Cat Bird - Interview with Ryan Carag on Edamame Reviews

Are you an instant fan of anything cute and cuddly? If so, today we’ve got an interview for a game you simply have to download! Who would have ever imagined that adding a Cat and a Bird would go so well…?

Today we would like to share with you our quick interview with Ryan Carag, the developer of Cat Bird! Check out our review here.

Before we start we’d like to thank Ryan Carag for participating in our interview and for answering all our geeky questions! Thanks!

…and without further ado, our interview begins…

Ok first up, how did you come up with the idea for Cat Bird?

It happens that pretty much all my games feature a cat of some sort, so I had to add one here. As for mechanics, it sort of came by while I was trying to figure out level design.
I was experimenting with different player mechanics to see what was easier to manage and I’ve ended up using a hovering ability.

Combining a Cat and a Bird is an idea we don’t recall seeing anywhere else… Is there anything in particular that inspired you to combine these two very different animals?

Since this game featured a cat with wings, (and birds are pretty cute), I ended up clicking those 2 together and it became “Cat Bird”.

Edamame Reviews Haha! Simple yet fun!😂

Can you tell us a little about how the visuals for this game were made?

I really love pixel art, so I went for a simple-cute retro style for Cat Bird. I used Graphicsgale for all the pixel art and did a few touchups with Photoshop.

What advice would you give a new player trying Cat Bird! for the first time?

Hmm.. that’s tough since this is a game about reflexes. I’d say patience and a cool mind for some levels is key if you’re struggling.

Edamame Reviews We would also add, the curiosity to explore each level! Although we aren’t the developers…😅

Ok, now for some geeky questions. What programming language and or software did you use when making Cat Bird?

I used Stencyl to make Cat Bird. It’s pretty great overall, but it lacks some mobile features like cloud saving. It can be added through extensions, but there’s none yet. I may have to make 1 myself. 😃

Here is a difficult question. What was the hardest problem you needed to overcome when developing this game?

Level design was the toughest and most time-consuming. It required constant play-testing and adding all the graphics/decor/life and was pretty tedious.

Last question. Where do you get your inspiration or ideas from?

Looking and playing other games usually gives me the most inspiration. Specifically, Twitter and gamedev forums help to get the ideas flowing.

A few words to Cat Bird! fans on Edamame Reviews.

Yep! I have big plans to make some bigger and better games and also Cat Bird will be getting a new content update with a new world and unlockables soon.