Branchy Studio Narrative Jam
Theme: SWITCH
Stories are not shaped only by decisions.
Sometimes they are shaped by circumstances.
In this jam, you cannot control the characters directly.
Instead, you control the world around them.
Your game must be a narrative experience where the player influences events only by changing conditions.
🧠 Core Rule
The player cannot choose actions or dialogue lines.
Instead, the player can switch states that influence character behavior.
Characters must act on their own according to those states.
Examples of switches
-
time of day
-
weather
-
emotional tone
-
relationship level
-
environment mood
-
perspective
-
memory state
The story should emerge from reactions, not direct choices.
📏 Mandatory Design Constraints
Your project must follow all of these:
No dialogue choices
No branching menus where the player picks what to say or do.
Indirect control only
The player influences the situation, not the decision.
Characters must have behavior logic
They react differently depending on the current state.
Switches must change meaning
Changing a state must affect interpretation or outcome — not just visuals.
🔢 Switch Limit
There is no hard limit on the number of switches.
But remember the design principle:
Less is better.
Simple systems often produce the most interesting results.
🎯 What Counts as a SWITCH
A switch is a variable the player can deliberately change that alters narrative behavior.
Good examples
-
turn rain on/off
-
increase tension
-
change narrator
-
move scene to night
-
alter trust level
Not valid
-
selecting dialogue
-
choosing endings directly
📦 Submission Requirements
Your submission page must include:
-
Short description of your switch system
-
What the player controls
-
What the characters control
-
Estimated playtime
-
Controls explanation
💡 Design Advice
Write character rules, not story routes.
Instead of:
IF player chooses A → scene 5
Think like this:
IF trust low AND night → character lies
Let the story emerge from systems.
📅 Deliverables
Submit:
-
a playable build or Branchy Studio version
-
screenshots
Good luck and happy designing!
We’re excited to see what kinds of stories appear when players control the world.
Join Community
Join Our community Discord Server: