Cuckoo bird game by Republic Poly student got Singaporeans 'uwu'-ing non-stop

How do you tell someone you're from Singapore without telling them you're from Singapore?

One way is to create a game about safe distancing where the enforcer is an Asian koel bird — better known as the 'uwu' bird.

Seetoh Wei Tung, who is in national service, teamed up with his former game design lecturer Jeff Hung in creating this game. Seetoh, 21, graduated from Republic Poly with a diploma in Game Design.

A 10-day game jam plus a couple weeks of polishing was all it took for the game to be ready for Reddit.

On Tuesday (Dec 28), Seetoh shared the game on Reddit and the response has been highly positive, garnering over 400 upvotes.

In the game, you play as an 'uwu' bird in a park where you can climb objects, flap between platforms, find love and make that distinct sound to ward off people assembling in large groups.

Once a person has been 'uwu'-ed, they put on a face mask and whisk away into the distance.

All a player need is the 'WSAD' keys to move, the spacebar key to jump, and the left mouse button to yell 'uwu'.

Creating the game, Seetoh and his lecturer attempted to imitate the Asian koel's chirp but decided to get the audio online instead. For the in-game footsteps, they used a recording of slippers on different flooring materials.

When asked why create a game about the ‘uwu’ bird, Seetoh told AsiaOne: “During our ideation, we thought of a ‘person’ that might be overlooked, which we would like to highlight and celebrate.

"At the same time, one of us heard the 'uwu' bird calling in the distance. That’s when it clicks: a familiar sound that we can perhaps associate with a common element, such as safe distancing.”

Thankfully for Seetoh, most of his friends and family found the game “really enjoyable and it put a smile on their faces when they played”.

The game was so addictive that it had one Reddit user playing until four in the morning. They even asked Seetoh if there was a way to lower the in-game volume so as to not be chided by their mother.

Play the game here or follow his Instagram for future updates.

In November 2020, a TikTok user came across an Asian koel and challenged the bird to a yell-off. The vocal back-and-forth continued before the bird finally prevailed as the expected winner.

ALSO READ: 'Didn't expect people to be so hardcore': Creator of SafeEntry-themed game reacts to Reddit fame, reveals if there will be a sequel

amierul@asiaone.com