Kiwetin – Live on Kickstarter

Kiwetin is the first game of the new-born board game company “Flyos Games”. It immediately stands out thanks to its dreamy art and overall mesmerizing aesthetics.

Take control of one of the miniature spirits through their small adventure with the goal of being the first to reach the sacred flower. Each spirit will move differently on the board depending on its size so you have to turn this into your advantage.
Kiwetin is based on simplicity, fast-paced flow and classic mechanics that everyone is familiar with. The setup of the game is different every time, using randomly placed action tiles that will add twists on each game. Lastly, there are the Rune cards that let you influence the game flow and turn the tables on your opponents.

Check out its campaign on Kickstarter which is live right now and help this game become a reality through backing it.
To get a sneak peek behind the scenes of Kiwetin and “Flyos Games” check out our exclusive interview.

Theofilos Koutroubis:
Always excited to see new publishers and unique projects coming into the industry. But what inspired you to make a game with such a dreamy theme and extraordinary aesthetics? 

Thomas Filippi:
We wanted an aesthetic game, box, product, experience and universe. Something casual, lightly strategic with a heavy focus on last second twists and surprises. We believe that something fun and nice to watch is a good combination for a first self-published game. Concerning the theme and the universe, we wanted to homage Canada and its beautiful nature.

Gary Paitre, the creative director of Flyos Games, was really inspired by Miyazaki Universe and was really creative about it. Mix all that, hours of brainstorming, find the perfect illustrator for this project (Natalie Dombois) and you have Kiwetin.

Theo:
In my opinion, you totally nailed it with the aesthetics and capturing Director Miyazaki’s vibe! What kind of gaming experience do you want to create with this game and which is your favourite element of it?

Thomas:
Our goal is to create a fun, fast, light and kind ambiance with twists and surprising turn of events for each game.

As players, we were often strike how difficult it is to agree on a game with 6 players. It’s usually heavily strategic and takes two hours and is commonly frustrating for few players “losing all the time”.

As we researched and brainstormed, we discovered that really fast frustrating games are less prone to leave unsatisfied players. You have more opportunities to get a lucky strike on six twenty minutes’ game than a two hour long one.

This is why we really love the “switch” tiles, it forces you to switch characters and take control of your opponent, all your plans, techniques and strategies fall off and you have to adapt fast!

Theo:
That “switch” aspect got me intrigued now! Each project-product hides hours of work, brainstorming and failure, especially for a balanced result. What was the greatest challenge that you faced during the designing and development of the game?

Thomas:
Definitely the blind spots you develop when you focus on creating the game. You need to be humble enough to watch and evaluate what you have designed. Listening the feedback and trimming what is real, what is useful and what you can use. There is no cold hard fact that can help you, it’s only a matter of perspective, everything is subjective.

Theo:
True. Knowing how to receive and take advantage of feedback is a crucial part of the playtesting process. 
So, behind this beautiful light game there is a new publishing company, under the name “Flyos Games”. What else can we expect from you in the future?

 Thomas:
Flyos Games is a dream we had when we were teenagers. The creativity we have together has no limits. Absolute trust, honesty and friendship is the cement of Flyos Games, so you can expect a lot coming soon. If the Kickstarter campaign is a success we have an extension ready, a new game coming and so much more.

Theo:
Judging from the quality of Kiwetin I look forward to seeing more from Flyos Games. I wish you good luck as you enter the industry and to bring some cool games for us to enjoy. Thank you for your time and the interesting insights that you shared with us.

 Thomas:
Thanks a lot!
It was my pleasure, thank you for having me.