Toronto’s Sticky Brain celebrates Chinese culture and accessibility in Rooster

Founded by Ted Brunt and Sasha Boersma in 2013, the Toronto-based media company has worked on over 70 games and apps for the likes of Canadian broadcasters, non-profits, government agencies and cultural institutions.

Inspired by the Chinese Zodiac, the point-and-click puzzle adventure game follows the mischievous titular chicken as he’s sent back to ancient China to learn some life lessons.

The concept for Rooster came when Sticky Brain artist Connie Choi was celebrating Lunar New Year with her family, and writer Deborah Chantson was brought on as the narrative designer to help flesh out those ideas.

Chantson says a recent team trip to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco while at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) reaffirmed that passion.

While that might sound like a lot, Boersma and Chantson note that each minigame has been designed to be easy to pick up and play even for casual audiences, with the pair specifically aiming to appeal to fans of the so-called “cozy” genre.

While she acknowledges that it can understandably be expensive for smaller teams to develop multiple kinds of minigames, she credits Canadian funding opportunities for offering Sticky Brain more freedom.