Q&A: DRY CACTUS
Ahead of the release of physics puzzler Poly Bridge 3, we fired over some questions to technical director Alan Lawrance, hopefully to build bridges with the New Zealand developer (before our efforts inevitably tumbled into the river below)
The Poly Bridge games are clearly wholesome and fun puzzle games, but ones that also cause you to question the world around you - such as “How sound is that rickety old bridge I’m approaching with my family in the car?” Was imbibing those kinds of thoughts always the intention? Poly Bridge does make you more aware of bridges in the real world! This wasn’t intentional though. First and foremost, the game is meant to be fun and challenging.
Poly Bridge also rewards failure. Or, rather, it adds to the enjoyment process, oddly by not dwelling too much on the catastrophic nature of a bridge failing and people falling to their deaths. There must be a temptation though, to go all-in on that kind of spectacle and what it might add; a Poly Bridge Xtreme, if you will? Poly Bridge games are meant for people of all ages, so we treat things like a playground rather than a realistic environment. This is also true for Poly Bridge 3. We sometimes joke around about the spectacle of
the destruction that can occur. But there is no real temptation to take it further than it already is.
You’ve been making and updating these games for a number of years and there are plenty of other games that offer a similar challenge. How difficult is it to stand out amongst them? Poly Bridge sets the standard for bridge building games. We are focused on raising the bar with each iteration, and we expect Poly Bridge 3 to do that again. Supporting and improving Poly Bridge 3 after release
is also a priority. We recently had a major update for Poly Bridge 2, which was released in May 2020!
“We are taking user- generated content to a whole new level with Poly Bridge 3”
Alan Lawrance, Dry Cactus technical director June 2023 MCV/DEVELOP | 41
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