itch.io

Hey! Thanks for checking out my game and for the detailed feedback! I really appreciate it. 🙌 I'll definitely look into improving the interaction range and making movement clearer.

I also tried Torch Duck Parade, and I genuinely enjoyed it! 😂 The duck carrying the torch was a really nice touch and fitted the jam's theme well.

I did notice that the UI could use some polishing, particularly where certain elements overlap. For example, the sound button covers part of the pond progress bar.

Other than that, the gameplay is simple, casual and surprisingly entertaining. There's definitely replayability, and it's the kind of game you can easily lose track of time playing.

I actually tried it during my lunch break at work, thinking it would be a quick playtest, and somehow ended up playing for almost 30–45 minutes! 😂

Really enjoyed the experience. Great work, and keep it up! 🙌

Really enjoyed the experience. Great work, and keep it up! 🙌

Hey! Thanks for your interest and for sharing your itch.io profile! 🙌

No worries about not knowing how to build a simulator game. I'm still learning development myself, and I don't expect everyone interested in collaborating to be an expert.

Your experience with 2D pixel art and some 3D is actually interesting! Mobile MMA SIM is currently more of a text-based career simulator, but I'm exploring visual improvements and have other game projects planned under Poison Games.

I'd definitely be interested in learning more about your artwork, the tools you use and what kind of projects you enjoy working on.

I'd be happy to continue the conversation on Discord and see whether there's something we could work on together! 🎮

Hey Eli! Thanks for reaching out and showing interest in Poison Games! 🙌

Absolutely, Discord works for me. I'd be happy to chat there.

I'm still learning game development myself, so I'm looking to connect with people who enjoy creating games, learning and growing together.

I'll reach out to you on Discord. I'd love to hear more about your experience, what you enjoy working on and what kind of projects interest you.

Looking forward to chatting! 🎮

Hey everyone!

I'm an independent game developer from South Africa, building a small indie game brand called Poison Games.

I've been developing and releasing games independently, but I've reached a point where I realise I can't do everything alone, especially when it comes to visuals, audio, testing and marketing.

I'm looking to connect with people who might be interested in collaborating on Poison Games projects and potentially helping build something longer-term.

🎮 Who I'm looking for:

- Game Testers / QA: People interested in playing builds, identifying bugs, testing gameplay and providing honest, structured feedback.

- Graphic Designers / Digital Artists: People who can help improve game logos, cover artwork, store graphics, promotional assets and visual identity.

- Video Editors / Content Creators: People interested in creating game trailers, gameplay videos, promotional clips and social media content.

- Sound Designers / Audio Engineers: People who can help with sound effects, trailer audio, music direction and other audio-related work.

🥊 Our starting project: Mobile MMA SIM

Mobile MMA SIM is a text-based MMA career simulation game that's already available on Google Play.

The immediate focus would be improving its presentation and marketing, including:

- Refining the existing logo and store assets.

- Creating professional trailers and gameplay videos.

- Developing promotional graphics and short-form content.

- Testing gameplay and future updates.

- Improving the overall presentation while keeping the game's existing identity.

I'd like to build relationships that can extend to other Poison Games projects in the future.

💰 Important — Funding & Compensation

I want to be completely upfront: Poison Games is currently self-funded, with no available budget to hire or pay contributors.

This is a voluntary collaboration, not a paid job. I can't promise future payment, revenue sharing or employment.

What I can offer is involvement in a real, released indie game project, agreed contributor credits, opportunities to build portfolio work and a chance to collaborate with others who enjoy game development.

Any contributions, credits and rights to created work would be discussed and agreed upon before work begins.

🤝 Who can reach out?

You don't necessarily need professional industry experience. Students, beginners, hobbyists and experienced creatives are all welcome.

I'm based in South Africa, but I'm open to remote collaboration with people from anywhere.

If you're interested, comment below or send me a DM with:

- What you specialise in or want to contribute.

- Examples of your work, if available.

- What kind of collaboration interests you.

I'm not expecting anyone to work full-time or make commitments they can't manage.

I just want to connect with people who genuinely enjoy making games and might want to help build something together.

Thanks for reading!

— Poison Games

I used edge and Chrome

Unique and a very good use of the theme 🔥 

Hey, thanks for trying out the game!

