Conservation of Bass: A Gravity-Bending Puzzle Platformer

Conservation of Bass is a 2D puzzle platformer that forces players to navigate environments by swapping physical places with objects on the screen. Created as an entry for the GM48 game jam in March 2026, it takes the scientific concept of mass conservation and builds a tricky core mechanic around it.

Rearranging the World

The premise relies on a very simple rule. You can’t create or destroy matter, but you can definitely rearrange it. In practical terms, this means your character gets past obstacles by targeting a piece of the environment and instantly warping to its location. The object then drops into your old spot. It sounds basic. But the level design quickly complicates how you use that single ability to cross huge gaps and scale walls.

Emlise and happysquared handled the programming, art, and sound, teaming up with Hokori on the levels and Sunnydaze for the music. The resulting pixel art aesthetic is surprisingly charming. The visuals pull more weight than you usually expect from a quick game jam release.

Fluctuating Challenge

Puzzle difficulty here fluctuates instead of following a strict upward curve. You might spend five minutes completely stuck on one specific screen, only to blast through the next stage in thirty seconds. That uneven pacing actually works in its favor. It keeps the experience from feeling like a rigid test of endurance.

Players can also challenge themselves by finding the absolute minimum number of swaps to beat a stage. Sometimes the physics engine even lets you slip by with fewer moves than the developers originally intended. Nailing a tight jump to completely bypass a sequence of warps feels great. That said, timing those target locks during mid-air platforming sections can occasionally demand some heavy precision.

Who Made It

Conservation of Bass was created as a GM48 March 2026 game jam entry. The team behind it includes Emlise (programming and additional art), Happysquared (art, sound effects, and level design), Sunnydaze (music), and Hokori (level design). It was made with GameMaker and runs as an HTML5 browser game, so there’s nothing to download if you just want to jump in.

A downloadable version is also available on the game’s itch.io page.

Game Controls

• Move: Arrow Keys / WASD
• Warp (swap objects): X / L
• Restart level: R
• Menu: ESC

As always, remember to have fun!