April 03, 2023

Neigh Q Worlds

Stirrup some fun in the April Fools Day event!

Howdy y'all! Have you played this year's April Fool's Day event? As much as I believe "Pony vs Pony" is legitimately *the best* game idea ever, majority of the Artix team finds it to be a silly joke, befitting of an April Fools release. But hey, the joke's on them, since I *still* got ponies inside AQW, hehehe 🤭

So get your hooves a-tappin' and trot towards Magic Meadow, where the pony-powered Neigh Q Worlds release is wonderfully underway. Use the horse force against puzzles, pets, ponies… and derp!

History of the Derp

Long ago – nearly 13 years ago, just to highlight how ancient I am – back when Cysero was AQW's lead game designer, I was working alongside the mad weaponsmith while contemplating a new Pet O' The Month. Apparently August is National Catfish Month and I was overjoyed at the possibility of having a catfish pet in game. Cysero did not share said excitement, so I took it upon myself to show him how cute a catfish could be. I tried my best to create an adorable catfish buuuut it ended up looking like dis:

Cysero said it was the stupidest looking thing he's seen, but honestly, it's still one of my best art pieces to date. However, when I posted that catfish pic on Twitter, fishing for compliments you might say, Cysero and I received soo many requests for that exact pet to be created – notebook paper, goofy eyes, and all. Cysero dubbed it "Beleen's Stupid Derp-Fish" and just like that, the first AQW derp-thing was formed.

Here's that DN post from years ago if you want them nostalgic feels.

Fast forward 5 months and Artix had the idea of the Game-tastic Game Challenge, where everyone in the company broke off into smaller teams to create a new game from scratch. (Want more of those nostalgic nom noms? Here ya go!) I joined the Fat Panda team, and, after having witnessed the "success" of my catfish drawing, my team decided that THIS was the art direction to take for our game. Derp pineapples, pizzas, fries, and fruits flooded into existence and became a fan favorite much to Cysero's grumblings about how dumb everything looked. Even though the Fat Panda game came in 2nd Place, derp art remained #1 in many hearts throughout our amazing community.

And so, when April Fools 2011 rolled around…

Derp Quest Worlds totally happened! I derpified Battleon (including buildings, trees, and the sky since the derp knows no bounds) and hand-drew derpalicious loot befitting such spectacular art. I loved it, our players loved it, and Cysero… he, uh, tolerated it.

Over the years, AQW has seen many iterations of derp throughout the lands of Lore, and it's been an absolute pleasure and huge honor to see my horrible art come to life and somehow loved by so many people. If the length of this DN post is any testament to how much I love making derp art for you all, then let me try to put into words – even more words! – of just how much I love and appreciate players like you.

My love for you is infinite; it is a love that has no boundaries or limitations. It is the kind of love that inspires me to keep creating, writing, and drawing, to keep pushing myself to be better every day, and to keep striving to bring you the best gaming experience imaginable. This love fills me with joy and gratitude every time I see someone enjoying the derp fruits of my labor. So, to TL;DR, I love Artix players with all my heart and HP bar, and I will continue doing so for as long as I am able. <3

In case it's not abundantly clear by now, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share my creativity with you all – even if it is sooo ridiculously derpy – and I cannot thank you enough for your continued support and love for AQWorlds 🥰

Love ya to infinity,

Beleen :D