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Dev Log 16

Mr.Wix is here, and today we’re going to do a deep dive (or big leap) into Jumping Beginner training!

[h2]The Jumping Maestro[/h2]

Who better to teach you than Featherhaven Island’s very own Fred the Frog! No other animal around can compete with Fred at jumping and he’s willing to teach you his skills (if you can find him that is!). He’ll train you in his swamp in one of 5 mini games. That’s right, this single training game has 5 games inside it. Don’t say we don’t treat you! Let’s take a closer look at them...

[h2]Skipping Rope[/h2]

In skipping rope, you need to jump over the rope and don’t get hit! You get xp every time you jump over the rope, and Fred might even throw you some coins if you do a lot of successful jumps in a row. Sounds easy? The rope moves faster and faster as you play, and begins to try to trick you by slowing down or speeding up. Not only that, the camera will start changing angles, and let’s just say some of these angles are... less than ideal...

[h2]Spinning Bar[/h2]

In spinning bar you have to jump over (drumroll please) the spinning bar! But Fred has a few more tricks up his sleeve (or he would if he had any sleeves!). The red platforms that you stand on have a tendency to start falling down after a while. They’ll keep falling until there’s only one left so make sure you don’t fall with them! They shake before falling, so keep an eye on the one you’re standing on. If it starts shaking, run onto another platform! Fred then calls in another spinning bar so you need to jump over both of them. If you manage to make it this far, platforms start appearing out of the water while the ones you’re standing on disappear. This game is not for the faint-hearted!

[h2]Wave Makers[/h2]

Wave makers puts you in a shallow arena with 6 devices that slam into the water, creating water ripples that spread all the way across the arena. You have to try and survive as long as you can without any of the ripples tripping you up. At first you have to jump over only one ripple at a time, but as the game goes on you have to dodge 2, 3, or even 4 waves at a time! Watch the sewage pipe in the background, it may look gross but occasionally prize chests come out of there containing some useful items.

[h2]Pipes[/h2]

In the pipes game, you stand in the middle of the arena and have to dodge obstacles that come out of a pipe and bounce towards you. Some need to be jumped over while others need to bounce over you. Here’s a tip: the ones that you shouldn’t jump for are easy to spot because they all share a red colour! You’re not allowed to move so you have to rely on your jumping timing to survive. Like usual, Fred has a twist! After a while, the camera zoom out to reveal a second pipe that starts spitting out objects that hurtle towards our brave duck! It’s harder to concentrate on two pipes at once, but Fred isn’t finished there. The camera then zooms out even further to reveal a third pipe. Fred has one final trick after that, but we’ll let you find out that one for yourself!

[h2]Moles[/h2]

Pesky moles have invaded the swamp, and Fred needs your help! Luckily, this works perfectly as your final part of your jumping training, and he’s willing to pay you for the help! Moles will start appearing in the arena and creating dirt trails. Make sure you don’t let one run into you or you will fall and the training game will be over. You can jump on a dirt mound to make the mole pop it’s head up. Jump on it again to stun it and make it run away for good! You’ll need to keep on top of the moles (literally) and make sure they don’t overwhelm you. Moles will start appearing faster and faster as the game goes on, so try to survive as long as you can!

That’s it for this week's dev log. Come back in two week’s time for another sneak peek into the game. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page

Wix Games Mr.Wix

Devlog #15

Welcome back to another ducktastic devlog. Storm here, your fav 3D artist(I hope)! Today we’ll be revisiting the races but this time round we have new places to explore and will dive deeper into how you can waddle your way to the finish line with tantalising trails that make being a skilled duck worth your weight in feathers.

[h2]Getting Started[/h2]

Getting to the final product requires a lot of designing and sketching, more often than not I draw concepts of the different things that make up the environments which help direct how the final thing will look. My desk is littered with books, sketches and coffee mugs. It’s no walk in the park but I didn’t choose the the duck life, the duck life chose me.

[h2]All New Places For Races[/h2]

When it comes to races, we have you covered with loads of crazy new places! We wanted every race to feel unique so each race track is really long and broken up into different sections, this helps me to make a lot more races in a shorter period of time. Then just to add an extra layer of sauce we made different themed tracks so you might find yourself swimming around pirate shipwrecks in one, only to be dodging tornados in another.

[h2]Practice Makes Perfect[/h2]

One of the advantages of using 3D is the ability to make more complex races, now the ducks can take different paths, find short cuts and use their superior skills to overtake your rivals when they least expect it. Each race will tests different abilities so a little bit of strategy will be needed for you to know what to train in order to make sure your duck is the very best!

[h2]Let There Be Light[/h2]

Recent developments have been on improving the overall colour pallet and making the world as pretty as a penguin in a tutu. One way of doing this was adding what’s called ‘Bloom’ to glowing objects. Now there are lanterns, windows and lava streams that twinkle with a fuzzy flow of light around them. Skyboxes and animations help make the world feel more alive whilst you’re looking out upon the horizon and in time you will see plenty more particles (Dust, leaves, wind etc), it’s the little details that really make it!

