Inspired by the theme for Github's 2018 Game Off game jam, I wanted to experiment with a "hybrid" game unlike anything I've done before. Like many my age, platformers have been a major genre for me since childhood, and I've been playing all sorts of card games since at least junior high. But I've never tried to make either kind of game. The idea for Blank Bit came about when I realized the two genres had never been put together, at least not that I could find. It seemed like a good challenge.

I thought it could be interesting to have basic platformer mechanics be "interrupted" by straightforward card game mechanics. Your character starts out BLANK, only able to move left and right until you collect ACTION CARDS that give you more moves. Pick up a JUMP card so you can jump, a DASH card so you can dash quickly side to side, a BOOST card so you can fly upwards at top speed, and an ERASE card so you can remove your enemies. The resulting game combines the strategy of managing your hand of cards—you can have up five at a time, but you have to play or discard every card in your hand before you can redraw the ones you play—and the skill of maneuvering the vertical platforms and avoiding enemies. It's admittedly a bit difficult, but pretty fun once you get the hang of it. A perfect recipe for an arcade-style high score game.

Right now, Blank Bit is just a prototype, but I could see the game getting polished and perfected in the future. All feedback would be super helpful for its development and is greatly appreciated!