Theme: The Sky ☀️☁️ and the Sea 🌊

☀️ Summer time is here - and there's no better time to travel somewhere on a plane, or sail the seas, go diving or even go further below...

So let’s make games about the sky and the sea! Any game about the sky and the sea is welcome, whether it's a hot air balloon ride, and airplane flight simulator, a sailing simulator, a surfing racing game, a submarine simulator, a hang glider simulator, a skydiving simulator, aerial combat simulator, a pirate game, a snorkeling simulator, you get the idea! The Sky's the limit (literally, in this case!).

Welcome to the Sky and the Sea Jam — your ticket to exploring the limits of the sky and the sea without leaving home! ✈️ Be sure to join the discord for access to game dev resources and community discussion:

Jam Rules

• ✅ Your entry MUST incorporate the Sky and the Sea theme (choose one (i.e. the Sky or The Sea), or implement both) and follow all jam rules listed below and incorporate at least ONE (1) limitation. The game can be in any genre - anything from a flight simulator to a RPG.
• 🛠️ Any Game Engine is allowed (Unity, Godot, GDevelop, Unreal, your own custom engine, open source libraries, etc.)
• 🤝 You may work in teams or solo. Teams are limited to a maximum of five (5) participants.
• 🌐 Web Games/Builds are strongly encouraged, but downloadable games (Windows preferred) are allowed as well. Mobile-only games are not allowed.
• 🤖 AI Usage: AI tools are allowed only for coding. All art, music, and story content must be created by participants or properly sourced from assets.
• 🎨 Any non Generative AI assets (art, music, sound effects, etc.) are allowed: your own creations, free assets or paid asset packs, open-source assets, or properly licensed assets. Any unlicensed or copyrighted assets are not allowed. Be sure to give proper credit for any assets that you use.
• 🚫 No NSFW Content (Basically, don't include anything that would violate Youtube's age-restricted content policies)
• 🛂 No rate spam / Review-for-Review: Any attempt to manipulate the voting results, including using fake accounts, vote-swapping, or offering review-for-review/incentives, is strictly forbidden. Violations will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the jam.
• 🏁 You may begin working on your jam content immediately (as in right now) - there is no need to wait for any announcement.
• 💬 Games must primarily be in English.
• ⏰ Be sure to submit your game before the submission period deadline ends. You will not be allowed to modify your game submission during the voting period, but will be able to do so after the voting period ends if you wish to make a post-jam version.
• 🖥️ Games submitted must have a fullscreen toggle to enable fullscreen mode, this is a checkbox in itch.io's edit game page: Edit Game → Embed Options → Fullscreen Button, OR must have an option in the settings menu to toggle fullscreen.

Rating

Games will be rated in a 2-week voting period after the jam on the following 4 categories:

• Gameplay 🎮
• Theme Incorporation 🍕
• Presentation / Art 🎨
• Audio 🎵

The top-rated games will be featured in a livestream, where the jam host will play them live and share first impressions and give real-time feedback! 🎟️🌟

🎯 Limitations (Pick 1 or more!)

Choose at least one limitation from the list below. Each one is a “modifier” to your Sky and Sea adventure — mix and match to create your own unique journey. You can choose more than one if you like, but one is the minimum.

1) 🌩️ Gods & Goddesses of Sky or Sea

Your game must feature, reinterpret, or be inspired by a deity connected to the sky or the sea. This can be literal mythology, loose inspiration, or a creative reimagining.

Examples:

• A boss inspired by Zeus who controls storms and lightning.
• A survival game where the tides are controlled by an angry sea god inspired by Poseidon.
• A narrative game where the player is a forgotten sky goddess trying to regain followers.
• A rogue-lite where different sky or sea deities grant temporary powers.
• A fishing game where the ocean god must be appeased before storms calm.
• A platformer where the wind itself is a sentient sky deity guiding (or sabotaging) you.

You can draw from any mythology:

• Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Polynesian, Japanese, Chinese etc.

2) 🌊 Lost Civilization (Sky or Sea)

The player must discover, explore, survive within, or originate from a lost civilization tied to the sky or sea. This can be ancient, futuristic, mythical, or post-apocalyptic.

Examples:

• Exploring underwater ruins inspired by Atlantis.
• Living in a floating sky civilization (think Skypiea from one piece).
• Searching for a golden sky temple inspired by El Dorado.

3) 🎉 Sun or Sea Festival

Your game may take place during, be inspired by, or revolve around a real-world festival connected to the sky (sun) or the sea.

☀️ Examples of Sun Festivals

• Inti Raymi
  Festival of the Sun in Incan tradition. Ceremonial rituals honoring the sun deity.

• Midsummer
  Summer solstice celebration with bonfires, dancing, and folklore.

• Makara Sankranti
  Solar festival marking the sun’s transition; often associated with kite flying and seasonal change.

