Interview with Juanmv94 — Origins of Flappy Adventure

For this special occasion, we are proud to bring the very first interview with a PS1 homebrew developer to this website.

Over the years, the PlayStation homebrew scene has continued to grow with increasingly ambitious and technically impressive projects developed by passionate creators from around the world. Games showcased on Flappy Week, like Flappy Adventure X, Flappy Adventure 3 or Nortis, are proof that the community surrounding the original PlayStation is still alive, evolving, and full of creativity.

This time, we had the opportunity to speak with Juanmv94, developer of Flappy Adventure X and Flappy Adventure 3. This games are two highly enjoyable projects that not only deliver challenging gameplay, but also showcase the technical potential that can still be achieved on Sony’s first console decades later.

To make the interview easier to follow, we decided to divide it into two different parts. In the first half, we will get to know more about the developer himself, his connection with the PlayStation and the origins of the Flappy Adventure series. In the second half, we will dive deeper into the technical side of the projects, discussing development challenges, hardware limitations, tools, engines, and the process behind creating games for the PS1.

We hope this interview helps shine a light on both the creativity and dedication that continue to drive the PlayStation homebrew scene forward. 

Enjoy it!

 

Part 1 -  Origins of Flappy Adventure

- What is your connection with the PS1? Which are your favourite titles? 

Although I never had the console growing up, I did play a lot of PC games from that era, including several PS1 titles. My favourites are Toy Story 2 by Traveller’s Tales (which I’ve done extensive reverse engineering on: Github), Rayman 2, and the Spyro series.

- What motivated you to start developing homebrew projects for the PS1?

I had already developed for other consoles like the Game Boy (original, Color, and Advance). At one point I was considering getting a flash cartridge for Game Boy to run my homebrew on real hardware. But a friend of mine surprised me by giving me his old chipped PS1, knowing it was a console I had always been interested in and one I could develop for.

 

- How did you learn to develop games for the console?

Mostly through trial and error, studying Sony’s official documentation (the Run-Time Library Reference), and analysing open-source examples from the PSXDEV forum.

 

 - You’ve worked on several Flappy Bird-related projects. Where does this passion for the yellow bird come from?

It all started by chance during my computer engineering studies. Although my professional focus was never game development, I experimented with programming games for the Game Boy. Instead of creating original concepts from scratch, I decided to recreate popular games of the time (Flappy Bird, 2048, etc.) on Game Boy.

Later, I started experimenting with creating my own platformer and initially planned to design an original character, but I ended up reusing the Flappy sprites. While experimenting with mechanics, I realised something: the “flap” mechanic in a 2D platforming environment had a lot of potential. That’s how Flappy Adventure was born.

From there came a web adaptation of the game while I was learning JavaScript, followed by a new 3D version using Three.js, where I kept Flappy as the main character but now in a first-person 3D environment: Flappy Adventure 2.

 

 

Years later, when I was gifted a PS1 and started developing for it, I decided to create a full game for the console. I chose my trusted platformer character once again, but this time as a 2D spin-off (with 3D graphics) and many more dynamic elements than its predecessors, which I called Flappy Adventure X (“X” as in PSX).

A few years later, after an old cancelled idea for Flappy Adventure 3 on PC had been sitting around for a long time, and seeing how little homebrew was being developed for PS1, I decided I had to bring it to PS1 as well, even if it was much more difficult than using something like Unity, and required building everything from scratch, including the engine. 

 

- Is this (FA3) your most proud project so far?

Flappy Adventure 3 is my most ambitious project to date, as I had to build everything from scratch and it is much more technically complex than its predecessor, Flappy Adventure X.

 

- What was the most satisfying moment while making FADVX?

Finishing it, uploading a full gameplay video, and realizing that the result was not just another simple homebrew minigame you complete in 10 minutes, but a full adventure that can take over an hour to finish, complete with cinematics, music, and everything else you would expect from an original PS1 title.