I guess I still have some work to do when it comes to explaining what players are supposed to do 😅. You're basically trying to survive while managing your light source, investigating what's going on, and making decisions along the way.

About the sound, that's a bit strange. What browser and device were you using? I'll look into it and see what's going wrong. 

Thanks for pointing this out!

Thank you! 😁 Really happy you enjoyed it, especially the design. I am looking to improve a few things here and there, so it's nice to hear that you're having fun with it already. Appreciate you giving it a try!

Overall

I didn't get too far into the game, but I genuinely enjoyed what I played. The story caught my attention, and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next. I love text-based games that allow my imagination to run wild, and this one definitely delivered.

And the funny thing is, the reason I didn't continue wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it. The horror was actually getting to me! 😂 My imagination got the better of me, and I started scaring myself before anything even happened. 😭😂

Fun

I really like the mystery and how the characters have their own abilities. I enjoy interactive games where decisions matter and where the story gives you enough information to imagine what's happening without showing you everything.

The suspense works really well, especially when you're left wondering what's waiting for you in the next room.

Graphics

This is probably my biggest criticism. The UI feels quite cluttered, particularly with the house map, survivor information, and different actions all competing for space.

I don't think the game needs more graphics or animations. I actually love text-based experiences. I'd just like to see a cleaner interface, better spacing, and a layout that makes navigating everything feel more natural.

Audio

Now this is where you really got me! 😂😭

You can tell a lot of work went into the audio. The atmosphere is genuinely unsettling, and the sound design builds tension before anything scary even happens.

I was already imagining all sorts of things just from the sounds alone. At some point, my own imagination became my worst enemy. 😂😅

That's what I love about good horror. You don't always need to show the player something terrifying. Sometimes letting their imagination do the work is even more effective.

AI Usage

I think can't really judge much on AI usage. From what I can tell, using traditional human recordings instead of AI-generated audio  was a great choice for this project.

It doesn't feel like AI was used just for the sake of using it. The audio actually contributes to the atmosphere and helps bring the experience together. It's a good example of incorporating human work/art with AI supporting a developer's creative vision 

**Final Thoughts**

I genuinely enjoy text-based games because they let my imagination create worlds that graphics sometimes can't fully capture. And I love interactive experiences that make me think about my decisions.

My biggest suggestion would be to improve the UI and make it feel less crowded. A cleaner presentation would make the experience more enjoyable without taking away from what makes the game special.

But seriously, Meeka, you got me! I'm sounding repetitive but damn you can't blame me😂 I didn't stop because I was bored. I stopped because the atmosphere, audio, and my own imagination were working together a little too well. 😭😂

I came to play a horror game, and my imagination decided to make it ten times scarier!

Great work, and all the best with the jam! I'll definitely have to gather some courage and give it another go. 😂

Thank you so much for taking the time to play Beneath the Borrowed Light and give such a detailed review! I really appreciate you breaking down each category and sharing your thoughts.

I'm especially glad that the atmosphere, resource management, and investigation elements worked well together. That was one of my main goals when developing the game.

I also appreciate your feedback on the difficulty and audio. Those are areas I'm still working on improving, especially making the sound design more reactive to what's happening around the player and making the survival experience challenging without feeling unfair.

It's encouraging to see someone who works with narrative systems and atmospheric horror recognise what I was trying to achieve. There's still plenty I want to improve, so feedback like this genuinely helps.

Thanks again for playing and supporting the game jam entry!

Simple but nice and it has a lot of potential for growth 

Thanks for taking the time to try Beneath the Borrowed Light.

I'm open to criticism, especially regarding controls, visuals, and the overall gameplay experience. However, constructive feedback is much more useful than personal insults.

This project was developed for an AI game jam, and I recognise there's room for improvement. If you've encountered specific control issues or have suggestions for the visuals, I'm happy to hear them.

As a fellow developer, I believe we can challenge each other's work while still showing respect for the effort behind it.

Best of luck with your own projects!

