Wickward — The Last Light
A top-down action game where your torch is shelter, bait and weapon: throw it, leave it burning, then recall it through the shadows.
Official site traecneh.itch.io, verified Nov 3, 2026. The developer's own itch.io page (traecneh), linked from the official AI Browser Game Jam 5 submission page.
Where to play
Every platform this game is on. Links are checked against official sources; we never host or mirror games.
- Play free — itch.ioitch.ioReleased · Version 1.1.0Free
Plays in the browser on itch.io. No download.
Browser (no download) · Official link verified Nov 3, 2026.
About Wickward — The Last Light
A top-down action game in the browser, set in a dark-fantasy courtyard. Your torch is shelter, bait and weapon: you throw it past the shadows, leave it burning while you reposition, then recall it through the enemies between you and the flame. Journey mode starts with a guided tutorial for moving, throwing, repositioning, recalling and dodging, then sends you to kindle three braziers across an open courtyard, choose two flame gifts and break the three seals of the Hollow Warden, a boss whose summoned pair attacks between seals. Endless mode has you survive growing crowds while earning upgrades such as twin torches, longer throws, wider light and spreading Wildfire. Personal bests are saved in the browser, and each Endless run is compared with House Rivals, fictional benchmarks stored locally rather than an online leaderboard. It needs a keyboard and mouse. The developer, traecneh, chose the concept, directed the visual style and design and playtested, and says OpenAI Codex generated the majority of the programming, game systems, interface text, procedural effects, synthesized Web Audio and tests; OpenAI image generation painted the characters, environments, props and cover. The game makes no AI requests while it runs. Made for AI Browser Game Jam 5 (theme: Torch), it is free in the browser on itch.io.
How it was built
Partially verifiedThe jam submission says OpenAI Codex generated the majority of the JavaScript game code, gameplay systems, UI text, procedural effects, Web Audio sound and music code, and automated tests under human direction. The developer's part was concept and design direction, visual direction, playtesting and refinement. OpenAI image generation created the painted characters, environments, props and cover. How much of the code was written by hand, and which model ran Codex, is not stated.
- Developeritch.io page, Credits & AI usage: “OpenAI Codex: generated the majority of the programming, game systems, interface text, procedural effects, synthesized Web Audio, and background tests under human direction.” — itch.io
- OfficialJam rules: development must be heavily AI-assisted, with the majority of the game AI-generated; AI may be used for anything. — itch.io (Focaccai)
The developer chose the concept, directed the visual style and design and refined the game through playtesting, while OpenAI Codex generated most of the code, systems, interface text, effects, synthesized audio and tests, and OpenAI image generation painted the art. The web build is plain JavaScript modules drawing to a 2D canvas, with no game library found. It runs entirely in the browser with no runtime AI requests; records and preferences stay in browser storage. The fonts are Cormorant Garamond and DM Sans under the SIL Open Font License.
- Engine / framework
- None (vanilla JavaScript)
- Languages
- JavaScript
- Team size
- Not disclosed
- Development time
- Not disclosed
- Development cost
- Not disclosed
- AI-written code
- Not disclosed
“The game runs locally in your browser and makes no runtime AI requests.”Verification notes: Mechanics, modes, controls, version (1.1.0) and AI usage from the developer's itch.io page (published 18 Oct 2026, 22:51 UTC; status Released; HTML5; genre Action) and the AI Tools Used answer on the official AI Browser Game Jam 5 submission page, both re-read on 4 Nov 2026. “The majority” is the developer's wording; no AI code share is recorded. Team size and location are not stated; the page refers only to “the creator”. The jam allows AI for anything and requires the majority of each game to be AI-generated; submissions opened on 17 Oct 2026, and voting was still in progress on 4 Nov 2026 (it ends on 7 Nov), so no placement is recorded; the submission page showed 7 jam ratings (observed; not recorded as a metric). The web build was checked for calls to AI services and none were found, matching the page's statement. itch.io shows no public rating and no download counts. We did not play the game.
Development history
Published on itch.io (22:51 UTC) and submitted to AI Browser Game Jam 5 (theme: Torch), about 12 days before the deadline.
AI Browser Game Jam 5 submissions close; the jam requires heavily AI-assisted games playable free in the browser. Voting was still in progress on 4 Nov 2026.
Officialitch.io (Focaccai)
Game performance
Each figure measures something different — concurrent players, owners, downloads and sales are never interchangeable and are never added together. Labels show where each number comes from.
itch.io
Free; plays in the browser with keyboard and mouse (required).
Not publicly available: itch.io rating, Gross revenue.
Reviews & rankings
Not yet reviewed by our editors.
Not currently ranked.
Sources
| Source | Type | Published | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wickward — The Last Light by traecneh itch.io | Store page | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Rate Wickward — The Last Light for AI Browser Game Jam 5 itch.io (AI Browser Game Jam 5, hosted by Focaccai) | Official site | Not confirmed | Nov 3, 2026 |
| AI Browser Game Jam 5 itch.io (Focaccai) | Official site | Not confirmed | Nov 3, 2026 |
| Official game page (language check) traecneh | Official site | Not confirmed | Nov 3, 2026 |
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