Speaking to Geek Native at the UK Games Expo, the team at ShyFinn Games revealed the dark, competitive heart beating beneath their adorable new card game, Fluffypede. Currently live and fully funded on Gamefound, the game draws players in with kawaii-style plushies and bright, cheerful artwork by Anna Saarto and Oona Viljakainen. However, on the show floor at stand 4-886, it quickly becomes apparent that the gameplay itself is a brutal, unforgiving, and highly tactical race.
This weekend marks the first opportunity for players outside of Finland to get hands-on with a convention demo of Fluffypede. During our time at the booth, Geek Native learned of an amusing pivot in the game’s development: it was originally titled Centipede. The independent design team discovered that gamers immediately associated the name with the infamous horror film The Human Centipede; a connection far too grim for the studio’s family-friendly vision. The game was hastily reimagined into the far cuter, pastel-toned Fluffypede.
Mechanically, two to five players take on the role of toymakers working collectively to grow the titular creatures by adding double-sided piece cards. The twist lies in the scoring: only the player who places the final card to exactly complete a fluffy order claims the points. This transforms the experience into a cutthroat competition where players use unique powers and thread resources to aggressively grow, multiply, or ruthlessly chop a fluffypede to steal the victory at the last possible moment.
ShyFinn Games is also running live playtests at UKGE for a second, equally quirky title called Pop Away. The premise is highly relatable: no matter how long a batch of popcorn is microwaved, there are always stubborn, tooth-breaking kernels left unpopped. Players assume the role of these hardened kernels, desperately trying to survive the heat. The objective is to ensure your friends pop first by throwing bomb cards at rival corns in a fast-paced, “take-that”- style survival game.
Both titles demonstrate a knack for contrasting lighthearted themes with aggressive mechanics, making this small Finnish studio one to watch on the convention circuit this year.
