Jak Locke | Arcade

2026 August 05
Color Puzzle
puzzle
Relaxing and vicious positional puzzle
for browsers and Windows

A very difficult positional puzzle, this is an enhanced version based on Paul Bunn's Atari BASIC game from 1983's type-in listing book "Games For Your Atari Computer".
Click tiles to place the computer's selected color in them, beginning with the four corners of the diamond grid. From there, all tiles must be placed horizontally or vertically next to an existing colored tile, but they cannot be placed neighboring the same color horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

When out of moves, click the X to reset the board. The game also supports keyboard input just like the Atari 8-bit original.

v1.0 released 2026 August 05 / Programmed in GM-LTS 2026.0.0.16

2024 July 07
Black Box
puzzle
Deduce atom locations
for browsers and Windows

Black Box is a simple but fun abstract logic game of determining the location of a set number of atoms based off how shot rays react, based off a deduction board game from the 1970s. I couldn't find an adequately customizable version of it online, so I coded my own instead.

The latest version 2 has a tutorial, new images and sound effects and a CRT effect.
Click outer squares to shoot ray, click inner squares to set guesses.

v2.0 released 2024 July 07 / Programmed in GM 2024.2.0.132
v1.1 released 2024 May 02 / Programmed in GM 2024.2.0.132

2022 February 10
Sludge Runner v2
platformer Grip platformer
for browsers

Vault amazing distances in the radioactive vats. Missed that jump? Broke your legs & neck? Drowned in sludge? It's okay, you've got clones! Pull yourself up that ledge and go find the good sludge at the end!

This is an improved iteration of the original, now featuring full scrolling, parallax animated backgrounds, zoom-out, and reset functions.
Move with WASD / arrow keys / gamepad
Jump with Spacebar / A button
Zoom out with Z / L2 button
Respawn with Ctrl / R2 button
Grip corners of platforms! While hanging, press Up to climb, Down to drop
Backspace / Select button to reset game

v2.0 released 2022 February 10 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2
v1.0 released 2020 June 18 / Programmed in GMS2

2011 June 23
Black Lodge 2600
action
Dodge and escape, forever?
for browsers and Windows

2025 April 07
Timer
Basic timer with color customization
for browsers and Windows

This simple stopwatch-style timer features customizable colors and visibility toggles.
Keyboard shortcuts are Spacebar to start/stop and Escape to reset to zero.

v1.0 released 2025 April 07 / Programmed in GM 2024.2.0.132

2023 October 02
QFG Clock
Niche clock
for browsers and Windows

This continuously polls your system clock and returns what time of day would appear in Quest For Glory / Hero's Quest. Useful as a programming exercise and not much else, I still enjoy having it running and you might too.
Look at it to see the general time of day.

v2.0 released 2024 April 15 / Programmed in GM 2024.2.0.132
v1.0 released 2023 October 02 / Programmed in Godot 3.5.2

2023 July 25
To-Do List
Basic checklist
for browsers and Windows

This is a very barebones to-do list I tailored for my own projects but you might find it useful too! It currently supports 15 items and saving / loading (executable only, not browser).
Clicking the checkbox toggles it from black to green to red to the background color, and then back to black. Clicking in the area next to the checkboxes allows you to type in whatever you want to put on your list. Save and Load buttons do the obvious.

v2.0 released 2024 April 04 / Programmed in GM 2024.2.0.132
v1.0 released 2023 July 25 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2013 December 27
NPC Factory
Lo-fi person construction set
for browsers

Build an extremely pixelated version of yourself, your friend or your worst enemy! Customizable hair, facial hair, eye color, skin, mass and clothes. Made as a tool to quickly design multiple characters but I never got around to the export feature before I moved on from the art style.
Move with arrow keys, click color patches and icons to change those elements. Grey boxes at bottom toggle full-screen. Don't forget there's a whole other screen below the first one to customize clothes.

v1.0 released 2013 December 27 / Programmed in Construct 2

2023 July 27
Guess The Animal
quiz, kusoge
Wildlife knowledge tester
for browsers

Guess The Animal! A time-honored tradition going back many years now, one that invokes the human tendency of call-and-response, making it almost a study in instinct.

Guess The Animal! Some would call it a tool for accruing useful knowledge; indeed, a volley of rounds already begins to lay down the brain's roadwork for building a mental encyclopedia of wildlife, a fount of knowledge via game that may one day even come to be the difference between life and death in a survival situation.

Guess The Animal! Once only playable in the real world with hosts of vast knowledge, but now, finally, available to be enjoyed at your modern leisure in digital format.

Yes, the day has come, you can now play the iconic and classic game of Guess The Animal in your web browser! It will certainly provide you with hours of deep entertainment, and is definitely not a simple programming exercise utilizing a really stupid joke I used to irritate people with.
Listen to sound
Type name of animal that makes that sound

v1.0 released 2023 July 27 / Programmed in Godot 3.5.2

2022 May 04
Engulf v2
puzzle, kusoge
Surround the alien again! Still not that fun!
for browsers

Surround the alien with nuclear wastelands! It's not as exciting as it sounds.