Nice game and concept, just not enjoyable on on mobile because of the controls

Nice game, it really has that addictive element. Good luck on the game Jam. I am also taking part in it 😉 

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm SihleM, an independent developer working under Poison Games. I'm participating in AI Browser Game Jam 5 with my game, Beneath the Borrowed Light, a browser-based survival mystery adventure inspired by the TORCH theme. 🔥

For this project, I've been using three main AI tools:

🤖 OpenAI ChatGPT

• Game design discussions and planning.
• Narrative development and writing assistance.
• UI/UX planning and refinement.
• Debugging discussions, testing strategies and quality assurance.

💻 OpenAI Codex

• AI-assisted programming using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript.
• Gameplay implementation and integration.
• Code refinement, debugging and optimization.
• Supporting functional and regression testing.

🎨 OpenAI Image Generation

• Original game artwork and visual assets.
• Cover art, branding and promotional materials.
• Visual experimentation and refinement.

One of the biggest lessons from this jam has been that generating code or artwork is only part of game development.

Getting everything to work together consistently, identifying issues and ensuring the game is actually enjoyable requires considerable iteration.

I'm curious to see what tools everyone else is experimenting with and what challenges you've encountered!

Good luck with your entries! 🔥

entry:https://sihlem.itch.io/beneath-the-borrowed-light

— SihleM | Poison Games

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm SihleM, an independent developer working under Poison Games, and I'm excited to share my entry for AI Browser Game Jam 5!

🎮 Beneath the Borrowed Light is a browser-based survival mystery adventure inspired by this jam's TORCH theme.

The game combines exploration, atmospheric storytelling, survival elements and investigation. I wanted to create something that encourages players to think carefully about their decisions while discovering the story naturally through gameplay.

🔥 What can you expect?

• Atmospheric environments and exploration.
• Survival challenges and meaningful decisions.
• A mystery that gradually unfolds.
• Interactive gameplay with multiple possible outcomes.
• A dark, illustrated visual style.

🤖 A little about development

I used OpenAI ChatGPT, Codex and OpenAI Image Generation to assist with programming, artwork, narrative development and testing.

My focus throughout development was bringing everything together into a coherent experience, with particular attention to gameplay quality, usability and testing.

One thing this jam reinforced for me is that AI can accelerate development, but integration, creative direction and quality assurance remain incredibly important.

I've also published separate devlogs covering the game's introduction and my general development experience.

🎮 Play Beneath the Borrowed Light:

https://sihlem.itch.io/beneath-the-borrowed-light

💬 I'd love your feedback!

I'm especially interested in hearing what you think about the atmosphere, controls, difficulty and overall experience.

Please avoid major story spoilers in replies so other players can discover things for themselves!

I'm also looking forward to trying out other submissions. It's interesting seeing how differently everyone has interpreted the same theme.

Thanks to Focaccai for organising the jam, and good luck to everyone participating! 🔥

— SihleM | Poison Games

#AIGameJam

Download is now available 

Currently game is also on Early Access if you want to download from Play store . If you still interested in testing Join the Group

I am working on a downloadable version , initially wanted it to be hosted on Play Store but will consider adding it here also

Mobile MMA Sim first went public five days ago as v1.3.1. Since then, the free Demo has already moved to v2.0.1 with major improvements across the career experience. The free demo is available and includes the first 2 in-game years/104 weeks.

SUMMARY:

LIVE THE LIFE OF A MMA FIGHTER — NOT THE MANAGER.

Mobile MMA Sim is a text-based MMA career simulation where every decision contributes to the story of your fighter. Do you have what it takes to compete in the  with the best in Combat Sport? 

Try the Demo today.

https://sihlem.itch.io/mobilemmasim

Mobile MMA Sim first went public five days ago as v1.3.1. Since then, the free Demo has already moved to v2.0.1 with major improvements across the career experience. The free demo is available and includes the first 2 in-game years/104 weeks.

SUMMARY:

LIVE THE LIFE OF A MMA FIGHTER — NOT THE MANAGER.

Mobile MMA Sim is a text-based MMA career simulation where every decision contributes to the story of your fighter. Do you have what it takes to compete in the  with the best in Combat Sport? 

Try the Demo today.

https://sihlem.itch.io/mobilemmasim

Suggestions and feedback will be highly appreciated

Hi everyone please check out my first project, a textbased MMA simulation game
 https://sihlem.itch.io/mobilemmasim

Comments and review highly appreciated

Update coming soon for paid version 🙏