Starvania Studio on the making of Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree
"Jumping out of water was one of the concepts we had to let go of."
Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree is a new underwater adventure made by Starvania Studio in Saudi Arabia. We spoke to the company's CEO Meaad Aflah and co-founder Muslih Alzahrani, to discuss the making of their latest game.
You can also read our review of Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree.
IsaKaba: What initial spark led to the game's creation?
Muslih: We wanted to create an underwater game that feels so good, was inspired by Rayman and Ecco the Dolphin, but then a team member who's into mythologies got us interested in the mythology of Bahamut, and that's when everything else started to tie together as well.
Were there any moments where you felt the game might not come together? How did you push through?
We had this a lot, but the team kept holding things together and pushing to make it. The support from the community and events we go to shows that we're far too advanced, and we wanted to make it for the people who believe in us!
Can you share a funny or memorable moment from the development process?
Oh yes, we changed the main hero’s name during the development from Lulu to Noor. We still made the mistake of calling him Lulu throughout the development stages until launch, which was always funny when we said the wrong name and then corrected it.
Were there any features or mechanics that didn’t make the final cut? If so, why?
Yes, so many. Jumping out of water was one of our most anticipated concepts that we had to let go of. We had to let it go as it was hard to control at times, and it was adding a bit of a big layer to the design and visuals that we did not have the time for. But Something the team is looking into for the future.
How does this game fit into your studio’s long-term vision?
We want to make fantasy universes and games that are unique or looked at differently, a game that resonates with people, but with a twist. We also want to create IPs that retain value over time with lots of success behind them.
What do you think makes this game stand out, and what part of the experience do you most want players to enjoy?
We believe the whole experience is unique. Its visuals are appealing at first glance, and the game feels good from the get-go. Also, the music is soothing and cozy once you have the headset on! And later on, once you get the drawing mechanics, it's from that moment on that you'd want to become an artist and draw things underwater.
Do you have any plans for updates, expansions, or sequels? What's next for the Starvania team after Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree?
Meaad: We are exploring the possibility of DLC to offer a different perspective on the story and potentially integrate some concepts that didn't make it into the initial release. This will depend on several factors we are currently evaluating.
Also, we're working on porting the game to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Switch. We also have plans for an Xbox release that's unconfirmed for now.
In addition to that, the team has also begun early work on our next title. While we can't share details at this stage, we aim to deliver a game with the same high quality as Bahamut, if not better.
Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree is now available on Steam.
