable to watch, which is rare. Overall, Don’t Look Away 2 exceeded my expectations in ways I didn’t even anticipate. It’s a fresh, engaging experience that greatly improves on the original

Verdict: 10/10 

Incredibly satisfying. Thank you for making this game!

Yoyo Hero is a fun physics-based action game with a simple yet satisfying premise: control a yo-yo to destroy incoming bullets while protecting the smiley face attached. The graphics are excellent—I love being able to clearly see what's going on with lots of colour, and trails on bullets. The visual effects when you smash bullets or get hit are very satisfying too.

The controls are smooth and fun. The game has a good variety of bullet types, each with different speeds and durability, which keeps the gameplay engaging. Power-ups like bombs, shields, and triple yo-yos add depth.

The main drawbacks are that it lacks sound and has no story, so it can feel a bit barebones. That said, for a game jam submission, the game is solid and very addictive, especially once you start chaining hits and racking up points.

Overall, Yoyo Hero is enjoyable with satisfying physics and controls. Adding some sound effects or background music and a bit of narrative context could take it from great to truly memorable.

Don’t Look Away is a unique game with a brilliant story and an incredibly immersive atmosphere. The concept of managing 7 cameras  is clever and full of potential. You constantly switch between them by clicking left or right, and scary images occasionally pop up that you must click away. To progress, you need to find all 100 images—a task that can feel long, especially given the generous time limit.

For me, the gameplay wasn’t quite as fun as I had hoped. It felt too easy, though making it more difficult might risk becoming overwhelming. Still, I really like the core idea of having multiple cameras and there being an observation-based challenge—it’s a concept with a lot of untapped potential.

I’m a bit confused about the older comments on the game page since this is supposed to be part of the 2025 Game Jam, but here’s my take anyway. I genuinely enjoyed playing Galaspin! I managed to nearly score 500 after just a few attempts and could keep getting better. 

The graphics and effects are excellent and really give the feeling of being in space, especially with how movement and fuel usage are handled. I do wish there was another way to adjust the direction of travel other than just waiting, maybe by making it spin anti clockwise, and like how you zoom across to where you want to go, the controls work well. The addition of a shield adds a nice fun element, too.

Overall, Galaspin nails the arcade-style space survival vibe. It’s simple but satisfying, with immersive visuals and fun mechanics that can keep you coming back for more.

Hey! I’d be interested in helping you make the game — as long as the scope stays simple and its 2D. It might not turn out exactly the way you envision, but I’d love to give it a try.

I use Construct 3, which doesn’t require coding. There is a paid version for unlimited events, but for small projects I usually stick to the 40-event limit (I get 20 extra than the free version because I bought a subscription once).

If you’re completely new to game creation, a great place to start is Scratch. It’s super easy to learn (lots of kids use it), has no limits on project size, and uses a drag-and-drop “jigsaw piece” system. It takes a bit longer to build games, but it’s perfect for learning the basics. You can learn everything as well as other ways to programme from a website called codeclub which teaches you step by step. 

Hope you find the right tools or people to bring your idea to life.

Really fun concept — the minimalist visuals and looping music match the frantic vibe perfectly. The simple controls make it easy to jump in, but the difficulty ramps up really fast. I can only survive around 8 seconds at most. When the light suddenly rushes toward me, it feels impossible to dodge.

I think having a dash ability could help and make the challenge feel a bit more fair without losing the intensity. But looking at the comments it appears possible so maybe i just need more practice lol

Really cute and fun game! I quickly figured out that going for the larger pieces of food is the key to getting a higher score — this is because you can stay in one place, but you need keep moving for the small bits . My high score so far is 55!

The animation is fantastic, and the whole game has a great look and feel to it.  I also noticed the food spawns are random, which keeps every run fresh and always  a challenge.

Great job — this was a delight to play!

It’s very satisfying to play, and the art style and effects are incredible. Controlling the little square with the mouse feels super smooth, and squeezing through the gaps as the circles with less and less gaps which rush from the centre is a great challenge. I kept playing until I finally hit 20 seconds —when there’s basically just one gap left.

