PICOJAM 2025

I had a great time at PICOJAM 2025 last weekend! A bunch of other game developers and I got together at Pico Pico Cafe to make games based on the theme ‘祭り’ (festival) or ‘溶ける’ (melt).

A lot of the folks at the jam were already seasoned game-jammers and programmers, and were confident enough in their skills that they split into smaller teams. As a result, it had a much different vibe than, for example, Global Game Jam, which tends towards larger team sizes with a mix of veterans and newbies.

I mostly focused on writing music, which worked out well both because I enjoy it and because the small team sizes meant there were a lot of games in need of music. I contributed to 3 games over the course of the jam.

Taiko Terror

A game about a devious little beetle. Dash to avoid getting hit by the taiko drummer’s bachi, but gain points by taunting them. The closer you can get without being hit, the higher your score. You can play Taiko Terror on itch.

I wrote a short taiko rhythm and shamisen melody for this game. It was fun playing around with the PICO-8 sound effects editor to get a satisfyingly boom-y taiko drum sound. I later used the same taiko sound-effect as a custom instrument in the other two songs as well.

Writing the melody was definitely the hardest part for me. I used the 平調子 (hirajoshi) scale¹, which I haven’t composed with before. It’s got a very distinctive sound that doesn’t map well to anything in western music theory. I think it turned out well.

Omatsuri TD

A wholesome reskin of the tower-defense genre. Rather than fighting off invaders, the goal of this game is to build out the festival grounds so that everyone can find something to enjoy before they leave. You can play Omatsuri TD on itch.

I started out by writing 8 bars or so to get the general festival vibe, and only expanded it into a longer song after hearing it in the context of the game. The tower defense levels lasted long enough that it started to feel repetitive. My main idea was to write something that sounds like a Bon Odori folk song. I included a clapping rhythm that I remember from going to my local Bon Odori in Koenji (it’s the part that goes “ONE AND two AND …”).

Picogori

A cozy little game about making shaved ice for animals at the festival. Each animal has different syrup preferences — you’ll have to try different combinations to find out what they like. No scoring, time-limit, or ending, just endless shaved ice.

This song came together the fastest, probably because I was already warmed up from the previous two and had already figured out some techinques for sounding like a 祭り.

Closing thoughts

One of my favorite moments from the jam was hearing npckc humming along with the songs I wrote. I generally aim for “hummability” when writing songs, so it was very gratifying. I think it makes songs more memorable when there’s some melody or hook that you can hum along to — even if it’s only for part of the song. It also helps me keep track of them more easily.

I had a couple additional songwriting goals in mind for this jam as well. One was to capture the summer festival vibe, another was to develop a unique identity for each one. I’m really happy with the results. Each song sounds like it belongs at a 祭り, and each one sounds distinct.

I’m really proud of all the games we made in such a short time at the jam, and I liked seeing everyone’s creativity on display. I hope it becomes a yearly tradition!

Footnotes