 

- I find the background images really curious. I imagine they’re photos taken by you. Is that correct? If so, is there any funny or interesting anecdote behind them?

The first photo was indeed taken by me and shows my hometown (Hellín) from a nearby mountain. The rest of the images were taken from the internet.

The only funny detail I can think of is the image in the final level, which is actually a screenshot from the Angry Birds movie where the birds are shocked by the arrival of the pigs. In this case, however, they are shocked by Flappy defeating Red.

 

- In both games we see Flappy interacting with the Angry Birds. I already asked you why Flappy became the protagonist of so many of your projects, but… why Angry Birds? What’s the lore behind the red bird being such a jerk to Flappy?

The Angry Birds first appeared in Flappy Adventure 1 on the web version. Back then there were a lot of memes comparing Flappy Bird with Angry Birds as if they were direct competitors (with Flappy obviously at a disadvantage), and even YouTube videos like the one that appears in the intro of FADVX.

Both in FADVX and FADV3 I wanted to include modern references inside a game for an old console, and Flappy’s “enemies” couldn’t be missing.

  

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Want to know more? Tomorrow we will publish Part 2 of the interview, which will focus much more deeply on the technical side of the projects. We will discuss topics such as the creation of custom tools and engines, the challenges of developing for the PlayStation hardware, optimisation techniques, level design, graphical limitations, and many other aspects related to modern PS1 homebrew development.

As always, one of the main goals of this event is to encourage interaction within the community. If you would like to ask the developer any questions, feel free to prepare them and share them with us tomorrow. We will be happy to read your thoughts and curiosities regarding both the games and the development process behind them.

We would also like to thank all our readers for the interest and support shown during this event so far. Finally, we would especially like to thank Juan for kindly taking the time to participate in this interview!

Don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter (X), check out our collection of games on Itch.io, join our Reddit community and watch our latest gameplays on our YouTube channel!

Para esta ocasión especial, estamos orgullosos de anunciar que traemos nuestra primera entrevista realizada a un desarrollador homebrew de PS1 en esta web.

A lo largo de los años, la escena homebrew de la PlayStation ha continuado creciendo con proyectos ambiciosos y técnicamente impresionantes desarrollados por apasionantes creadores alrededor del mundo. Los juegos mostrados durante la on Flappy Week, como Flappy Adventure X, Flappy Adventure 3 o Nortis, son la prueba de qu la comunidad entorno a la PS1 original sigue viva, evolucionando y llena de creatividad.

En esta ocasión, hemos tenido la oportunidad de hablar con Juanmv94, desarrollador de Flappy Adventure X y Flappy Adventure 3. Estos juegos son dos increibles proyectos que no solo cuentan con una jugabilidad retante, sino que también demuestran un alto nivel técnico que sigue demostrando de lo que era capaz la primera consola de Sony décadas después.

Para hacer la entrevista más fácil de seguir, hemos decidido dividirla en dos partes diferenciadas . En la primera mitad, conoceremos mejor al propio desarrollador, su conexión con la PlayStation y los orígenes de la saga Flappy Adventure. En la segunda mitad, entraremos en profundidad en los aspectos técnicos de los proyectos, analizando los retos técnicos, las limitaciones de hardware, herramientas, motores, y todo lo que hay detrás durante el proceso de creación de juegos de PS1.

Esperamos que esta entrevista ayude a impulsar tanto la creatividad como la dedicación para que más personas empujen la comunidad homebrew de PS1 hacia delante.

¡Esperamos que os guste!

 

Parte 1 -  Los orígenes de Flappy Adventure

- ¿Qué conexión tienes con la PS1? ¿Te marcó la consola? ¿Cuáles son tus títulos favoritos? 

Aunque nunca tuve la consola de pequeño, si jugaba mucho a videojuegos de PC de la época, incluyendo títulos de PS1. Mis favoritos son Toy Story 2 de Travellers Tales (Al cual he hecho muchísima ingeniería inversa: Github), Rayman 2, y la saga Spyro.

