Flicky

About This Game

Gameplay

Flicky is a platform game in which the player takes control of a flightless blue bird named Flicky. With only the ability to run side-to-side and jump, the player must collect all the small, yellow birds called "Chirps" and take them to the exit to clear each round. According to game artist Yoshiki Kawasaki, Flicky is just a friend to the Chirps although some players may think she is a mother to them. The Chirps follow Flicky in a chain until they are collected at the exit. Bonus points are awarded for bringing multiple Chirps back in a single chain. There are 48 total stages. Each stage takes place on a single wraparound screen that scrolls horizontally with Flicky always in the center. After all the stages are completed, the game loops infinitely on an increased difficulty mode. Collected Chirps will disperse if their chain comes in contact with an enemy. Some of the chirps wear sunglasses; these chirps behave more unpredictably when dispersed. There are two enemy types in the standard rounds, house cats called Tigers and green iguanas called Iggys. These enemies can be simply avoided but can also be defeated with throwable items available on some levels.

History

The spark to develop Flicky came from Sega's desire to exceed Namco's Mappy (1983) which had become very popular in Japanese arcades. Sega game designer Yoji Ishii's boss wanted him to design a similar "dot eater" game but better. Ishii (who later designed Sega's Fantasy Zone) led the development team. Flicky was developed over the course of one year and was designed by Yoji Ishii in collaboration with artist Yoshiki Kawasaki. The game evolved from a simple game that Kawasaki first envisioned where the player would catch dots in a maze. He took inspiration from a popular song about sparrows on power lines from a 1970s Japanese variety show, Migoro! Tabegoro! Waraigoro!, and so made the main character a sparrow and the platforms and walls wires.