Never Stop Waking Up

Never Stop Waking up is an rogue-lite puzzle exploration game made for the 2025 GMTK Game Jam. 

Please read this games description and controls to aid your understanding of gameplay. 

Lastly, this game is intended for English speaking audiences.

In this game you play as a dreamer trying to escape a nightmare they can't escape from. Wandering the manor of their mental fatigue, preyed victim upon its endless cycle of near death experiences. Unable to wake up, locked in and kept away from the edge of sleep. Never waking up.

This game is a puzzle exploration piece designed around the Game Jam's theme, loop. Exploration is guided through misshaped near death experience, and solved puzzles are earned by recalling upon them again within your dreams. A door stands between your salvation, its lock your captor. Can you find all 4 keys, can you break the cycle, will you...

Movement is achieved by using "WASD" to control the players cardinal direction of movement.

Using the "Escape" Key will open the pause menu which can be interacted with by computer mouse. The "Escape" key can sometimes also be seen as the "esc" key on your keyboard.

Some objects can be interacted with the using the "E" key on your keyboard. This input key will let you either pick up that item, or use it on an interactable object.

To drop a held item, press the "Q" key on your keyboard.

When you  " die " you can recall the experience of that moment to summon in your current room the object that made you die. You can do this by pressing the "F" key to slow down time and visualize the killing object you are about to summon in a recall state. Pressing the "F" key again will then summon the killing object.

"Pressing "Q" in your recall state will cancel the recall."

Art and Animation

- Design Lead: Max Willman 

- Level Design & 3D Modeling: Deven Short 

- Player and Concept Art: Molly Kapfhamer

- Animation Assistance: Rory Nagler

"Thank you for the amazing art."

Music and Sound

- Music and Sound: Riley Kraucyk

"Thank you for the fantastic sound effects and stellar music."

Coding and Systems Design

- UI and Sound Systems: Alice M. Bucheger

- Level & Main Systems: Ash S. (@astroftl)

- Momentum and Systems: Zach Eason

"You are all heroes for making this happen, thank you."

Poster Child

-  Nicos Wiard

"Forever young. Always in our hearts."