Pooka: Magic and Mischief

Pooka: Magic and Mischief is a game I have been working on for some time now. It's currently in soft launch in Canada and Australia. I'm really proud of what the team have achieved as for the majority of them this was either their first or second game in the industry so it's been a fairly steep learning curve.

A Pooka (we chose this spelling over Pwca, because it's more phonetic) is a magical shape shifting creature found in Welsh, Irish, Cornish and generally Celtic mythology. When we started developing the game I wanted us to draw influence from Welsh and Celtic mythology, and the Pooka fitted perfectly with the core premise of being able to design your own character.

There is a place in Wales called Cwm Pwca (Pooka Valley) where it is said that William Shakespeare was inspired to write a Mid Summers Night Dream, and where Puck got his name. There is a cave there that is now called Shakespeare's Cave after him, where he apparently sat to write it. The whole area is steeped in folk tales and legends, with Devils Bridge being near by.

A Pooka is a bit of a trickster, can be good or bad depending on what side of it you get on.