Kitten Cup Studio and Big Blue Sky Games held a special outdoor demo for Capy Castaway in Grange Park, Toronto, this past weekend.
Everyone could use a nice adventure once in a while, even capybaras and crows. Indie developer Kitten Cup Studio and publisher Big Blue Sky Games promoted their upcoming game Capy Castaway at Grange Park, Toronto, Canada—on Saturday, June 14th, 2025 for Toronto Games Week. The team offered its first demo opportunity, allowing us to experience some of the gameplay firsthand. CEO and Creative Director at Kitten Cup Studio (Pekoe), Saffron Bolduc-Chiong, composer Mark Sparling, and Aaron Boulding, Head of Publishing at Big Blue Sky Games were on-site, explaining some of the upcoming features and ideas for Capy Castaway.
Forced from their home by a massive flood, Capy (the capybara) and their fellow zoo animals are cast into a whole new world. As Capy washes ashore, they are found by Corvi, a clever crow with plenty to say. With a limited amount of time to return home, the two must work together using their collective skills to solve puzzles, help others, and piece together what exactly home is to them. As players will notice, there are plenty of obvious and hidden Toronto references throughout the game.
Bolduc-Chiong expressed how near and dear this project was, “Capy Castaway is inspired by our hometown of Toronto and the true story of Bonnie and Clyde—the runaway capybaras from Toronto’s High Park Zoo in 2016. The game is heavily inspired by familiar places and things that bring us joy, and we wanted to capture a sort of intuitive playfulness.” Bolduc-Chiong also talked with us about how the setting was inspired by Toronto’s very own Toronto Islands, among other familiar settings.
One of Capy Castaway’s key elements is the duo main characters. Capy is described as a silent, impressionable, but friendly capybara pup who is trying to find their way home. Curious in nature, Capy can explore by digging, pushing, and sniffing out secrets. In contrast, Corvi is a resourceful fledgling with a loud mouth, a sharp eye, and a few secrets of their own. They’re 90% beak and 10% shriek. Beyond acting as Capy’s voice, Crow can grab far-away objects and carry Capy over short distances.
Talking to Sparling, their major focus for Capy Castaway is “creating memorable music.” Sparling spoke a lot about the trickiness of balancing a good soundtrack for this game, where it does not stand out too much that the player is taken aback. But the music should also be unique. If you think about some of the best games out there, chances are the soundtrack was just as memorable as the gameplay for that game. Some examples include Halo: Combat Evolved or Super Mario Bros.
Within our chat about Capy Castaway, we were curious about the choice to choose a crow as Capy’s companion and trusty partner. Bolduc-Chiong explained how they wanted their team to do something different, so a crow added some “chaos” into the mix. They also noted how Corvi is a great partner to Capy, in the same way as The Legend of Zelda. “[Corvi] is very Zelda as well, less annoying and more sarcastic,” Bolduc-Chiong expanded. This is a funny reference to Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Boulding discussed how Big Blue Sky first became interested in supporting Kitten Cup Studio’s Capy Castaway, “One of the things, as we got to know Kitten Cup Studio, is how Toronto-oriented it is and that made it more appealing. It’s going to let them bring a passion to it that only they can bring—because they’re locals. The themes that are showcased in the game are universal. The way they’ve interpreted the locale of it is the appeal.”
Players will find many Toronto references, such as the Canadian geese and even a coffee cup resembling a Tim Hortons coffee cup. These subtle touches add a unique touch and homage to the Canadian city. Adding to the topic of inspiration, Bolduc-Chiong shared how Capy Castaway’s whole concept stemmed from one animated image of a capybara swimming in the water with some yuzu. In the game, players can recreate that shot in some form.
Overall, Capy Castaway still has a long way to go. However, the team sounded super stoked to make adjustments and improvements to the game that will help the player experience. It has a soft launch window for 2026, and is expected to be out on PC (Steam) and consoles. Those looking to learn more about the game can join the game’s dedicated Discord server for updates!
