One finger
Hold to steer a tight, fast flock. Let go and it spreads out to gather strays.
Arcade · Android Velugu
Land them before dark.
A one-finger game about a starling flock at dusk. Gather strays, dodge the falcon, and land them in the tree before the light runs out.
Coming soon to Google Play Privacy policy
What is Velugu?
Velugu is a one-finger arcade game for Android about a starling murmuration at dusk. Let go and the flock spreads out to sweep up stray birds; hold and it tightens into a fast ribbon that follows your finger and shrugs off the falcon. Only the birds you land in the roost tree before the light runs out count. It is made by Night Jar Studios, needs no account, and plays offline.
Velugu is a one-finger game about a starling murmuration at dusk. Let go, and your flock spreads out across the sky, sweeping up stray starlings. Hold, and it tightens into a fast, dense ribbon that follows your finger. A spread flock gathers. A tight flock survives.
Land your birds in the roost tree before the light runs out: only the birds that land count, and anything still in the air when night falls is lost. A falcon hunts the sky, taking birds from a loose flock but glancing off a tight one, and the bigger your flock grows, the more often it comes. Every run asks the same question: how long do you keep gathering before you bring them home?
Every bird flies on its own. The flock is simulated on your phone’s GPU, so hundreds of starlings wheel, split and rejoin the way a real murmuration does. The sound is made entirely in code: gusting wind, wingbeats and the calls of birds joining and landing.
There are five levels in two chapters, from First Dusk to Gale, four dusk skies to earn, and a second way to play: hunt as the falcon, and learn why a tight flock is a wall. Velugu needs no account, has no in-app purchases, and plays offline.
Watch
See Velugu in action
Forty-seven seconds of the real game: a murmuration gathering strays, the falcon, and a flock landing before dark.
Highlights
See Velugu on your phone
The facts
Velugu at a glance
- Genre
- One-finger arcade
- Controls
- Hold to steer, let go to gather
- A run
- One dusk, about a minute and a half
- Modes
- Endless, a Daily Dusk, five levels in two chapters, and hunting as the falcon
- Ads
- An occasional ad between runs, and an optional ad for one more minute of light
- In-app purchases
- None
- Account
- None needed
- Works offline
- Yes (ads need a connection; the game does not)
- Requires
- Android 10 or later, with a Vulkan-capable GPU
- Status
- In closed testing on Google Play
Features
Everything Velugu does for you
A real murmuration
Every starling flies on its own, simulated on your phone’s GPU, hundreds at a time.
Land them before dark
Only birds that reach the roost tree count. Each run is a race against the dusk.
The falcon
It takes birds from a loose flock and glances off a tight one. The bigger you grow, the more it comes.
A Daily Dusk
One dusk a day, the same sky, wind and falcon for everyone who plays it. No streak to break: the card counts the dusks you flew this week, out of seven.
Levels, skies and the hunt
Five levels in two chapters, four dusk skies to earn, and a mode where you are the falcon.
No account, no purchases
Nothing to sign up for and nothing to buy. Your progress stays on your phone, and the game plays offline.
Questions & answers
Velugu: common questions
What is Velugu?
Velugu is a one-finger arcade game for Android by Night Jar Studios. You guide a flock of starlings at dusk: let go and it spreads out to gather stray birds, hold and it tightens up to follow your finger and survive the falcon. You score by landing birds in the roost tree before the light runs out.
How do you play Velugu?
Touch anywhere to start. Let go, and your flock spreads out and sweeps up stray starlings. Hold, and it tightens into a fast ribbon that follows your finger. When a falcon dives, hold tight: a tight flock is a wall it glances off. To score, hold the flock over the tree so the birds land. A run lasts one dusk, about a minute and a half, and any birds still flying at nightfall are lost. A built-in tutorial explains each step as it comes, and can be turned off.
What is the Daily Dusk?
One dusk a day, drawn from the date, so every player flies the same sky, the same wind and the same falcon on the same day. You can fly it as often as you like and your best for the day counts. There is no streak to break — the card simply counts how many of the last seven dusks you flew — and the rewarded ad is not offered on a daily, because a dusk that is the same for everyone is only fair if nobody can buy more light in it.
What does Velugu mean?
వెలుగు (velugu) means light in Telugu. The game is a race against the light: the dusk drains as you play, and the birds you land before it goes are the ones that count.
Does Velugu have ads or in-app purchases?
Velugu has ads but no in-app purchases. An occasional full-screen ad appears between runs, never in your first five runs, and when the light runs out with birds still in the air you can choose to watch an ad for one more minute of dusk. There are no banners, and nothing is for sale.
Can you play Velugu offline?
Yes. Velugu plays fully offline, with no account or sign-up, and your progress is saved on your phone. Ads need an internet connection, but the game does not: without one, it simply plays with no ads.
Does Velugu collect any data?
Night Jar Studios collects nothing: there is no account, and your scores, level awards, skies and settings are saved only on your phone. The ads come from Google AdMob, and to serve them Google collects some device information, such as the advertising ID, approximate location from the IP address, and app interactions. Where the law requires it, Velugu asks for consent first. The privacy policy has the details.
Which phones can run Velugu?
Velugu needs Android 10 or later and a phone whose GPU supports Vulkan, because the flock is simulated on the GPU. It was developed and tested on a budget phone with a Unisoc T606 processor and a Mali-G57 GPU.
When is Velugu available?
Velugu is in closed testing on Google Play, which means it is being played by a group of invited testers before its public release. It will be listed on Google Play for everyone after the test.
Velugu is almost here.
Velugu is a one-finger arcade game about a starling murmuration at dusk. Gather strays, dodge the falcon, and land your flock in the roost tree before dark. No account, no purchases, plays offline.
Coming soon to Google Play