Interview with the Developer of Anatine
If you’re familiar with Six One Indie then you know that we’re a big fan of animals of the feathered variety. And while our precious Petey is a pigeon, we have respect for many birds, especially those that come equipped with magical instrument wielding abilities.
Developer Pixel Trash took the time to answer a few of our questions about the upcoming Metroidvania, Anatine, whose main character Duck boy, makes us want to spread our wings with excitement. A huge thank you to Pixel Trash for being a part of the Six One Indie May 2025 Showcase!
Can you tell me more about the team behind Anatine?
Sure! It’ll be a very short list - Really the main team behind Anatine is just one person. Me!
I do all of the coding, art, design and direction. I have a friend who helps with sound and music who does an amazing job too though. I’m also working with a publisher who has been great, Astrolabe games. While the core team is just me, I have a lot of people in my corner helping out.
What inspired your main character Duck boy?
I’ve always liked the look, feel, and atmosphere of the Grimm fairytales. Duck boy sort of started as a character that would fit into one of those worlds. A being that’s light and playful but also has an edge or darkness to it. As the character and game developed along, that darkness was kind of left to the wayside - probably for the best! I do think aspects of the game have that “Grimm” feel to them, but not the protagonist anymore.
Anatine looks like a lot of classic Metroidvanias, especially with its gorgeous pixelated graphics. Were there any games that you played when you were younger that inspired Anatine?
As a kid I was very much into hand-held games. So games like Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid: Fusion we’re really formative for me. When I got a bit older I had a psp and obsessively played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on it. It might sound silly, but at the time that game really challenged what I thought a Metroidvania was. The amount of areas, enemies, sprites, weapons, etc in that game was really mind blowing!
Anatine is tagged as a “soulslike” on your Steam page, should players expect the gameplay to be very difficult?
I hope people can enjoy the classic style of difficulty of the game that I’m going for!
Duck boy is equipped with a magic flute on his adventure, can you tell me a little bit more about what players can use their flute for?
The flute is, in my opinion, the most interesting aspect of the game. Generally in Metroidvanias the upgrades come in the form of these passive abilities that change the character in one way or another. In Anatine, many of the exploration and combat upgrades come in the form of songs you play on your flute! The flute can be played at any time the player wants, and the songs are constructed through three individual notes that must be played in the correct order. Each face button on your controller corresponds to a note so conducting the song (correctly!) is totally up to the player. I’ve tried to integrate it into a lot of basic actions: healing, shielding yourself, opening passages, and even saving the game are all tied to player-input songs!
Can you tell me anything about what players can expect from the game’s bosses? How many bosses can players expect to encounter?
There should be quite a few! I’m really aiming for a smaller amount but more memorable bosses. Hopefully the encounters should be sparse enough that they are still special while also providing an unexpected challenge.
Which instrument would you choose to be your magical instrument?
I’m not the most musically inclined person! I tried to learn guitar in high school and to be honest, I was a real stinker at that. But if I had to choose it would probably be the flute. Something I can carry around with me!
What does “indie” mean to you?
These days “indie” can mean so many different things. But to me indie means, at the very least, independently developed and created. Just one or more non-corporate, creatively driven person(s) trying to make something that means something to them, and sharing it with the world.
Anatine is available to wishlist right now on Steam.