We got the chance to sit down and talk with Lenophie, one of the three people behind Bunstack, who are creating the game Paquerette Down the Bunburrows. These three are a queer, artistic trio made up of Herbie Puppy; the music person, Pakrett; the artsy person and Lenophie; the techy gal!
In Lenophie’s own words;
“Pâquerette Down the Bunburrows is a pathfinding-based puzzle game where you catch bunnies! Basically, you have to use various tools and exploit the rabbits’ AI in order to corner them! We started working on it as part of the Ludum Dare 48, a year and half ago, and have been improving it ever since! The final version will feature tons of levels and layers upon layers of meta-gameplay~”
Did you think when creating this game for the Ludum Dare, you’d end up creating a full game?
“Absolutely not! We were already busy working on our other game, Horribunnies, and participated to the gamejam as a little break. I also entered the jam questioning my level design skills since I had never worked on a project as a level designer and given how insanely bad my Mario Maker levels are. So when our brainstorming lead us to a puzzle game, I was expecting my levels not to be that interesting. However, the development went really well, we had a very fun core gameplay while also sitting on top of a mountain of ideas to build upon for an even better version. Then the jam ended and came the overwhelming praise of our entry. Needless to say this was enough to get us to consider turning Bunburrows into a full release and here we are!”
Was it challenging creating the bunnies movement pattern when it comes to each level?
“Well, the most important part is the bunnies movement patterns are shared between every level so it’s more of an issue of crafting levels that are fun and best exploit these patterns once they have been implemented! As for implementing those patterns, it has been easy enough to get working under 3 days for the gamejam entry however it grew into a challenge with each new additionnal mechanic we added thereafter, particularly tunnels (corridors only the bunnies can enter) and carrots (items laid on the floor that attract the bunny when it sees them). Each mechanic has to be taken into account when a bunny has to determine when to stop, which ways are safe and which one should be prioritized when fleeing Pâquerette. The script handling the bunnies’ pathfinding is currently the biggest one of the whole project for good reason!”
What are you hoping this funding will allow you to do?
“Since the game’s development is pretty advanced and nearing completion, as we’re currently polishing and adding the very final levels, the funding will go towards the external expenses traditionally tied to a game’s release: Localization, trailer editing, advertising… Part of the funding will also directly help us three in our daily life.”
Will you use the funding to accelerate development or are there plans to widen your development?
“Since we’re working on Bunburrows on our free time and are already set on our final scope, the development will stay on its track and regular pace, however this funding provides us with a safety net as we take those careful final steps!”