Great work!

Really fun space shooter! I love the overall graphics — super clean and really impressive for a jam game. I was excited to play since I love to dodge asteroids and blast enemies,  and made quite a few of these type of games, but I’ve not played a space shooter where the asteroids come in at an angle like this. It works really well — great execution of the idea.

Only small suggestion: the UI buttons could use a “pressed” state when clicked, just for that extra bit of polish. The 3D buttons look fantastic already, and that would just make them feel even better.

I did notice the audio cutting out occasionally,  which happens when there’s a lot happening on my screen at once due to my laptop being pretty old and tiny — definitely not built for gaming .    

Still, the game runs well enough for me, and getting a score after each run is a great touch. I’m not as good as I hoped I’d be, but it’s still a ton of fun to jump back in and try to last a little longer each time!

Great job!

My game, Run Like Dave, also includes an Endless Mode as an optional mode. Players can still choose the 20-second mode if they want a quick session, which aligns with the jam’s requirement for short, 20-second games. The Endless Mode is just an extra option for extended play once the player has mastered the 20-second challenge. I do like your idea of unlocking the endless mode, but unfortunately i ran out of events in Construct to do that and don't want to undo stuff, but if I could I would unlock the mode after collecting a minimum amount of butterflies.

According to the jam FAQ, it’s fine to have other modes longer than 20 seconds as long as the 20-second mode exists as the main experience. So Endless Mode doesn’t appear to conflict with the rules — it just gives players a way to keep having fun after completing the official jam challenge!

Thanks again to everyone who took part in the first jam — it was amazing seeing what you all created and you should all be proud of your creations!

Hands Off Jam #2 has started.

If you would like to take part you’ve got until the end of 2025 to make your next game

Just search “Hands Off Jam 2” on itch.io or check the jams listed on my profile.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Hands Off Jam #1! Your creativity, humour, and hard work made this jam a joy to judge. Every entry brought something unique and special to the table, and you should all feel like winners — be proud of what you’ve created. I hope you had fun experimenting, sharing your ideas, and challenging yourselves.

The winner of the jam, Relaxing Garden, is now featured on the jam page — be sure to check it out and see why it stood out! I can’t wait to see what you all create next!

Judging Results – Hands Off Jam #1

Game: Remember to Smile = 19 / 25

Creativity – 4 / 5 Brilliant concept! I love how the cursor is used as “eye contact,” turning a simple control into something unique and playful. The quirky sentences add extra charm and personality. There’s still room to expand on the idea further, but it’s already highly inventive.

Visuals – 3 / 5 The hand-drawn background sets the scene nicely, and the animated lips are hilarious. The overlapping, shifting text effectively creates an overwhelming atmosphere, but it comes at the cost of readability. The artistic intent is clear and clever, though in practice I found it more frustrating than enjoyable.

Audio – 4 / 5 The background music fits the game very well, and the unpleasant “failure” sound works comedically though it gets grating with repetition, especially given how hard it is to avoid. I appreciate the positive sound cues too, but with so much visual and auditory noise, it’s difficult to tell what actually triggered them.

Accessibility – 5 /5 This game excels at the jam’s goal, it is fully playable with only gentle mouse movement, no clicking needed. That makes it very accessible for players with arthritis or limited mobility — a big win.

Overall – 3 / 5 Remember to Smile is a funny, chaotic, and clever jam entry that nails the theme with personality and humour. It is presented well with thoughtful credits. It has overwhelming visuals which I understand are part of the game, but the harsh scoring and difficulty holds it back from being something I’d play for long stretches, still, it is a memorable and entertaining entry that stands out in a good way.

Ideas you might play with

• A countdown timer could give players a sense of how long they need to last in the chaos.

• A clearer “success” indicator — for example, a line that curves into a smile — might help players know when they’re doing well.

• Adding more randomized lines of small talk (awkward jokes, odd compliments, etc.) could keep the experience fresh and surprising.

• The failure sound could perhaps soften after a few repeats, so it stays funny without becoming grating.

• Tracking high scores might encourage replayability and add a light competitive angle.

