Jack Barau is coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch on May 1st, 2025

We're thrilled to announce that Jack Barau, our heartfelt 2D puzzle-platformer about endangered seabirds from Réunion Island, will be launching on Steam and Nintendo Switch on May 1st, 2025. In this post, we’d love to share the story behind the game — from a local game jam to a full release, and everything in between.

Born from a very special game jam

It all began during the Volcano Game Jam, organized by the Réunion National Park, with a focus on raising awareness about local biodiversity — and more specifically, the Barau's petrel, a bird species endemic to Réunion Island and now critically endangered.

At the heart of the project:

• Rodolphe, a talented artist who brought this colorful cartoon world to life

• And myself, in charge of the code and gameplay mechanics behind the scenes

We were overjoyed when our little game won the jam, and we thought: Why stop there?

From jam to console: a game full of emotion and meaning

Jack Barau is a 2D puzzle-platformer built around a unique cooperative chain mechanic — or farandole, as we like to call it.
You play as a petrel, guiding others of your kind back to safety — one by one.

Our goal was to create a short but emotionally impactful experience, rooted in themes of empathy, collaboration, and ecological awareness.

With its cute art style, gentle tone, and accessible difficulty, we hope the game resonates with players of all ages.

A demo is already available

While you wait for the full release, you can already try a free demo on our itch.io page:
👉[Link to the demo on itch.io browser game]

It’s also available on Steam:
👉 [Link to the STEAM demo here]

Feedback from our community — and especially from the middle school students who playtested the game — has been incredibly helpful in shaping and refining the experience.
We truly hope the final version will live up to both your expectations and ours.

And now?

After months of work, countless iterations, playtests, and more than a few late nights, Jack Barau is finally ready to take flight.

We’re incredibly excited — and a little nervous — to see how the game will be received.
Above all, we hope it helps shine a light on the fight to protect this fragile but resilient bird.

To everyone who supported us along the way:
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

See you on May 1st, 2025, on Steam and Nintendo Switch.