Q&A with Air Hares Creator Tim Bungeroth

What games inspired Air Hares?

Air Hares was always designed as a story first. The world and the stakes were paramount but once those core elements were complete we let the style and genre of the game naturally evolve from the adventure.

The action is heavily inspired by crop dusting so a top down flyer felt like a perfect fit. Especially in conceiving an all ages family friendly arcade game. I loved Galaga and 1942 growing up but as I grew older I became infatuated with Nintendo and some of its less violent tendencies.

Air Hares is about CREATING LIFE, not taking it, so it evolved into this paradoxical less-violent SHMUP because the story and characters demanded it. Your ammunition was made to farm carrots, and while it CAN be used to defend yourself, it comes at a cost. That’s where the flair of resource management and high scores come into play.

Another influence was Twin Bee. That was a great example of firing projectiles at the ground, which is the core goal in Air Hares.

And, of course, Star Fox. A team of small furry mammals jumping into cockpits and saving the day was obviously entwined within my gaming DNA. Especially since Star Fox on the SNES was a 3D game and it never got that classic Super Nintendo 2D treatment. And, if you squint, you can see that the series’ reverence for Torii shrines throughout Winrose Warren.

Finally, the biggest influence was just Nintendo, its whimsical charm, and its formalized play structure. My background as a writer is in metrical poetry and many Nintendo games are built upon a Kishotenketsu structure, which is a form of Japanese poetry. We here at Wondoro define it as: Learn, Develop, Twist, Test or “The Wondoro Way.” 🙂

The entire game is built upon this premise and is basically a mandala of that pattern.

What's different about Air Hares compared to other games on the market?

Honestly, I’ve never played a game like Air Hares before. Many games, and for good reason, are designed around a shooting mechanic. It just works for too many reasons to count. But, as I said before, Air Hares is about CREATING life. Not taking it.

It's also an allegory of my family’s journey through IVF. Captain Rabbo is my wife Megan. I am Dirk Doggo aiding her on her journey. It took us multiple years and many surgeries to produce our son, but science and persistence paid off. Hence the game’s tagline: “The Only Law of Nature is Defiance.”

So with that reality driving the engine behind Air Hares, the game needed to be about creating and defending life. Captain Rabbo has a wicked parry mechanic for any bird who gets too close, and can use seeds to shoot, but she can also dodge and barrel roll. She has compassion for her enemies. I think we’re going to have a Pacifist Achievement on Steam. But the game is also indisputably a SHMUP, which is a fun paradox.

And, again, I’ve never seen that before, and I’ve been playing games since the late 80’s, so I’m hoping it resonates with gamer parents like us.

What are some fun facts about your studio and process?

We’re literally a mom and pop game studio. It’s just Megan and myself organizing and financing a group of amazing freelancers. And neither of us code. We’re just gamers and storytellers with a crystal clear vision.

Wondoro is an homage to Nintendo, and a portmanteau of Wonder, door, and the Japanese word “Do”. So it literally translates to “the way of the door to wonder” or as we say “Gateway to Play.” Our company name is literally the torii into our universe.

Also, Dirk Dogoo IS our cairn terrier/chihuahua mix Arthur. At one point he served as the official CFO of Wondoro before he stepped down in disgrace due to a grievous lack of financial planning. Now he’s just a compensated spokespup. It’s a better fit.

What can players expect from the demo?

The Air Hares demo gives the player a great sense of how the game plays and progresses. The full game features 16 levels over 4 stages that teach and test all of Rabbo’s abilities. The demo shares two farming levels (one early stage, one later stage) and a boss fight.

The player will sample a taste of the adventure while also getting a glimpse of the game’s gorgeous pixel art and rocking synth wave soundtrack.