That’s it for this week's dev log. Come back in two week’s time for another sneak peek into the game. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page

Devlog #14

Hello again, folks! It’s Sam from the Wix Games team, coming back at you with a brand new dev log! This week we’re talking about how you go about preparing food for your flock, in order to keep them happy and boost their energy levels! The ducks of Featherhaven Island are well known for their esteemed and sophisticated tastes, which means you’ll be cooking all manner of different dishes to keep them nourished - there’s even a couple of beverages and dessert platters here and there. So, let’s get into the thick of it to make sure you’re up to speed for when you’ve got your own flock of friends.

[h2]Someone’s Tummy Rumbling?[/h2]

This here is the cooking screen, where all the magic happens. Here you’ll be able to mix together ingredients you’ve harvested into a consumable meal, or instantly assemble a meal from the list of ones you’ve already unlocked. In the image above, we’re looking at the “recipes” tab, where there’s a list of each and every meal you’ve discovered. Just click on one from the list, and the section in the centre of the screen will tell you all about it, right down to the combination of ingredients it requires. Select that shiny pink “cook” button and we’re away! Providing you had the duckroot to hand, you’ve got yourself 1 fresh serving of chopped duckroot, ready to feed to a flock member on the right of the screen, or save for later in your inventory.

The second (blue) tab on the cooking screen is the “make” tab, which shows you a list of all the ingredients you have harvested from various sources around the island, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves - we’ll talk about those in another dev log! The make tab allows you to manually drag any combination of said ingredients into the cooking pot, in the hopes that it will end up being a lucky combo to discover a new meal for your recipes tab. Don’t worry though - if you don’t get it right your resources won’t be wasted, they’ll be turned into a generic “improper” meal item that you can still feed to a duck, just with far smaller benefits. Speaking of unlocking these new recipes…

[h2]The Proof is in the Pudding[/h2]

You may have noticed that third, more mysterious tab on the cooking screen, and that’s the “recipe book” tab! It does exactly what it says on the tin - filled from cover to cover with 20 different meals that you’ll be discovering over the course of your journey across Featherhaven. Of course, at the start of the game most of the pages are obscured and need to be uncovered via various means, but once you’ve figured them out you’ll find them here. It’s a great way to keep track of just how far you’ve come on your culinary adventure, and whether or not there are better dinner choices to strive for! Some pages need to be discovered through experimentation, whereas others can be acquired through… alternate means.

[h2]Let’s Get a Takeout[/h2]

Ever had one of those days where you just feel too lazy to cook for yourself? We’ve all been there. Well for situations such as these, allow me to introduce you to Mona the Mouse, a spritely mouse who’s well versed in all aspects of Featherhaven’s rich cuisine! If you can find her, she’ll offer to open up a food shop in your flock, and once you’ve built one for her you’ll be able to pay her a visit and pick up a delicious pie or two. Now this does, of course, come with its own set of pros and cons. While you’re saving on time, effort and don’t need to use up any of your own ingredients, buying every single meal this way is probably going to hurt your wallet in the long run, so make sure you don’t become over reliant on her services! That said, looks like she’s got a couple of recipe pages in stock - they could be a worthy investment…

That’s all for this week, friends! I hope that doesn’t leave a sour taste in your mouth. Come back in two week’s time for another jam-packed look into the game. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page

Devlog #13


Welcome to an extra special edition of the Dev Log! We asked our Discord members for any questions that they have about the new game, and today we’re going to be answering some of our favourites!

Will it be like all previous DuckLife games where there is a clear ending or will it be like Animal Crossing or The Sims where there isn't a clear ending? - Duckzila

There will indeed be a clear ending, however this time we are concentrating a lot more on post-game content than we ever have before. The story may have a clear ending but the game will not end so easily!

Will we have any appearances from the villains/final race competitors or protagonists from other games in DL9? - Avimo

There are currently plans to bring back a whopping 8 characters from previous games! Who these characters are, you’ll have to discover for yourself

Do you have any idea exactly when in early 2024 it will come out? Just curious, no pressure ofc - Avimo

There’s nothing scarier for a game developer than announcing a solid release date. It’s almost impossible to accurately predict how long it will take to make a game (as I’m sure you’ve seen with other games having their release dates pushed back or being released in an unfinished state!). What I can tell you is we’re planning to release a demo of the game for Steam Next Fest in February next year, and hopefully get the game out on some platforms by March/April

What games inspired this entry? - poolpeer9000

Inspiration from other games is such an important thing with everything we make. There’s the Chao racing from Sonic Adventure 2, which inspired the series in the first place. Duck Life 9 takes a lot of inspiration from Cult of the Lamb, Animal Crossing and The Sims for the flock building part of the game. Legend of Zelda and A Short Hike were big inspirations for the exploration part of the game, and the training games have a whole host of inspirations like Fall Guys, Mario Party, Subway Surfers and a load of flash games like Totem Destroyer, Helicopter Game and Red Remover.

