Maki-ing Ends Meet

A meta-RPG where you play as a student trying to win this exact hackathon. Fight "Bug" monsters, dodge "Deadline" projectiles, and drink coffee to survive the night in Maki!

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Inspiration

The inspiration came from the very screen I’m looking at right now. As a student, the "Hackathon Grind" is its own RPG: you have limited HP (sleep), you need to manage your inventory (coffee and snacks), and you’re constantly fighting "Bug" monsters. I wanted to build a 2D pixel RPG that subverts the classic "save the world" trope and instead asks the player to "save the deadline."

What it does

Maki-ing Ends Meet is a meta-RPG where the player is a developer trapped inside their own Maki project. You must navigate through levels designed like code structures, use Maki-specific features to solve environmental puzzles, and eventually face the "Final Boss": The Git Merge Conflict. It’s a love letter to the Maki framework and the student experience.

How we built it

We built this game entirely within the Maki framework, focusing on its strengths in 2D rendering and state management.

The World: Designed using 2D pixel tilesets to give that nostalgic RPG feel. The Mechanics: Leveraged Maki's built-in physics and collision detection to create tight, responsive movement. The Dialog: I used a modular system to ensure the "funny" NPC interactions (other stressed-out student characters) felt dynamic.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was "Scope Creep"—trying to add too many features in a short time. I also had to learn the nuances of Maki’s rendering engine. At one point, my character’s head was rotating 360 degrees every time I pressed 'Space'. While it was hilarious (and almost became a feature for the "Funniest Game" category), I had to dive deep into the Maki documentation to fix the sprite state handling.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully implementing a "Stamina System" based on the player's "Caffeine Level." Creating a game that is actually playable and fun within the constraints of a student schedule. Mastering the Maki framework's core loop to create a smooth 60fps experience.

What we learned

We learned that the best way to learn a framework like Maki isn't just by reading—it’s by breaking things. This project taught me how to manage game states effectively and how to prioritize "juice" (screenshake, sound effects, and polish) to make a small game feel like a big experience.

What's next for Maki-ing Ends Meet

I plan to add more "bosses" based on different programming languages and perhaps a multiplayer mode where students can collaborate to "crush the bugs" toget

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