• Unlockable “conversation scenarios” (like a job interview, meeting the in-laws, or speed dating) with different backgrounds and dialogue could add variety and humour.
  
  
  

Game: Relaxing Garden = 21 / 25

Creativity – 4 / 5 A simple yet clever concept! Turning cursor movement into interaction with the garden is satisfying, and the addition of combo dots that reveal parts of a poem adds a thoughtful layer. The autonomous floating dots gives the game a lively, dynamic feel. There’s room to refine how the poem is displayed, but the concept is inventive and relaxing.

Visuals – 3 / 5 The garden’s aesthetic is simple but pleasant and calming and the movement of the dots feels natural and alive.  The particle effects add a nice layer of visual feedback, making interactions feel satisfying. However, some layout elements interfere with the experience: the poem appears over the left side of the game, and the restart button overlaps both the poem and gameplay area. These layout issues and the simplicity keep the visuals from feeling completely polished.

Audio – 4 / 5 Hitting the dots produces pleasant audio cues, which makes interacting with them very rewarding, although the sounds become simpler over time.

Accessibility – 5 / 5 Highly accessible — the game only requires gentle mouse movement, with an optional click to restart. Players with limited mobility can enjoy it endlessly, and the mechanics are simple and intuitive.

Overall – 5 / 5 Relaxing Garden is a soothing and engaging experience that encourages exploration and gentle interaction. The moving dots, subtle audio cues, and hidden poem create a calm, meditative atmosphere that players can enjoy at their own pace. While some layout elements, like the poem overlay and overlapping restart button, could be refined, and the unlimited purple-dot scoring may not appeal to everyone, these minor issues don’t detract from the game’s core relaxing appeal. Highly accessible and thoughtfully designed, it delivers exactly what its title promises: a serene, playful garden to interact with.

Ideas You Might Play With

• The game could automatically restart after the poem is complete, keeping the flow continuous without needing to click the restart button.
• Consider adjusting how purple dots contribute to score — perhaps rewarding skillful hits rather than allowing endless points for free, so scoring feels more engaging (a bit like snooker).
• The poem could be displayed outside the main game area, so it’s easier to read while playing.
• You might experiment with moving the restart button away from the gameplay area and poem, to reduce visual overlap.
• Adding subtle challenges or variations to dot movement could make hitting them more interactive and fun, without taking away from the relaxing vibe.

Game : Doodle Logic = 20 / 25

Creativity – 5 / 5 The 50 levels provide excellent variety, with progressively challenging puzzles. Players can be highly inventive in how they solve them, which adds to the game’s replayability and charm.

Visuals – 3 / 5 I really like how the lines you draw fall and push the balls. The design is simple which works well for a puzzle game, though it could benefit from additional polish and some satisfying visual effects. The tutorial hand that prompts you to swipe is a nice touch, but I didn’t find it especially helpful for completing the first level. When the balls touch, a large win box appears with your star rating (presumably based on the number of lines used), but the tutorial text and hand currently appear in front of the box. It would feel cleaner if these elements were either behind it or hidden entirely.

Audio – 3 / 5 The background music is pleasant, fitting, and not distracting. However, key moments could use audio feedback, such as when the balls meet. The game displays an audio option to mute sound, but it didn’t work for me. It’s a minor issue — the game doesn’t necessarily need a mute button — but it’s disappointing that it doesn’t function as expected.

Accessibility – 5 / 5 Very easy and intuitive controls — click/hold or touch to draw lines. No strict timers ensure players with slower reflexes or mobility challenges can enjoy the game at their own pace.

Overall – 4 / 5 I love the level selection screen and the variety of fun physics puzzles. The game is highly creative, and the drawing mechanics are intuitive and accessible, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players. I would personally prefer seeing the exact number of lines used rather than just a star rating, as this would give clearer feedback on performance. Small improvements — such as more satisfying visual and audio feedback when balls meet, and polishing the win screen — could make the experience even stronger. Overall, it’s an engaging, accessible, and addictive puzzle game with lots of potential.

