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Comic creators and coders combine on new “Zoo Ballon” mobile game

By John Freeman on February 1, 2023

Mr Fluffy of Random Reptile's Zoo Balloon

Longtime comic creator Dave Windett and his longtime coding-savvy brother, Paul, have just launched their first mobile game, Zoo Ballon, under their Random Reptile brand – and it looks like great fun, with some smashing visuals, too.

Dave has been a freelance illustrator and comics artist for over 30 years, his clients hailing from all parts of the globe. Alongside independent projects created with John Gatehouse, he’s perhaps best known for his work on a variety of animated characters from Fox and Warner Bros., his art on “Korky the Cat” in The Dandy, and his illustrations for the Norwegian book series, Magic.

Random Reptile's Zoo Balloon - art by Dave Windett

“The object of the game is to manoeuvre your animal balloon past enemies and traps,” Dave tells us. “You can hold your breath to slow down and let it out to speed up. Collect power-ups and unlock different player balloons. Fly higher than famous landmarks to earn achievements.

“Paul did the coding, and, obviously, I drew the pictures,” he continues. “It’s been more than 20 years since Paul was involved in the games industry.”

“I coded and did pixel art in the late 1980s (Amstrad, Spectrum, C64, etc.) and again in the early 2000s (Gameboy Colour / Advance),” says Paul, “but where I worked, hours and pay were bad. Short development times meant never being proud of what you made.

“Back then we built everything with nothing. The power of modern game engines is stunning. I’m having fun!”

• Zoo Balloon is free to download and play. You can find it by visiting www.randomreptile.com or on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store

• Dave Windett is online at davewindett.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.