Firsts
Hi everyone! It’s Sam the artist here, and I have the honour of bringing you guys the final Duck Life 9 dev log before the release of the game - yes, you read that right! It’s with great pleasure that I can finally reveal the release date of our latest entry into the series, Duck Life 9: The Flock, and that date is… The 7th of May! Mark your calendars!
In celebration of this, today’s blog post is going to be all about “firsts”, that being everything we’ve packed into DL9 that’s a “first” for the duck life series overall. Let’s face it; when you’re working on the ninth instalment of a series it can be hard to innovate the experience if you just keep sticking to the same old formula. “More races and mini games with a different coat of paint” may have been enough in the past, but as we look to the future and build up the Wix Games team we can finally start to push some boundaries. It may be the last dev log, but there’s ironically plenty of firsts to count down! Let’s go!
Plucky Polygons - 3D Graphics
Obvious ones first! Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you may have noticed that Duck Life 9 is now in THREE DIMENSIONS! We can finally stand shoulder-to-shoulder with many other popular games that we’ve considered an inspiration in the past, and racing your ducks can now be enjoyed the way it was intended all those years ago…
Update your CV - The Balancing Skill
Another one that the more informed among you may already know, for the first time ever ducks must learn a skill not previously present in any Duck Life game - balancing! Not to worry, though - you’ve got Kat the cat to help you out! No doubt there’ll be a tightrope or two in the races, so best make sure you keep up with your training.
Cultural Exchange - New Animal Friends
We all saw this coming - Duck Life finally has more than just ducks! That’s right, it’s a big wide world out there and for too long it’s been feeling a little sparse, populated by only ducks and their elusive human friends. No longer! Duck Life 9 has a cast of over 15 new characters, each with their own way to help contribute to your flock. Don’t be shy, they don’t bite! (Apart from Tyler the Tiger)
It’s Honest Work - Farming
Your ducks may not have thumbs, but if they did they’d be green. Given the right tools and a little bit of patience, you’ll never run out of provisions again! Over the course of your adventure you’ll be picking up various seeds that you can plant in your village to grow Juicespruce, Duckroot, Dazeradish and more…
Recipe for Success - Cooking
And then you can put them to good use! If you want the biggest stat bonuses possible then you’ll definitely want to invest some time into discovering new recipes with the cooking pot, an upgradeable item in The Flock that you can use to mix, bake and stew yourself many different combinations of food, with over 30 possible resulting dishes. Eat up!
Got a Bite! - Fishing
Another source of ingredients for your culinary ventures - the rock pools in the Fishing Beach! Once you gain access to this secret hideaway on Featherhaven Island, Benson the Bear can teach you how to use nets and fishing rods, and you can begin catching some whoppers!
Community of Cuties - Build Your Village
You better believe it - it’s the name of the game - expand the flock zone and make it your own! The demo only offers a tiny taste of what’s possible, so believe me when I say that once you start using those Magic Water Droplets to upgrade your well, the options are only going to keep growing. When you’ve uncovered the full expanse of The Flock’s area then you can really start to get your SimCity juices flowing and build some delightful ducky neighbourhoods.
Hop, Skip and Jump! - Shoes
Some people following our social media may have spotted our new friend Sid the Snake, who you’ll all hopefully meet very soon. He specialises in the collection and acquisition of the island’s finest footwear (don’t ask why, we haven’t a clue) and he’s willing to share his wares! This is the first time that ducks have ever had access to fashionable footwear, so make sure to look out for him when you’re exploring the lofty heights of Featherhaven.
Talk the Talk - Conversational Ducks
Don’t be rude! Or do! In Duck Life 9 you can steer the discussion as you see fit, with multiple response options when talking to your island chums. Long gone are the days of having to sit and listen to Barbie Velvet run her mouth while you stare silently into the middle distance, now you can talk back! Quite Liberating, I know!
That’s just about the last “first” we’re inclined to reveal at this point - to experience the full breadth of what we’ve got in store for you, we hope to see you in-game on release day - May 7th! Until then, join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page (wishlisting helps a lot with getting the game featured on Steam when it releases, so please do it if you can!)