Extreme Fever
Catch the Fever
Another feature that changed the course of Peggle was "Extreme Fever" — the celebratory reward for finishing a level.
Originally, the phrase X-TREME FEVER and some fireworks (non-flammable, of course) splashed across the screen when you finished a level. Sukhbir liked it, but decided what it really needed was to be as outlandish as possible.
First, he added a rainbow flying across the screen. Then Brian piped in musical accompaniment: Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." When it all came together, the experience of Extreme Fever was an exhilarating (and hilarious!) reward for passing a level. Our test players found themselves thrilled every time they saw it.
Despite the insane wonder of Extreme Fever, the team never fully intended to keep it in the game. As Brian explains, "At first, it was just a joke… it was so over the top, it was just funny." But Extreme Fever was one of those rare entertaining and rewarding features that people loved so much that it simply had to stay in the game. In fact, when people brought up concerns about the phrase, even Jason Kapalka, PopCap's Creative Director, chimed in: "If there is one thing that will never change about Peggle, it's 'Extreme Fever.'"
"The reaction we saw from people was great" Brian remembers. "That's what happens when you're making a game. Sometimes you leave something in there long enough, it doesn't even seem crazy to you anymore; which is good, because it really helps the game." In the case of Extreme Fever, it was a very good thing.