This is a total remake of version 1 from 1996 which was an enhanced version of a type-in game by Tim Hartnell from 1982.
Click cells, surround alien.

v1.0 released 2022 May 04 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2022 April 22
Mowdown v2
action, kusoge
Kill your neighbor again and again
for browsers

You've finally had enough of your stupid neighbor. A bizarre temporal anomaly on the street spawns clones of both of you when one of you dies, so it's a duel to the deaths!

This is a vastly improved reprogramming of the original from 1997. While still about as primitive as possible, the game plays a ton smoother (read: it's actually playable now and not a hateful stuttery glitchy mess). You'll get seconds of fun from Mowdown!
Arrows/WASD to move, Spacebar to shoot, O for options.

v1.0 released 2022 April 22 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2022 April 13
The Mine and The Cavern v2
chance-based resource building, kusoge
Sadistic Sisyphus simulator
for browsers

You'll grow to hate the random number generator in this sadistic game of small gains and abrupt Game Overs.

A remake of the original from 1996, this is streamlined, rebalanced, rewritten and still infuriatingly unfair. The original was based on a far better game by William Austin from 1990.
Up and Down arrows to go up and down the mine, Y and N to answer questions. Die until you can't take it anymore.

v1.0 released 2022 April 12 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2022 March 13
Back Door v2
reaction timer, kusoge
Shoot disguised aliens, let colonists in
for browsers

The airlocks open... you have mere moments to react! Shoot increasingly disguised aliens, let stranded colonists in. A somewhat improved remake of 1996's original which was a sloppy version of a much prettier game by Greg Knauss from 1988.
Press "1", "2", or "3" to blast the corresponding door

v1.0 released 2022 March 13 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2022 March 07
Numberguesser v2
guess numbers, kusoge
Guess numbers. Yeah, that's really it
for browsers

Guess numbers like some kind of numberguessing genius all day long. Don't lose though, or one of six really gross (stupid) text death descriptions awaits you!

This is a 1:1 remake of version 1 from 1995, done as a programming exercise.
Type in numbers. Guess right.

v1.0 released 2022 March 07 / Programmed in Godot 3.4.2

2016 January 19
Game Over
inscrutable Movement and dialog test
for browsers

Can you reach "Game Over"? More to the point, can you get bored enough to try enough things to get to "Game Over"?
Figure it out!

v1.0 released 2016 January 19 / Programmed in GMS1

2014 February 13
Red Jimmy & The Ghost
multi-character adventure Dialog and character switching test
for browsers

Talk to Red Jimmy and maybe see a ghost! A quick concept test of dialog, speech and switching characters. The speech imports consistently had glitches at the end for some reason I never figured out.
Spacebar to talk, M to toggle a map, swap characters on the map with 1, 2, and 3 once you arbitrarily unlock them.

v1.0 released 2014 February 13 / Programmed in Construct 2

2008 February 19
Merc
action Run'n'gun Contra-like
for Windows

Leave a trail of bullet shells and corpses as you proceed through increasingly blurry and bizarre backgrounds in this Contra-style run'n'gun demo! Who's behind all these soldiers? You'll be surprised! (It's quite stupid actually)

Two versions included, the latter solely to test drawn background tiles and a vision-distorting tear-gas grenade that seems to only work on the first life!
Arrows to move, C to shoot, V to jump.

v1.0 released 2008 February 19 / Programmed in GM7

2008 January 18
The Mopfia
Point and click / puzzle Cutscene and puzzle demo
for Windows

Run with a crew -- a cleaning crew, that is. Equal parts an exercise in learning GM's timeline function to make cutscenes, as well as building a fully-formed but willfully awkward and exacting tile-based puzzle engine. Maybe I'll get back to this concept in the future with less irritating mechanics.
Point and click to move in adventure mode, arrow keys to move in puzzle mode and Spacebar to interact with objects.

v1.0 released 2008 January 18 / Programmed in GM7

2007 October 11
Cigarette Quest
Point and click / puzzle AGS basic function test
for Windows

Find cigarettes while hanging out at long-dead Metairie venue Zeppelins! Actually even that description implies far more depth than you'll find in this simple early exercise of trying out Adventure Game Studio's interaction functions.
Left-click to move/interact, right-click to switch actions.

v1.0 released 2007 October 11 / Programmed in AGS 2.71

1997 June 30
Banana Salesman
action, kusoge
Awkward and unintuitive, who's ready to play?
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Run through markets, duck sniper bullets and beat up goons in your pursuit of the thieves who stole your bananas! Features awkward controls and fully unintuitive objectives.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1997 June 30 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1997 March 05
Mowdown v1
action, kusoge
Horrible failure
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Have an excruciatingly boring and glitchy duel with your neighbor on the streets in a game that was basically an excuse to make bloody death animations with ASCII characters!

This was remade and improved with version 2 in 2022 as a programming exercise.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1997 March 05 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1996 March 08
Back Door v1
reaction timer, kusoge
Shoot the aliens, let the colonists in
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

The airlocks open... you have mere moments to react! Shoot increasingly disguised aliens, let stranded colonists in. A sloppy version of a much prettier game by Greg Knauss from 1988.

