Screenshot Saturday Sundays: Calming koi, a powerful pickaxe, and fungi friends

Screenshot Saturday! A day for developers to peel back the curtain for a little look at what they’ve been working on, and then for me to pick through the day after (because timezones) and ooh and ahh at it all. This week: mesmerising synchronised swimming, a very powerful tool, and some adorable mushrooms.

First up is this gif I have been staring at for a very long time, courtesy of Down Ward:

Down Ward already has a demo that’ll let you test out the flight controls, literally. Controlling this little owl “feels a little sticky and annoying but once the idea settles in it is actually a pleasure to control. Every flap of the wings feels more measured, more precise. Moving becomes about seeing where you can perch and where you can get a good line of flight,” according to Brendan, who played it way back in 2015. Is it even the same controls now? Who knows, game development is witchcraft and things change and improve, but the actual act of flight is still an important part of the game.

It also has another fishy gif which uses the word “whirlschool,” which I like very much.

Pickaxes are great and all, but they’re a bit too kinetic in my opinion. I want to break things without having to actually hit them. Luckily, Undermine (good name) has my back.

This telekinetic tool simulator doubles up as a roguelike-RPG blend that’s scheduled to release in early access next month. Its Steam page has more info, including a truly wonderful selection of character designs. My favourite is the potion seller, which you can see up there in the header.

Competing for best character design of the week, though, are these achingly adorable mushroom pals:

They’re skipping rope! With their stubby little legs! I don’t know much else about Curse Of Arcadia, but I don’t think I need to.

Bonus this week is this very good sunflower (and more Tweets about this as-yet-unnamed game).