This game tests the limits of cuteness with its round animals

This game tests the limits of cuteness with its round animals

Image: Fluffnest
Oh, to be a giant spherical frog soaking in a pool of crystalline water. I will never know that joy firsthand, but at least games like Puff Pals: Island Skies can transport me into that world. In this adorable game, you can explore and make friends with animals, like a giant frog the size of a boulder.
We have enormous amphibians and more in Cool WIP, Polygon’s weekly roundup of eye-catching clips and screenshots of works in progress. Each week, the Polygon staff scours the internet for the most interesting games still under construction to give you a sampler of the coolest up-and-coming projects.
This week we have a stealth game featuring a raccoon, a deck builder with sea creatures, an adorable trading sim, and one very wiggly caterpillar.
These animals look like Squishmallows

A good morning shower for Bean ✨ Getting so close to Multiplayer!! #PuffPalsIslandSkies #indiegame pic.twitter.com/m85e0rJ33V
— FLUFFNEST! (@fluffnest) April 18, 2022

Developer Fluffnest posted a clip from its dreamlike farming and exploration game Puff Pals: Island Skies. The creatures are downright adorable and look like the popular stuffed toys Squishmallows with their round and plump design. Previous trailers showed off farming and exploring its glowing world, but a new clip showed a friend you might encounter while exploring: a giant frog that’s just vibing. Puff Pals is currently in development, and you can check out everything planned on the game’s Kickstarter page.

Just a roaming trash panda

https://t.co/7U3GKFqPop#indiedev #gamedev pic.twitter.com/YoUB3YuFlQ
— Christian Sparks (@hippowombat) May 2, 2022

Christian Sparks is a digital artist and game developer making a game called Snaccoon. Sparks posted a little scene showing a raccoon, lovingly called a “trash panda,” walking through a street. In a developer’s blog, Sparks says that it’s part of an ongoing side project that’s a stealth and exploration game where you play as the critter. The animation looks absolutely adorable and shows the raccoon trotting along the street. You can follow Spark’s work on Twitter.

Fight it out as stunningly designed sea creatures

Hey #screenshotsaturdayDid you know that Astrea Alpha is currently on G. Round available for playtesting? Come play it and give your opinion to help us improve the game!https://t.co/ddi48woFOg#IndieGameDev #gamedevelopment #Game #indiedev pic.twitter.com/PNK4esxZFw
— Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles (@PlayAstrea) April 30, 2022

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles fuses dice and deck-building mechanics with a roguelike. The game, created by Little Leo Games, features fighters inspired by ocean critters like squids, nudibranchs, crabs, and more. The character designs are stellar, so if you’re an ocean nerd or into deck-building, be sure to check it out. A clip from the developer shows a giant, ax-wielding hammerhead shark facing a mysterious, cloaked squid. You can find more information on the game on its Steam page.

I’m only traveling by a giant air blimp shaped like a shark from now on

Look at her go! The Queen Bee is a natural dancer! #screenshotsaturday • #gamedev • #madewithunity pic.twitter.com/TBVgXV0mdl
— Whales And Games Wishlist Townseek! (@WhalesAndGames) November 7, 2021

Townseek is a trading sim where you travel around a map to trade with and discover new towns. Developed by Whales and Games, its art style makes the entire game look like an adorable coloring book. From the looks of it, you can even change which air blimp you use to travel around; however, I’m partial to the shark-shaped one. You can catch updates on the developer’s Twitter account.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah

behold, a procedurally animated caterpillar comrade smooth climbing and exploring at any angle on any surface, while being cute and wriggly as hecc #gamedev | #indiegames | #madewithunity | #gaming | #indiedev pic.twitter.com/yH396w6VMo
— joe (@DevFatigued) May 2, 2022

It’s been a big couple of weeks for procedurally created creatures. Last week, we saw a game that procedurally fused monsters together. And this week, we have a procedurally animated caterpillar. A clip from a developer named Joe showed the critter wiggling its way up and around tree branches. Joe’s page is full of other creepy-crawlies, so check out his Twitter page for more of his work.