- ¿Qué te motivó a empezar a desarrollar proyectos para la PS1?

Yo ya había desarrollado para otras consolas como la Game Boy (original, Color, y Advance), y me estaba planteando comprar un cartucho flash de GB para poder correr mi homebrew en hardware real, pero un amigo mio se me adelantó y me regaló su vieja PS1 con chip sabiendo que era una consola que siempre me había atraído y que podría desarrollar para ella.

 

- ¿Cómo aprendiste a hacer juegos para dicha consola?

Aprendí a base de prueba y error, estudiando la documentación oficial de Sony (Run-Time Library Reference), y analizando ejemplos de código abierto del foro PSXDEV.

 

 - Has hecho varios proyectos relacionados con Flappy Bird. ¿De dónde viene esa pasión por el pájaro amarillo?

Surgió todo de casualidad durante mi formación en ingeniería informática. Aunque mi foco profesional nunca ha sido el desarrollo de videojuegos, quise experimentar probando a programar juegos para Game Boy, y en lugar de crear una idea nueva desde 0, simplemente decidí implementar juegos de moda (Flappy Bird, 2048,...) en GameBoy.

Posteriormente me puse a experimentar en la creación de un plataformero propio para el que tenía en mente crear mi propio personaje, aunque al comenzar el desarrollo re-utilicé los sprites ya creados (Flappy)y experimentando con las mecánicas me di cuenta de una cosa... La mecánica de "flap" de Flappy en un entorno 2D en el que pudieras desplazarte tenía muchísimo juego. De ahí nació "Flappy Adventure".

De ahí vino una adaptación web del mismo juego mientras empezaba a aprender JavaScript, a la que siguió un nuevo juego esta vez en 3D con Three.js para la cual decidí seguir manteniendo a Flappy como protagonista con la misma mecanica de "flap" esta vez en un entorno 3D en primera persona: Flappy Adventure 2.

 

 

Años después, cuando me regalaron una PS1 y empecé a programar para ella, fue cuando decidí crear un juego completo para esta, y que mejor que mi plataformero de confianza. Aunque eso sí, un spinoff de mecánica 2D (Con graficos 3D) con muchos mas elementos dinámicos que sus predecesores a la que llamé "Flappy Adventure X" ("X" de PS"X").

Fue unos pocos años después, con una idea cancelada de un "Flappy Adventure 3" para PC arrastrando desde hace varios años, y viendo la poca cantidad de homebrew que se estaba desarrollando para PS1 que supe que debía hacerlo también para PS1, aunque fuese mucho más costoso que programar en Unity y que debía crearme el motor del juego y todo desde 0. 

 

- ¿Es el proyecto (FADV3) del que estás más orgulloso de haber realizado?

Flappy Adventure 3 es mi proyecto más ambicioso hasta el momento, puesto que tuve que hacer todo desde 0 y tiene mucha más complejidad técnica que su predecesor Flappy Adventure X.

 

- ¿Cuál fue el momento más satisfactorio al hacer FADVX?

Terminarlo, subir un gameplay completo, y confirmar que el resultado no se trata de un simple minijuego homebrew como otros ya existentes que te pasas en 10 minutos, sino de toda una aventura que te puede llevar incluso más de 1 hora jugarlo entero, con sus cinemáticas, su música,... como cualquier juego del catalogo original de PS1.

 

- Me parecen muy curiosas las imágenes de fondo. Me imagino que son fotos hechas por ti. ¿Eso es así? En tal caso, ¿Habría alguna anécdota curiosa entre ellas?

La primera foto tomada por mi es de mi pueblo (Hellín) tomada desde una montaña adyacente a este. El resto de fotos fueron obtenidas de Internet. La única curiosidad que se me ocurre es de la del último nivel que es un screenshot de la película "Angry Birds" con los pájaros sorprendidos ante la llegada de los cerdos, pero en este caso, están sorprendidos ante la victoria de Flappy frente a Red..

