Dodo Duckie began with a simple question for BornMonkie: what could a small indie team in India realistically finish on its own? The answer was a cheerful duckling, a colorful world, and a puzzle platformer built around switching between 2D and 3D perspectives.
As explained in an Xbox Wire feature, the game follows Dodo, a duck raised among chickens who struggles to understand where he belongs. That personal starting point became the foundation for a light-hearted adventure filled with physical comedy, visual storytelling, and plenty of playful puzzles.
BornMonkie creative director Samhith runs the studio alongside his sister and producer, Samveda. Before Dodo Duckie took shape, the team had been pitching a far larger project to publishers. Those efforts eventually pushed the studio toward a smaller idea that it could build independently.
A Duck With a Different Perspective
The first Dodo Duckie prototype was created in 2019. Development continued between client work and other prototypes, which meant the project took several years to reach its final form.
One of the team’s early design choices was to remove jumping from the 3D sections. Instead, Dodo’s special cap lets players flip between 2D and 3D views. The change in perspective reveals paths, alters how spaces can be read, and forms the core of the game’s puzzle design.
Playtesting revealed that Dodo himself was just as important as the mechanic. Players connected with his personality before they fully understood the puzzles, so BornMonkie placed the duck at the center of the experience. The studio then built the surrounding challenges to give that character-driven journey more room to shine.
Built Around Readability
Creating art that worked from both viewpoints proved difficult. The team had enough resources for one set of assets, and every object needed to remain clear when viewed straight on in 3D or flattened into a 2D scene.
Art director Vincent Boichut helped identify the issue after the studio spent two to three months testing visual approaches that did not feel right. The final look uses clean shapes, rounded edges, and bright colors. Those choices were practical as much as stylistic, since the world had to remain easy to read from either perspective.
A Story Told Without Heavy Dialogue
Dodo’s struggle with fitting in also reflects the team’s own experiences. BornMonkie described growing up in India’s competitive culture and choosing game development despite the pressure to follow safer career paths.
Rather than rely on long conversations, the studio tells Dodo’s story through animation, expressions, and physical comedy. That approach keeps the plot easy to follow across languages while giving the duck’s journey a warm, visual tone.
Dodo Duckie is now available on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Players take control of the duck, switch perspectives with his cap, solve puzzles, and help rescue his chicken friends.
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