About

Echo of the Forty Eight is an endless runner created for the Bootleg GM48 #2 game jam.

The theme was "Echo" — and what echoes louder in the GameMaker game jam community than the postponed GM48 #48? The legendary game jam has been delayed for over two years now, and this game is a playful tribute to all the reasons why.

Jump over the obstacles that represent the very real hurdles of game jam organization: perfectionism, scope creep, burnout, endless email chains, and the eternal "just one more thing." Oh, and sometimes a cat shows up. The cat gives you an extra life. That's it. That's what cats do.

How to Play

Control	Action
Space	Jump

That's it. Just press space. Avoid the obstacles. Don't overthink it.

Features

• One-button gameplay — Press space to jump. Simple as that.
• Thematic obstacles — Each obstacle represents a real reason game jams get delayed
• The Cat — Occasionally spawns. Gives +1 life. No ulterior motive.
• Lives system — You get 3 lives. Use them wisely.
• Increasing difficulty — Obstacles come faster the longer you survive

The Making Of

This game was an experiment in AI-assisted game development:

• Art: Almost entirely generated by ChatGPT and Google Gemini
• Code: Almost entirely generated by GitHub Copilot in VS Code, primarily using Anthropic's Claude models
• Engine: GameMaker Studio 2, edited with the Stitch VS Code extension

It was a fun experiment! AI proved surprisingly capable at writing GML code once it understood the available functions and project structure. The main challenge was helping it understand GameMaker's metadata and project file formats — which eventually led to some comprehensive Copilot instructions that solved most issues.

Credits

• Concept & Direction: Human
• Art Generation: ChatGPT, Google Gemini
• Code Generation: GitHub Copilot (Claude)
• Vibe Curation: Also human
• The Cat: The cat

Made with chaos, caffeine, and questionable AI prompts for Bootleg GM48 #2