🌊 Examples of Sea Festivals

• Blessing of the Fleet
  Coastal tradition where boats are blessed for protection and safe voyages.

• Obon Festival
  A festival honoring ancestral spirits, often featuring lanterns floated on water.

• Loy Krathong
  Festival where floating offerings are released onto water, symbolizing renewal and letting go.

4) 🐚 Ancient Relics of The Sky and Sea

Ancient artifacts tied to sky or sea must be central to the story or mechanics.

Examples:

• A trident that controls tides.
• A broken sun disc powering a floating civilization.
• Wings forged from storm metal.
• A conch shell that summons rain.

5) 🌊🦖 Kaiju Battles: Titans of the Sea

Your game must feature a large-scale battle involving a sea-based titan or kaiju.

The Kaiju must:

• Be central to gameplay OR
• Be the main narrative conflict, OR
• Directly affect the world/environment in a meaningful way

It cannot just be background lore.

Examples:

• Cosmic sea horrors inspired by Cthulhu/Lovecraft
• Giant oceanic monsters like Godzilla
• Human vs titan clashes inspired by Pacific Rim

6) 🎡🌊 Underwater Amusement Park / Submerged Escape

Your game must take place in (or heavily feature) an underwater amusement park, marine attraction, or submerged entertainment facility.

The setting must:

• Be partially or fully underwater
• Create tension through confinement, flooding, pressure, or isolation
• Play a central role in gameplay or narrative

This can lean into other subgenres such as horror, mystery, sci-fi, or thriller.

Examples:

• Psychological confinement in an abandoned underwater amusement park inspired by Ever17: The Out of Infinity
• Escape-room structure similar to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
• Branching narrative tension in the style of Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

7) 🚢🌊 Sunken Ship / Ghost Vessel

Your game must meaningfully incorporate exploring a sunken ship, ancient shipwreck, or ghost vessel.

The ship must:

• Be explorable, OR
• Drive the central mystery/conflict, OR
• Reveal key story or gameplay elements

It cannot just be a background decoration.

Looking at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ancient_shipwrecks may prove to be useful for this one.

Examples

• Real historical wrecks like the Uluburun shipwreck
• Legendary lost ships like the Titanic
• The mysterious fate of the Mary Celeste

8) 🎤🌊 “I Want” Concert: Sky or Sea Edition

Your game must feature an “I Want” performance moment set in the sky or the sea.

An "I Want" song, also called an "I Wish" song, is a popular type of song featured in musical films and shows, common in Disney Renaissance films in which main characters sing about their dissatisfaction with their current lives and what they're searching for.

Read more here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_Want%22_song

Examples

• Character longing moments like Ariel’s "Part of your World" sequence in The Little Mermaid
• Stylized ocean concert performances like Dance with the Seashells by GOBELINS

9) ✈️🌊 Plane Crash Aftermath: Between Sky and Sea

Your game must begin with (or center around) the aftermath of a plane crash over the sky, ocean, or a remote coastal region.

The player must:

• Survive the immediate aftermath, AND
• Navigate toward safety, OR
• Uncover what went wrong

Examples

• The Indie game PEAK may serve as inspiration

10) 🎈☁️ Zeppelins & Ancient Flight

Your game must meaningfully feature an early or experimental form of flight

This can include:

• Zeppelins
• Airships
• Balloons
• Hang Gliders
• Ornithopters
• Experimental or ancient flying machines

Examples

• Rigid airships like the LZ 129 Hindenburg
• Conceptual flying machines by Leonardo da Vinci
• Early aviation experiments and skyfaring exploration
• Customizable zeppelins like from the Nintendo DS Game Nostalgia

11) 🐋☁️ Living Sky Vessels (Flying Whales)

Your game must feature a living sky vessel such as a flying, gargantuan whale as a central element.

The sky vessel can serve as:

• Transportation (players or NPCs travel on its back)

• Habitat (a civilization lives on the whale)

• Narrative driver (questing or story revolves around the whale)

• Gameplay mechanic (platforming, resource gathering, exploration)

It must feel significant, not just a background decoration.

Examples

• Mythic “sky whales” from folklore and fantasy

• Airborne creatures in Studio Ghibli films or other fantastical settings

• The concept of mobile civilizations (like Castle in the Sky)

12) 🏴‍☠️☁️ Pirates: Sky or Sea Raiders

Your game must feature pirates as a central element.

This can be:

• Sky pirates (floating islands, airships, zeppelins)
• Sea pirates (classic high-seas style), or even Vikings!
• Hybrid: A crew that sails both sky and ocean

The pirates must directly influence gameplay or story, not just be background flavor.

Examples

• Sky pirates from Skies of Arcadia, with dogfights amongst pirates, like those found in Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge.

• Traditional seafaring pirate crews in the style of One Piece,  with ship/crew battles like those found in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.