Any plans for Multiplayer? Or anything like the arena in DL7 & DL8? - Duckzila

Yes! (If we have time) and it will be the most developed multiplayer we’ve ever released in a Duck Life game! (If we have time to make it that is)

Will there be a demo available before the full game is released? - 9Withers

Yes, we released a demo as part of Steam Next Fest in February. You can play it on Steam now!

When did the development start? - floppa gaming

We started designing the game in September 2022, and development fully started in April 2023

Pimples the Clown has diamond shaped eyes. Will there be more Crazy Eye Shapes in the duck designer? - Mayorfoxia82
Pimples the Clown has diamond shaped pupils because he is a member of a race of ducks called Crystal Ducks. That’s all the information I can give right now!

What will the max level be? - Irl duck from duck life

100

What are some features getting added because of feature requests? - Mayorfoxia82

For some context, we have a channel on the Wix Games Discord Server where people can post ideas of what to put in the new game. There have been some great ideas posted, and we have indeed used some of them in the game! Here’s a small sample of some of the ideas we are using:
- Gradient coloured ducks
- Ducks who have appeared in previous games as NPCs
- Bring back the prize machine
- Create your own cosmetics
- Bring body tattoos back
- Shoes for ducks

Race / Level Editor planned at all? - Duckzila

Nope, we learned our lesson in the flash version of Duck Life 2

Will there be race boost power ups like in duck life adventure? - DogeDeer

Yes! The race power ups you can use are called ‘Cheer’, ‘Apple’, ‘Dive’ and ‘Ground slam’. What they do exactly, you’ll have to find out by playing the game!

Can there be like an open beta for duck life 9 later in the server? It would be really cool. - Noor

We won’t be doing an open beta, but we will be selecting some Discord server members to participate in a closed beta. If you want to get involved, join the server and look out for an announcement early next year

What happened to the humans in DL series? - DucklifeFan

The humans have always been there. You are the humans.

Will the game have more than one ending? - DucklifeFan

No

How many time passed between DLA and DL9? Or this is a prequel? - DucklifeFan

Duck Life 9 follows on directly from the end of Duck Life Adventure

What do you think of the hate comments you had for changing the duck designs (I don't hate them, but I'm surprised by the hate)? - DucklifeFan

People will always be resistant to changes in their favourite game franchises. We don’t mind it, it just means people are passionate about our games! In the world of gaming we’ve seen this kind of thing many times before. When Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was first announced for example, some people absolutely hated the art style because it wasn’t what they were used to in a Zelda game. Now, in hindsight, it’s seen as one of the absolute best games of the series. We hope that any doubters will give the new style a chance, we think it works much much better for the 3D world than the old style ever could.

When will devlogs stop? Will they carry on until DL9 releases, or will they stop at maybe devlog 20 or 25? - Duckzila

We’re hoping to keep the dev logs going right up until we release the game. Don’t worry about us running out of ideas, there’s always plenty more to talk about!


That’s everything for now, but come back soon for more dev logs! We post here every two weeks. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page

Devlog #12

Hi everyone! It’s Freddie, back with another update about exciting Duck Life 9 content! This time around, we’ll be exploring a handful of the different quests we’ve added to the game. We’re making sure to pack as much fun and variety into the overworld as possible; in fact, just in this Devlog, we’ll go from piloting hot air balloons to navigating tricky hedge mazes!

[h2]Clowning Around[/h2]

Although hot air balloons have featured in past Duck Life games, we’ve introduced a series-first here: you’ll be able to fly the balloon yourself and control your duck as they close in on the prize. You’ll need to carefully navigate airborne obstacles if you want to claim the key that Pimples is talking about here. I wonder what you need it for in the first place…

Of course, a quest is nothing without a reward at the end of it, and in Duck Life 9 some of these rewards will enable you to unlock new challenging races and, in turn, open the doors for further exploration of the island. Introducing: Tournament Tickets!

[h2]Tickets, Please[/h2]

That’s right - many of Featherhaven Island’s quests will unlock these sparkly tickets! They’re called Tournament Tickets, and each one grants you entry into a different Tournament. As you can see, each area of the game has its own ticket, which means plenty of different quests for you to get stuck into!

We’ve made sure that each Tournament Ticket quest fits seamlessly into its area, whilst also retaining a lot of uniqueness in each one: this means that one minute you’ll be uniting two wayward lovers, and the next you’ll be mining for precious gems in the desert!

[h2]Quest Like The Best[/h2]

That said, even once every Tournament Ticket has been collected, there will still be plenty of questing left to do around Featherhaven Island. For example, solving this labyrinthine hedge maze won’t net you a Tournament Ticket, but it’s still packed with coins and other treasures for you to discover. Around every corner, though, will be plenty of speedy ducks who won’t let you pass without a race - tread with caution!

[h2]Finder's Keepers![/h2]

Elsewhere on the island, poor Gerry here is looking for some treasure… but can’t he see that it’s right behind him? Maybe, the “treasure” that he’s looking for is of a different sort…? Perhaps, by helping him, you can take the contents of that treasure chest right from under his beak?

That’s everything for now, but come back soon for more dev logs! We post here every two weeks. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page