It’s that time of year again, folks! March is exciting to me for a few reasons, but one of the biggest is the NaNoRenO game jam hosted on itch.io every year at this time. I’m always astounded by the absolute wizardry intrepid devs manage to pull off in a single month, and this year was no different. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive submissions to NaNoRenO 2022.
NaNoRenO 2022 Highlights
I learned from last year’s spotlight post how hard it is to choose favorites—especially when there are so many amazing options to choose from! NaNoRenO 2022 submissions took me forever to pore over, and even longer to narrow down, but here, at last, are my top five picks from this year’s jam. Enjoy!
1. ‘Gidget & The Mysterious Thievery of Hoppity Town’
I am not usually a cutesy aesthetic kind of girl. I’m a Silent Hill braving, Mass Effect relay ‘sploding, slayer of (bad) dragons in Skyrim kind of girl. But occasionally, I need a sweet, gentle break from all of that adventuring. A safe, happy place to rest and recover.
This game looks to fit that bill perfectly. Featuring classic point-and-click investigative mechanics and a lighthearted tone similar to Animal Crossing, Gidget is one of the most polished and beautiful games to come out of NaNoRenO this year—which is why it’s at the very top of my to-play list.
2. ‘Sunny Side Up!’
I came for the space cat. I stayed for the eggcellent puns—and so much more. In Sunny Side Up!, your job is to help restauranteurs Sunny and Flynn prepare for an omelet-cooking contest that will either make or break their careers. Like Gidget, the gameplay is a mix of dialogue choices and minigames. I was blown away by how interactive the game felt, even in just the first few minutes—little things like being able to turn the radio music on and off can make such a difference. Also, I would gladly sacrifice solar systems for feline food critic Beans if necessary.
It’s developed by probably the largest team on this list—Watercress is home to around 50 members—and as their 8th NaNoRenO release, it’s as polished and professional-looking as you might expect from such a big, experienced team. I’m looking forward to seeing it polished up even more with future updates.
3. ‘Clockwork Waltz’
Another detective game, but this time, we’re going full steam ahead—steampunk ahead, that is. I’ve made no secret of my love of steampunk, and Clockwork Waltz got me right away with its gorgeous sepia-toned artwork. But this game isn’t just a pretty face—it’s several pretty faces. Seriously, all of the character designs are just… mwah! (That was me doing a chef’s kiss, in case that wasn’t obvious.)
But even the most alluring art only gets a game so far in my books. Luckily, Clockwork Waltz reads as beautifully as it looks, and while the setup—a mysterious theft that’s up to you to investigate—is straightforward, the characters seem ripe for truly enjoyable development. In short, I can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
4. ‘Ballads at Midnight’
Two things I adore: sarcastic bards and strong female protagonists. Ballads at Midnight boasts both. It’s a Scheherazade-style story with a dark twist—a beautiful silver-tongued bard survives the company of an ancient vampire one ballad at a time, every night at midnight.
It’s even partially voice-acted and features two original songs, and the overall gothic fantasy look and feel of the game is to die for. This one’s for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope who like their love stories witty and drenched in shadows.
5. ‘Jester Under Pressure’
A lovable jester with an insatiable hunger. A queen with a penchant for exploding people’s heads. One beautiful Southeast Asian fairytale with potential romance or tragedy depending on the player’s choices.
In a way, the setup here is similar to Ballads at Midnight—perform for your life. But the tone is so different; Ballads is dark and moody with a silvered edge, while Jester is a sunlit tapestry gilt in gold. It’s sweet, a little funny, and a little sad—and it’s got a whole lotta heart. Another one I’m looking forward to playing more of in the future!
More NaNoRenO Games to Check Out
And here we have the honorable mentions of NaNoRenO 2022—games that I still found truly impressive, but didn’t quite make the top of the list. As with the games above, all of these are free to play—though please do consider donating to those creators who offer the option to, if you can. Even a little bit helps!
- Alice—a yuri adventure in Wonderland
- Until We Reach Zero—a tale of two guardian spirits and a painter lacking inspiration
- Snowmelt—a short kinetic novel about the changing of the seasons
- A Day in the Life—a story of trauma and healing through therapy
- n e g a t i v e s p a c e—a short abstract experience that will mess with your head
You can check out even more cool games from this year’s jam on my NaNoRenO 2022 Highlights list over on itch.io.
As for my own NaNoRenO entry from all the way back in 2019—yep, the full version of The Dragon’s Last Flight is still under development. Progress has slowed again but isn’t nonexistent, and I still plan on releasing it as soon as possible. In the meantime, please fill the void with any (or all!) of the games on this list. You can also still play the free demo of TDLF if you haven’t yet!
Kim Berkley is a writer who is also sometimes an interactive fiction game developer. Her works on itch.io include The Dragon’s Last Flight, a fantasy romance VN, and chiaroscuro, a short, free interactive fiction fantasy novella.
