Update
The contest has been extended! Submissions will now close on 16 November, 2024 at 12:00 UTC-5. For more information, visit https://marquiskurt.itch.io/what-the-taiji/devlog/830682/an-update-to-the-contest.

I’m super excited to announce the What The Taiji?! Puzzle Contest! This contest is designed to help bolster the main campaign that ships with the game with some clever, unique, and interesting puzzles from you, the community. This contest is open to everyone, whether you’re a Taiji veteran or an avid Playdate fan.

What’s the timeline?

Contestants will have until 9 November, 2024 at 12:00 UTC-5 to create their puzzles and submit them. Following this, a small panel of judges will review the submissions and pick the best puzzles to be included in the base campaign. Finally, the results will be announced here, as a devlog post.

What are the rules?

• You may submit up to a maximum of five (5) puzzles for consideration.
• All submissions must be made using the What the Taiji?! puzzle format (WTP) and must be playable on a Playdate handheld console (read through “How do I get started?” for more information on the WTP format).

How will my puzzle be judged?

There are a few factors that will impact overall judgement of a puzzle:

• Difficulty and solvability: The puzzle must be solvable by itself without any external sources, and the puzzle must present some difficulty.
• Compatibility: The puzzle must be accessible on the Playdate. Puzzles shouldn’t be any bigger than eleven tiles wide and six tiles tall. The use of colored glyphs or environmental aspects are not allowed, as the game is incapable of working with these formats.
• Creativity: The puzzle should show some level of creativity. Examples can include a satisfying pattern at the end, interesting mechanic discovery, etc.

How do I get started?

All the instructions for creating a puzzle can be found in the “Creating a Custom Puzzle” devlog post at https://marquiskurt.itch.io/what-the-taiji/devlog/807719/creating-a-custom-puzzle.

Once you’ve assembled your puzzle file, head to the official submission form at https://forms.gle/rHWpyn3RfJ4tc9Yd7 and upload your files there.