 

- En esta aventura vemos a Flappy con los Angry Birds. Te pregunté de por qué Flappy era el protagonista en tantas aventuras tuyas pero, ¿Y los Angry Birds? ¿Cuál es el lore para que el pájaro rojo sea tan cabroncete con Flappy?

Los Angry Birds aparecieron por primera vez en Flappy Adventure 1 en la versión web. Por entonces había muchos memes sobre Flappy Bird comparándolo con los Angry Birds como si fuesen su competencia directa (con una clarísima desventaja), e incluso videos en Youtube como el que aparece en la intro de FADVX.

Tanto en FADVX como FADV3 quería añadir elementos actuales a un juego para una consola antigua, y los "enemigos" de Flappy no podían faltar.

  

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¿Quieres saber más?  Mañana publicaremos la Parte 2 de la entrevista en la que nos centraremos mucho más en el apartado técnico de los proyectos. Hablaremos sobre temas como la creación de herramientas y motores personalizados, los desafíos de desarrollar para el hardware de PlayStation, técnicas de optimización, diseño de niveles, limitaciones gráficas y muchos otros aspectos relacionados con el desarrollo homebrew moderno para PS1.

Como siempre, uno de los principales objetivos de este evento es fomentar la interacción dentro de la comunidad. Si os gustaría hacerle alguna pregunta al desarrollador, no dudéis en prepararla y compartirla con nosotros mañana. Estaremos encantados de leer vuestras opiniones y curiosidades tanto sobre los juegos como sobre el proceso de desarrollo detrás de ellos.

También nos gustaría agradecer a todos nuestros lectores el interés y el apoyo mostrado durante este evento hasta ahora. Por último, queremos agradecer especialmente a Juan por haberse tomado amablemente el tiempo de participar en esta entrevista.

¡No olvides que puedes seguirnos en Twitter (X), revisar nuestra recopilación de juegos Itch.io, unirte a nuestra comunidad de Reddit y ver gameplays en nuestro canal de Youtube!

Flappy Adventure 3

Developer: Juanmv94

Release Date: January, 2026

Graphics: 3D

Version: 1.0  

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

 

 

Description 

This sequel to Flappy Adventure X, developed by Juanmv94, once again puts players in control of Flappy, who must collect coins in order to satisfy his girlfriend. What begins as a simple objective quickly turns into a bizarre and ambitious 3D platforming adventure full of humor, references, and unexpected situations. 

  

Extra Info

Unlike the previous game, Flappy Adventure 3 is now a fully 3D experience. Players can freely explore large environments filled with collectibles, traps, secrets, and themed areas. While Flappy Adventure X allowed players to jump immediately, this sequel introduces a progression system where Flappy initially cannot jump at all. To unlock and improve his jumping abilities, players must first explore the world and collect coins. The more coins you gather, the more consecutive jumps Flappy can perform.

The game features a variety of themed levels, helping each stage feel unique and memorable. There are currently five playable levels available, although the final boss battle has not yet been implemented. The environments range from Flappy’s hometown and a city map to a TikTok-inspired stage, a fair based on the beautiful Spanish city of Albacete, and even a level based on Minecraft.

Throughout the adventure, players will encounter checkpoints that save their progress and collected coins. This becomes important because the game includes hazards, traps, and bottomless pits that can kill the player. If Flappy dies, he respawns at the latest checkpoint and loses the progress made since the previous save.

Each level also introduces its own visual identity, gameplay situations, and exclusive soundtrack. Unlike the previous game, all levels are unlocked from the very beginning, allowing players to freely switch stages if one becomes too difficult. From a technical perspective, the project is surprisingly impressive. The game features large and detailed worlds, vibrant colors, and solid performance with very few framerate drops despite the scale of some environments.

One particularly charming aspect of the project is its voice acting. The game includes both English and Spanish dubbing, and each version contains its own style of humor and jokes that give the experience even more personality.

