Jailbird

About the game

Jailbird is about Cleo, a young mage who has been thrown into prison for reasons nobody explains. After she is taken to her cell she finds that she managed to keep a small, weak wand hidden in her robe, and she begins to plan her escape.

It is a platformer and shooter in the metroidvania style. The prison is one big connected map made of cells, halls and tall shafts, and a small map in the corner of the screen shows where you have been. You shoot with the wand, aim up and down, use an alternate fire, and pick up life hearts and other upgrades that are described in the game when you collect them, including one that lets you jump off a wall in the air. Doors link the rooms to each other, and save points let you keep your progress.

The game starts in a control hall where you can try the moves safely before the escape begins. It has a proper menu with four save files, a pause screen and a chunky, readable pixel art style in a cold blue-grey palette.

Playing it here

Jailbird was made for TIC-80, a fantasy console: an imaginary 1980s-style computer with a 240 by 136 screen and 16 colours, for which independent developers write new games. It runs here in the official TIC-80 web player. Click Play, press Z on the title to open the file menu, choose "Start game" and press Z again.

Your save files are kept in this browser, so you can close the page and come back. Esc opens the TIC-80 menu. A gamepad works directly (the game switches its prompts between keyboard and pad by itself), and on touch screens an on-screen D-pad and buttons appear.

Controls

A few things worth knowing

Start in the control hall. Try the jump, the fire and the aiming up and down before you leave. Holding the jump a bit longer jumps higher.

Save often. Save points are marked on the map, and the four file slots mean you can keep a second run next to the first.

Read what an upgrade says. Each pickup comes with a short description of what it does and how to use it, such as the wall jump (press against the wall in the air, then away from it and jump).

Frequently asked questions

Is my progress saved? Yes, in four file slots kept in this browser. Clearing the site data in your browser deletes them.

Does it work on a phone? The on-screen buttons appear on touch screens, but the game is a lot more comfortable with a keyboard or a gamepad.

Is it free? Yes. The author released it under the MIT licence.

Credits and licence

Jailbird was made by PAPERMOON_SO, who did the code, the art, the sounds and the music, and nobody else is credited. It is released under the MIT licence, chosen in the header of the cartridge. It runs here in the TIC-80 web player (MIT licence). The licence texts are linked from this page.