#game #tests #limits #cuteness #animals

This game tests the limits of cuteness with its round animals

Image: Fluffnest
Oh, to be a giant spherical frog soaking in a pool of crystalline water. I will never know that joy firsthand, but at least games like Puff Pals: Island Skies can transport me into that world. In this adorable game, you can explore and make friends with animals, like a giant frog the size of a boulder.
We have enormous amphibians and more in Cool WIP, Polygon’s weekly roundup of eye-catching clips and screenshots of works in progress. Each week, the Polygon staff scours the internet for the most interesting games still under construction to give you a sampler of the coolest up-and-coming projects.
This week we have a stealth game featuring a raccoon, a deck builder with sea creatures, an adorable trading sim, and one very wiggly caterpillar.
These animals look like Squishmallows

A good morning shower for Bean ✨ Getting so close to Multiplayer!! #PuffPalsIslandSkies #indiegame pic.twitter.com/m85e0rJ33V
— FLUFFNEST! (@fluffnest) April 18, 2022

Developer Fluffnest posted a clip from its dreamlike farming and exploration game Puff Pals: Island Skies. The creatures are downright adorable and look like the popular stuffed toys Squishmallows with their round and plump design. Previous trailers showed off farming and exploring its glowing world, but a new clip showed a friend you might encounter while exploring: a giant frog that’s just vibing. Puff Pals is currently in development, and you can check out everything planned on the game’s Kickstarter page.

Just a roaming trash panda

https://t.co/7U3GKFqPop#indiedev #gamedev pic.twitter.com/YoUB3YuFlQ
— Christian Sparks (@hippowombat) May 2, 2022

Christian Sparks is a digital artist and game developer making a game called Snaccoon. Sparks posted a little scene showing a raccoon, lovingly called a “trash panda,” walking through a street. In a developer’s blog, Sparks says that it’s part of an ongoing side project that’s a stealth and exploration game where you play as the critter. The animation looks absolutely adorable and shows the raccoon trotting along the street. You can follow Spark’s work on Twitter.

Fight it out as stunningly designed sea creatures

Hey #screenshotsaturdayDid you know that Astrea Alpha is currently on G. Round available for playtesting? Come play it and give your opinion to help us improve the game!https://t.co/ddi48woFOg#IndieGameDev #gamedevelopment #Game #indiedev pic.twitter.com/PNK4esxZFw
— Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles (@PlayAstrea) April 30, 2022

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles fuses dice and deck-building mechanics with a roguelike. The game, created by Little Leo Games, features fighters inspired by ocean critters like squids, nudibranchs, crabs, and more. The character designs are stellar, so if you’re an ocean nerd or into deck-building, be sure to check it out. A clip from the developer shows a giant, ax-wielding hammerhead shark facing a mysterious, cloaked squid. You can find more information on the game on its Steam page.

I’m only traveling by a giant air blimp shaped like a shark from now on

Look at her go! The Queen Bee is a natural dancer! #screenshotsaturday • #gamedev • #madewithunity pic.twitter.com/TBVgXV0mdl
— Whales And Games Wishlist Townseek! (@WhalesAndGames) November 7, 2021

Townseek is a trading sim where you travel around a map to trade with and discover new towns. Developed by Whales and Games, its art style makes the entire game look like an adorable coloring book. From the looks of it, you can even change which air blimp you use to travel around; however, I’m partial to the shark-shaped one. You can catch updates on the developer’s Twitter account.
Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah

behold, a procedurally animated caterpillar comrade smooth climbing and exploring at any angle on any surface, while being cute and wriggly as hecc #gamedev | #indiegames | #madewithunity | #gaming | #indiedev pic.twitter.com/yH396w6VMo
— joe (@DevFatigued) May 2, 2022

It’s been a big couple of weeks for procedurally created creatures. Last week, we saw a game that procedurally fused monsters together. And this week, we have a procedurally animated caterpillar. A clip from a developer named Joe showed the critter wiggling its way up and around tree branches. Joe’s page is full of other creepy-crawlies, so check out his Twitter page for more of his work.

#game #tests #limits #cuteness #animals