 

 

Developer Curiosities

The developer also shared several interesting details about the project’s development:

• The original level selection screen was going to be based on the Minecraft-themed map, with portals transporting players to the different stages. In the end, this concept became an additional bonus level instead.

• Memory Card support was completely removed because one of the biggest problems with Flappy Adventure X was its high difficulty. According to the developer, most players never managed to see beyond the first level.

• 
  A final boss battle against Duolingo was originally planned but eventually scrapped due to the amount of work required. In this encounter, Duolingo would confront Flappy asking: “Flappy, how long has it been since you practiced your Slovenian lessons?” Flappy would respond by asking who the hell he was and why he would ever want to learn Slovenian, triggering the boss fight.

• According to the developer, Level 1 contains a “bugged” corner specifically created to push the Flappy Engine 3 collision system to its limits. Players are encouraged to try and find it themselves.

 

Download Links

 Blog 

Nortis

 

Developer: Jimmy Breck-McKye

Release Date: August, 2024

Graphics: 2D

Version: 1.0 

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1

 

 

Description

Nortis (formerly Notris) is a Tetris-inspired homebrew game developed for the original PlayStation using PSNoobSDK by Jimmy Breck-McKye. In this game, players must stack falling pieces correctly to clear lines and avoid filling up the playfield.

 

Extra Info 

Nortis follows the core idea of classic block-stacking puzzle games, where the player must position falling pieces to complete full horizontal lines and clear them from the board. Unlike traditional Tetris games, Nortis does not feature a progressive difficulty curve. Instead, the challenge emerges naturally from player mistakes: as the board fills up, planning becomes more constrained and every decision matters more.

In this game, the next piece is always selected completely at random. There is no way to preview or know which piece will appear next at any point during the game, not even while placing the current one. Because of this, the game fully relies on unpredictability. The same piece can also appear multiple times in a row, sometimes even 3 or more times consecutively, in a completely capricious way.

The game does not include any soundtrack or sound effects, focusing entirely on gameplay and mechanics.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is its extensive technical documentation. The GitHub repository not only includes the game’s source code, but also detailed explanations about PS1 rendering techniques, VRAM management, ordering tables, double buffering, primitive drawing, and the overall workflow behind PlayStation homebrew development. Because of this, Nortis also works as an educational resource for developers interested in low-level PS1 programming.

Nortis was originally created as both a game project and a personal challenge for the developer to learn low-level C programming and understand how PlayStation games were made during the 1990s. Before reaching the PS1, the game was first prototyped in JavaScript and later rewritten in C before finally being ported to real PlayStation hardware using PSNoobSDK. 

Nortis was featured during the Flappy Week event alongside the celebration of the developer’s birthday on 25th May.

Official Download Links

Github

Flappy Adventure X

 

Developer: Juanmv94

Release Date: March, 2021

Graphics: 3D

Version: 1.0  

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

 

 

Description 

Flappy Adventure X is the first of several homebrew projects by Juanmv94 developed for the PS1, based on the iconic Flappy Bird. It is a 2D platforming game that is as challenging as it is addictive.

  

Extra Info

Flappy Adventure X puts you in control of Flappy, a small bird based on the viral mobile character that took the internet by storm back in 2012. The story of the game follows Flappy’s idea of becoming friends with the Angry Birds. In the intro, the red bird tells Flappy that if he wants to be their friend, he must reach the end of the “Pipe Forest”. This simple goal quickly turns into an obsession, leading Flappy to push himself too far, ultimately ending up in the hospital and even losing his girlfriend due to his fixation.

Although the game presents itself with a 2D gameplay perspective, it is actually built entirely within a 3D environment. Most objects in the world are fully three-dimensional, with only Flappy, the HUD, coins, and certain enemies rendered as 2D elements.

