It's just about time for one of my favourite parts of the game jam - recommendations! There have been a ton of great games this jam, but here are some of the ones I want to give a shout out to and point you all toward playing!

[Top row: Selkö, Dome Romantik, A Taste of the Past, Me: Tree! - New Roots]

[Bottom row: Billy's Gone Again, DeepO, The Plot Chickens, The Void]

Selkö - A beautiful and atmospheric game that sees you descending into the ocean in search of a rumoured secret in the ocean! With charming pixels and relaxing music, this is a light gameplay experience filled with plenty of charming fish! Created by @thekingbarry, @dodidouda, and @doot.

Dome Romantik- A visually stunning game with simple and elegant design about mining deep into the earth to escape monsters attacking your surface base. The gameplay is appropriately scaled for difficulty and there's a completeable ending to get to, so try to complete it and enjoy the beautiful art along the way! Created by @idinakloppstock and @rongo-matane

A Taste of the Past - For anyone looking for a narrative based game, this is one of the best I've seen this jam. It pulls heartstrings as it brings you through a journey of the importance cooking, connecting with the past, and learning to move forward. Created by @julia-lee, @johnnywan, @caiojmini, @isabelle-szeto, @lancival, @carolinewang, @kelvin-nguyen, @jaimi, and @emily-pitcher

Me:Tree! - New Roots - A very soothing game with the only objective being to grow. The gameplay takes a little to get used to, but after learning it's a calming game. It was a little saddening to get to the end without any more nutrients to grow, but very satisfying to look at the beautiful tree I'd made along the way! Grow your own lovely tree now! Make some fun shapes with those branches. Created by @groggi

Billy's Gone Again - A fun shooter! While this isn't the 'deeper and deeper'est game I've seen, it's a delight to play. The art design is charming, the music is very fitting, and while many shooters give you several near identical guns, the weapons provided in this game feel enjoyably and usefully different. Enjoy some cowboy time! Created by @willoxs, @preda, @rat-spine, @waltsontanaka, and @kingofnova

DeepO - Do some deep breathing exercises in this lovely little platformer! A well-balanced adventure comprised of taking deep breaths and launching yourself further, the controls feel wonderful. That said, it is definitely best played as a controller experience. Created by @alejandrodecea, @jmartinez-gamedev, and @rodrysson

The Plot Chickens - Solve a mystery about a chicken! This puzzle game includes so many charming characters, a beautiful little town, and a story that's fun to solve! It's very easy to get attached to the characters, and the humour is delightful! Created by @sarafilipa, @ru-mey, and @jpiolho

The Void - A suspenseful, narrative-driven game about descending into a pit. The voice acting is very well done, and the suspense as you descend made me more and more nervous with every puzzle I solved. Find what's waiting for you in the depths! Created by @zuhairghias, @axlplosion=, @gnahzanit, @deathhound, @ceyhun-yanikdag, and @amastryukov

It's been such a fun Ludum Dare, everyone! I'd love to see all of your recommendations - what games have made you smile? If you make a recommendation post, please leave it in the comment to share your favourites!