This was remade (and slightly improved) with version 2 in 2022 as a programming exercise.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1996 March 08 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1996 February 21
The Mine and The Cavern v1
chance-based resource building, kusoge
Abject frustration
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

It's you versus the random number generator in this sadistic game of small gains and abrupt Game Overs. Based on a far better game by William Austin from 1990.

This was remade, rewritten and rebalanced (though still infuriatingly unfair) with version 2 in 2022 as a programming exercise.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1996 February 21 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1996 January 18
Engulf v1
puzzle, kusoge
Surround the alien! Not as fun as it sounds
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Surround the alien with nuclear wastelands! It's not as exciting as it sounds. An enhanced version of a type-in game by Tim Hartnell from 1982.

This was completely remade (though the gameplay is still Dullsville) with version 2 in 2022 as a programming exercise.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1996 January 18 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1995 November 24
Unequalled Combat v2
combat, kusoge
Space combat ad nauseum
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

New and... well, yeah, just new. Upgrade your ship by fighting the same enemy hundreds of times! Thrill to the new broken game mechanic of fuel! Lose friends by making them play this with you! Fun?? What's that?
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1995 November 24 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1995 September 20
Lifeforce
puzzle, kusoge
Inscrutable life support sim
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Oh, you only wish it was the Konami shooter.
Do you like opaque games that don't tell you what things do? Do you like them to have no graphics? Do you like trying to read the programmer's mind instead of playing something fun? Boy oh boy, do we have the game you've been waiting for right here!!
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1995 September 20 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1995 September 02
Unequalled Combat v1
combat, kusoge
Space combat devolved
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Space combat devolved! This game contains dozens of secrets and easter eggs, if you can stand playing it long enough to find them! SPOILER: You won't!
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1995 September 20 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

1995 August 11
Numberguesser
guess numbers, kusoge
Guess numbers. Yeah, that's really it
for DOS (QBASIC required, DOSBOX recommended)

Guess numbers like some kind of numberguessing genius all day long. Don't lose though, or one of six really gross (stupid) text death descriptions awaits you!

This was remade with version 2 in 2022 as a programming exercise.
Keyboard required.

v1.0 released 1995 August 11 / Programmed in QBASIC 1.1

2021 April 14
Adventure (Atari 2600)
Sub-minute speedrun
runtime: 1:01

Don't get too impressed, it's only level 1. Okay, well maybe be a little more impressed than that. There, that's a good amount.

2016 April 04
cactus & mr. podunkian's Dungeon (PC)
An experiment in trolling
runtime: 19:00

An interesting experiment in community trolling from 2009. Angie462 and JDDemotte join me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 March 07
McPixel (PC)
It just keeps going
runtime: 1:00:39

When a game tells you to play it in small doses, you should listen. I don't listen and we all suffer for it. Angie462 and Y2Hood join me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 February 26
140 (PC)
Rhythmic platformer
runtime: 28:38

140 is a rhythmic platformer that's a unique and fun challenge with the exception of one boss battle. As usual, trouble spots are fast-forwarded through since there's not much worse than watching someone repeatedly suck at something. Angie462 joins me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 February 02
You Have To Win The Game (PC)
Exploration platformer
runtime: 24:46

You Have To Win The Game is a difficult exploration platformer with a focus on collecting everything and solving an endgame word puzzle. Edited from a livestream so that you don't have to watch me die and get lost for an extra six minutes, you're welcome. JDDemotte and Angie462 join me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 January 26
VVVVVV (PC)
Jump-less platformer
runtime: 1:03:38

A platformer with no jumping, VVVVVV has creative level designs and sometimes maddening controls. Edited from a livestream so you don't have to watch me die / get lost for 46 additional minutes. You're welcome for that. NoelCT and Angie46s join me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 January 15
LOVE (PC)
Lo-fi precision platformer
runtime: 28:28

Falling and falling and falling in LOVE, an addictive precision platformer with lo-fi graphics and a great soundtrack. Secret content at the end. Angie462 joins me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2016 January 10
Pony Island (PC)
Hack the devil's game
runtime: 1:34:44

Hacking a system designed by Satan is the name of this game. Actually, it's "Pony Island". Edited from a livestream so that you don't have to sit through an extra half an hour's worth of failure and puzzle consideration. You're welcome for that. Angie462 joins me for commentary. There's also a no commentary version.

2013 October 23
Quest For Glory I EGA (DOS)
Sub-15 minute speedrun
runtime: 18:14

If I ever have to "cast fetch" again, it'll be too soon. There's a chance of it failing at the spore-spitting spirea ~5 minutes into the run, and if it does, it's restart time. Guess what happened more often than not?

2012 July 24
Shadowgate (NES)
20 minute challenge
runtime: 22:44

MadeOfFail.net's Dayna attempts to prove she can beat Shadowgate in 20 minutes or less. Is it all just big talk? Can she actually do it? Why would I tell you if I want you to watch this video the whole way through?