Ideas You Might Play With

• Fix small bugs affecting the home button and mute button.
• Adjust the tutorial text and hand so they don’t appear in front of the win box — either move them behind it or hide them after the level is completed.
• Add a visual effect or animation when the balls first meet to make the win feel more satisfying. For example, the balls could merge into a slightly larger new colour or remain “connected” once they touch, making the winning moment clearer and more impactful.
• Add subtle sounds when lines are drawn, and when they fall, or interact with the balls to enhance feedback and immersion.

Hi! That sounds completely fine. Clicking isn’t totally banned in the jam; the goal is just to minimize the use. If you wanted you can submit a pinball game, it just might not get the best accessible score. 

Clicking to start the game, refresh the screen, or open a few links (like credits or sources) are totally reasonable and wouldn't decrease your score at all for accessibility. 

I think you’ve got the right idea. Just keep the "hands-off" spirit in mind and you’re good to go! 

You're very welcome! I haven’t actually rated your game yet — I usually wait until a jam finishes so everyone has a fair chance to update or polish their entries. I just checked it out of curiosity to see how others responded and how your game might evolve.

Honestly, I think it’s been rated a bit harshly — it’s clean and intuitive, which is exactly what you want in a puzzle game. I really like that you can unlock levels, too. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to add a bit more satisfying feedback when the balls successfully meet — like having them merge into a larger ball with a new colour created from the two originals. It would give players that little “yes!” moment and might make the wins feel more rewarding.

Wishing you the best with it!

The movement actually slows as you approach the edge, but you can speed up again by tapping the same direction — it’s a little trick to help with timing your dodges! I’ll definitely keep working on making things clearer in future updates. Appreciate the feedback!

Thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed playing my game!

I totally understand how it might feel at a glance, and I’m grateful you took the time to comment — its always helpful to hear how it’s landing with others!

Just to clarify: this game was made specifically for Cause Jam 35, and the theme was a central influence from the start. The mechanic of dodging symbols like hearts (love), diamonds (materialism), etc., represents the unavoidable costs of life in the pursuit of financial freedom. The flags you collect build toward that £1 million dream, but the ending is meant to prompt reflection on what’s lost along the way.

Hey! I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed playing Doodle Line — it's such a creative and fun concept, and i always find it refreshing to see games that interpret themes differently. It certainly fits the jam I am hosting - the hands off jam. I love how you can see the setup, but not exactly how it will play out. It's so easy to set something in motion then just watch how it all unfolds. That kind of hands-off interaction is exactly what I was hoping to see in my jam.

I also want to say that I totally understand and support your decision to submit it to multiple jams. While some hosts might feel differently due to fairness etc, I personally don’t see it as a problem — it’s about celebrating your hard work and creativity, and sharing your game with different communities. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this project, and it really shows.

Wishing you the best of luck in my jam and beyond! Keep making awesome stuff!

In this unique game, you control a sleepwalker trying to find their way back to bed. You must resist distracting noises, which are beautifully highlighted with red animated rings. These sounds interfere with your controls, making you feel like you’re not fully in control — perfectly capturing the sensation of being drawn to computers or other noisy objects while half asleep.

The game currently seems to offer just one level, but it’s thoughtfully designed and genuinely enjoyable. Though the visuals are simple at first glance, the charming art style fits the top-down perspective perfectly.

Keyboard controls work smoothly and responsively. I’m curious to see how this will translate to mobile, but I’m confident touch controls could be implemented successfully.

Verdict: An interesting concept executed well. Definitely worth trying if you enjoy unique experiences

In this game you're constantly dodging a giant, unpredictable boulder while weaving through obstacles like rocks and trees, trying to collect items along the way like to help your health. So you're always on the move. 

Visually, it looks amazing — nice animations, shadows, slow-motion effect, and a fun music track fits the mood perfectly. There’s a good variety of characters too, and the knight is my personal favourite.

That said, the game can sometimes look better than it plays, but it does deliver fun moments — especially when you narrowly escape the boulder. Since it’s a point-driven game with a leaderboard, the repetitive gameplay doesn’t get boring. You’re always motivated to try again to beat your score. 