The game is structured across a total of 6 levels, each increasing in difficulty and complexity. In addition to the main platforming gameplay, some levels also include  minigames such as Tetris and Space Invaders, adding variety and unexpected gameplay shifts.

The game is built around a simple but highly demanding jumping mechanic. You can jump freely as many times as you want, but movement comes with strict limitations:

• You cannot change direction mid-air until you land.
• You can only fall or jump again while airborne.
• Any collision during a jump (walls, ceiling, corners, etc.) results in instant death.

Only a safe landing allows you to continue without penalty. This system makes precision absolutely essential, turning every jump into a high-risk decision.

In addition to this, there are environmental hazards that can also kill the player, such as burning zones or floating floor tiles that crush Flappy. The game also features enemies, including Chuck, the yellow bird of Angry Birds. 

To help balance the difficulty, the game includes flags placed throughout each level. However, they are not frequent, and reaching them often requires taking risky paths. Coins are strategically placed to encourage risky movement, which often leads to failure.

This game also includes a light sense of humor throughout the experience, both in its animated intro and in various in-game text messages and situations. 

Flappy Adventure X is an extremely challenging game. It is designed to test patience, timing, and precision. There is also a secret area hidden within the game where players can obtain advantages that make progression easier.

We recommend playing it slowly, carefully… and maybe with a cup of tea nearby.

 

Media

 

 

Download Links

Blog - Github

Flappy Week Begins - PS1 Homebrew Guess Challenge Winner Announced

On 17th May, we announced that a special event would take place, as well as the start of  a challenge to guess the two game titles featured in the online event on May 25th. This challenge was designed as a small community activity leading up to the event, encouraging players to carefully analyse the hints provided and attempt to discover the projects that would be revealed during the special event.

As promised, on 24th May we are announcing a couple of things. The first is to reveal the winner of the PS1 Homebrew Guess Challenge. The second is to explain what this event is about and what will happen each day.

Before continuing, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated in the challenge, whether by submitting guesses, sending support messages, voting, or sharing their opinions. This is a community-driven project, and every contribution helps make this scene stronger and more active.

So, without further ado, let’s get started! 

 

Winner of the PS1 Homebrew Guess Challenge  

 

Venom_Snakeee 

 

Congratulations for correctly identifying both games using the hints provided. It was not an easy task at all, but after several attempts, you managed to get it right. Well done! Therefore, we are pleased to grant you the title of PSX Homebrew Detective Award 2026!

 

We would also like to make a special mention to Ivan Kuzmenko, who on Twitter correctly guessed “Flappy Adventure” even before Venom_Snakeee. While the saga was correct, one of the requirements of the challenge was to provide the full names of both games. For this reason, he could not be selected as the official winner. However, we still want to highlight this effort, as it was one of the closest answers to the final result.

 

We also want to congratulate all the other participants who submitted a wide variety of guesses, from completely different titles to surprisingly close attempts. It has been great to see the community actively trying to solve the challenge. A special thank you as well to everyone who sent support messages and encouragement throughout the event. Special mentions to:

 Andrew Clark, Future_Redd, ggiodddtyii, Girotin, 

Hensemderilwan, Golden Age Turbo, luksamuk, 

Medium-Shopping3037, Phlanix, PorongaBionica0069, 

TheMightyQuin, TheRealJustSean and Yael Trejo!

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Flappy Week Begins!

With this announcement, we officially kick off Flappy Week!

This online event will run from 25th May to 31st May, showcasing two homebrew titles developed by Juanmv94: Flappy Adventure X and Flappy Adventure 3. Throughout the week, you can expect articles, gameplay showcases, challenges, interviews, and more. Every day will bring something new.

We have also included a schedule image so you can easily see what will be happening each day during the event.

Thank you again to everyone who participated. And now… let’s begin Flappy Week properly. See you tomorrow with the first major content drop!

Remember that you can follow the event on our Twitter/X (where all updates will be posted) or on our subreddit (where the most important announcements will be shared).

— The PSX Homebrew Games Team