PAX Aus 2023 was full of memorable moments, from the new Mario title to the countless indie devs showing off their amazing titles. Pure Nintendo was lucky enough to catch up with one such developer in the form of Hojo Studio about their latest title, The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga.
This two-person team from NSW is truly passionate about game development. I spoke to Rick, Director of Hojo Studio, at their booth at PAX Aus in Melbourne over the weekend. I also tried the interesting-sounding Godfeather. In fact, this was a title that drew a lot of attention on the showroom floor.
During my hands-on time with the Godfeather, I became a pigeon on a mission. The game is played from a top-down perspective as you fly above the town to swoop on unsuspecting victims. It looks lovely, with big, bright colors and an overall style reminiscent of early Grand Theft Auto titles, albeit in a very fun and cutesy way.
The premise involves taking shots at humans who have disturbed the peace of the pigeons. A kid running amok. A couple displaying public affection. Clean laundry! They all must be punished! Those “shots” are made from bird poop, a hilarious concept that works very well. A simple tap of the relevant button, and your poop is free to soar down, down, down and hit its target.
You control your pigeon, flying around town to take out your victims. A handy poop meter shows how much ammo remains, while diving into a dumpster will replenish your dwindling supplies. Along the way are other obstacles and enemies, including drones and bigger birds. Once spotted, you’ll need to get to safety before you’re caught.
Hojo Studio has been developing games for around ten years, with four titles already under their belt. Previous titles include Puffington and the fun-sounding Nappy Cat, a game involving taking catnip away from kittens. How does this small team come up with such interesting concepts? Rick says it’s simple; they take the silliest ideas possible and make the best game they can from it. Their passion shows, with a polished title on display that looks and sounds great.
The Steam version of The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga is out now, with a Switch release heading our way in early 2024. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one as it comes closer to the Switch launch, so stay tuned for more information.
You can find out more about Hojo Studio at their website, or follow them on Twitter or Instagram.
You can also check out our wrap up of Hungry Sky’s Nekograms, another indie dev that was at PAX Aus.
