Whacky Bird

Created for the 2017 Fantastic Arcade game jam, Phony Island!

This microgame is our take on the quintessential ticket-dispensing arcade game, Whack-A-Mole. In keeping with the jam's carnival theme, we heavily borrowed visual elements from the notorious mobile game Flappy Bird and gave them a visual makeover worthy of a traveling circus.

The game was created over the course of two weeks by Alex Swift and Tylan Limb, both tutors for the Game Development, Animation and Motion Graphics department at Austin Community College in Austin, TX. Alex was responsible for scripting all the systems and behaviors in the game, and totally destroyed his vocal chords to bring the Carnie narrator to life. Tylan created all the 3D assets featured in the game using 3DS Max and Substance Painter, and hand-painted the lovely airbrushed art on the front of the Whacky Bird cabinet.

We are supremely proud of what we've accomplished in these two weeks, and we hope you enjoy our creation!