You can really tell the developer put a lot of care into making something different and I am impressed.

Verdict: A creative  game with fun mechanics, cool characters, and great style. If the leaderboard worked perfectly, it would make the experience even better. It’s great that the leaderboard exists—I’m on it myself—but it doesn’t always function smoothly.

Thanks for playing, I think that can happen if you have more than one propeller broken, as you automatically travel in the direction of the broken propeller, and when two on one side are broken it will increase the speed in one direction even further. So it will be necessary to try to fix the controls or improve them slightly by pressing the button on the left side (on screen controller) to change the code. You may have do that quite a few times as the code generated is random, and there are 25 codes in total

This is a really addictive fruit-merging puzzle game where you drop pieces of fruit in your own time to combine them into bigger, juicier ones—raspberries become blueberries, then strawberries, and so on. It’s got a Tetris-like vibe, which I like a lot, allowing you to see your next fruit to drop and plan ahead, though the rolling physics and surprise combos often send plans flying (in the best way).

I like the fruit chain at the bottom which not just tells you what fruit turns into what, it adds a great sense of progress too, as there are hidden fruit to discover—if you're good enough!

Sound effects are fun but could use more variety in my opinion. Apart from that everything else is perfect. It's got character, combo chains, and a clever "not quite game over" mechanic when the screen fills which make it hard to put down. I honestly can see this being really popular.

The puzzle mode didn’t work for me, but it is a game jam with limited time and is really good as is, and awesome to know it can be expanded. 

Verdict: Creative, chaotic, and seriously fun to stack and match.

Hi yes it was, i thought that if I can't get an apk file then it wouldn't qualify so I did submit it to another jam which was in progress and couldn't remove it and was told that it would still be fine. Although I have added some keyboard controls, the game does work for mobile and does have touch controls. It should show as full screen on mobile now.

Thanks for your feedback! 

Glad you liked the visuals and concept.  I really appreciate you taking the time to play and share your thoughts. When you say the game is confusing, could you let me know what specifically threw you off? For example, was the damage/loss-of-control mechanic unclear? I'm definitely open to improving the feel and clarity. 

One thing I can think of that I haven't explained is that If you don't change the code and propellers break your drone will travel in the direction of the broken propellers. Using a different code helps stabilize by changing your x and y direction to either -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 pixels every tick so this why there are 5*5= 25 combinations.

Thanks so much! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the game. I’ll keep looking for ways to make the controls feel a bit smoother before damage occurs. Really appreciate the kind words and your feedback!

Thank you!That kind of feedback means a lot. As for the keyboard controls — that’s a great point, and it’s something I’ll definitely consider adding in a future update. Appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!

Thanks so much for the clarification — that’s great to know! I really appreciate the flexibility. In that case, I’d be happy to stay in the jam.

I’ll  work on adjusting it to display properly in portrait mode on mobile. I may also make a few other improvements before the deadline.

Thanks again

Hi! Unfortunately, I’m using the free edition of construct 3 and so can't export the APK file needed to submit my game.  So please consider this an official withdrawal from the jam or disqualify my entry. Thanks for understanding, and best of luck to everyone else participating!

I appreciate the honesty and you're right, especially about the larger menu picture; it could definitely be clearer. Also agree with your idea about unlocking something maybe as a reward for hitting high scores, perhaps new characters would be cool. Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m already thinking about making a game like ShrapRun but with more going on — maybe adding a button you can press every so often that triggers random effects, all harmful in their own way. Stuff like reversed controls, faster bomb drops, or more projectiles. I want to keep that core chaos but add more surprise.

Thanks again for playing and for the feedback, it really helps fuel the next phase!

Thanks for checking out the game! I designed it to be mobile-friendly, so it's currently optimized for touch and mouse input only. I'm using the free edition of Construct 3, which limits the number of events I can use, so I had to prioritize essential features over keyboard controls for now. There are 8 directional animations included to give a smoother and more dynamic feel during movement. I really appreciate the feedback and hope to expand on it in the future as resources allow!