I have one big regret about my Rocketbirds Revolution! interview. It was the perfect chance to unpack a pervasive problem with a thoughtful and interested developer. I blew it because I was low on time and didn’t realize he’d be so interested in the issue. This article makes amends for that failure: today I explain a usability problem called interference.

Rocketbirds Revolution! plays it straight. Between the deadpan retelling of cold war action flicks to the run and gun platforming, you could almost miss it when the game winks at you. Just remember that subtlety is a sign of refinement and you’ll find that Rocketbirds is an elegant and compact example of its genre.

Bonus news bit: Developer Sian Tan let us know that Ratloop Asia is hard at work on a port for Rocketbirds to PS3. They’re still early in the development process, but hopefully we’ll hear more details soon.

Not every company gets to return to the IGF, but Ratloop is back after last year’s Mightier. Actually it’s Ratloop Asia, and their new game Rocketbirds: Revolution bears nearly no resemblance to last year’s title. Fortunately, director/programmer/artist/renaissance man Tan Sian Yue was on hand to explain the ins and outs of the team’s latest project. He also covers the origins of the game and his company, why they used Flash for content delivery, and control loading.