YOU’RE COOKED!
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You're Cooked is a first-person puzzle game. You have ONE minute to make as many meals. Help the chef make recipes and give them to the hungry slime. Avoid getting hit by the slime balls!
This game is a game jam submission created for the March, 2025 Week Sauce Game Jam. The theme for this game jam was "one minute".
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Title: Week Sauce Game Jam
Dates: March, 2025
Theme: One Minute
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Pixel Artist
GAMEPLAY
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Main Character Sprite
Playable Chef that makes all the meals
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Food Items Samples
Ingredients to cook food
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Slime Samples
Game Boss that you must feed
DESIGN CONCEPTS
In this section, I will discuss my design concept through perspective of a player which includes, game mechanics, enemy behavior, and progression.
Lessons Learned
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Many of the previous game jams I worked on has been a demo or the idea of a larger game post creation. This was the first game jam where, we group wanted to confine the experience to one-minute in this game. That helped us identify what were the minimum assets needed for creation which allowed us to polish once the build was completed.
The Player Experience
WHAT INSPIRED THE DESIGN
ONE MINUTE ONLY: The goal for the gameplay duration was to create an experience that lasted only one minute. This inspired us to design a fast-paced game that would keep players engaged throughout the short playtime. Traditionally, puzzle games require more time to solve, so we wanted to explore how we could create a one-minute puzzle experience that blended the quick pace of our game with the problem-solving elements of traditional puzzle games.
RISK AND REWARD: As a puzzle game, we wanted to create a sense of urgency by having the player manage the danger of running out of time while also risking penalties for preparing the wrong meals. However, these mechanics alone could create a frustrating experience. To balance this, we rewarded players for successfully serving the correct meal to the boss by giving them additional time.
PLAYER ACTIONS & TASKS
BASIC ACTIONS
Move Arrow Keys / WASD: Movement and turning
Spacebar / Enter: Pick up or drop off food
Cooking Pot: To cook food.
Storage Crate: To combine and save ingredients.
Small Pot: To throw away food.
BOSS ACTIONS & TIMER CONTROL
BOSS ACTIONS
Movement: The slime boss will move continuously throughout the map.
Slime Ball: A timed attack that will “follow” the player’s direction and impact the timer.
TIME
Time Added (++): Successfully make and feed the meal to the slime to get time back to the clock.
Time Removed (--): Getting hit by the slime balls will decrease your clock timer.
The Game References
WHAT INSPIRED THE GAME
OVERCOOK: The game Overcooked served as an inspiration for us as we developed our idea for a one-minute puzzle game. From preparing recipes to delivering completed orders, we wanted to create a similar experience that balanced cozy and enjoyable gameplay with the fast-paced chaos of managing multiple tasks under pressure.
KEY DIFFERENCES: We wanted to minimize unnecessary noise and keep the gameplay focused on simplicity. With YOU’RE COOKED, we did not want to add too many distractions that could interfere with the player’s risk-and-reward experience. Instead, we introduced a boss, represented by the customer, and focused the gameplay around successfully creating and delivering meals to them.
