Roughly fifty years of painstaking devotion to the craft and they still forgot to add a world map.
I really hope we haven't seen the last of D-Pad Studio, because this game has some of the best sprite work and pixel animation I have ever seen. Maybe THE best. Every single frame of this game is complete eye candy, and it never stops being impressive; it was a decade long-project well spent, and if this is their most notable work, the future looks incredibly bright for them.
It's just a shame that the game itself is mediocre at best. I don't even think I know exactly what genre this game is. Sometimes it's a platformer, sometimes it's a zelda-like, sometimes it's metroidvania-esque, sometimes it's a stealth game, sometimes it's a puzzle game, sometimes it's a bullet-hell. If I had to describe it succinctly, you basically go from one linear "dungeon" to the next, each with its own gimmick, and explore a very open and empty overworld in-between them, all without a map.
Its ideas are so scattershot and unfocused, and none of them are executed well. I don't think I had fun with any part of this game, I was mainly just frustrated at how many half-baked ideas it has as well as the subpar controls.
And this is a game that I really wish I liked more than I did. It's very Mystery Dungeon-esque in its charm and writing, and it has a great score. And I feel bad that a passion project that took this long to make didn't end up being a game I enjoyed very much.
But despite how obnoxiously unfocused it is, its highs peak so high that I can easily recommend this game. I'm a solid fan of this studio now, and I'm glad this game ended up being so successful. I hope that you support this game as well, and that you enjoy it more than I did.
It's just a shame that the game itself is mediocre at best. I don't even think I know exactly what genre this game is. Sometimes it's a platformer, sometimes it's a zelda-like, sometimes it's metroidvania-esque, sometimes it's a stealth game, sometimes it's a puzzle game, sometimes it's a bullet-hell. If I had to describe it succinctly, you basically go from one linear "dungeon" to the next, each with its own gimmick, and explore a very open and empty overworld in-between them, all without a map.
Its ideas are so scattershot and unfocused, and none of them are executed well. I don't think I had fun with any part of this game, I was mainly just frustrated at how many half-baked ideas it has as well as the subpar controls.
And this is a game that I really wish I liked more than I did. It's very Mystery Dungeon-esque in its charm and writing, and it has a great score. And I feel bad that a passion project that took this long to make didn't end up being a game I enjoyed very much.
But despite how obnoxiously unfocused it is, its highs peak so high that I can easily recommend this game. I'm a solid fan of this studio now, and I'm glad this game ended up being so successful. I hope that you support this game as well, and that you enjoy it more than I did.
This is one of the prettiest pixel art games I’ve ever played, just wish it was more interesting or exciting to actually play
This review contains spoilers
Usually, games either focus more on the gameplay aspect, or the story aspect. For example, Call of Duty games are mostly focused on gameplay, and many JRPGs are focused on story.
Metroidvanias usually focus on gameplay through adventure, progression of the character, and combat.
Owlboy does not follow this formula, and instead focuses on its story… but I’m not too convinced it does it that well. Or at least well enough to cover up the stale, boring gameplay and combat.
The story was.. ok. I didn’t really get too attached until the last third of the game. But even as the credits rolled I still didn’t fully understand what was going on, and I’m not sure that I cared. I looked up a few explanations for the ending and it seems like although there are some definite facts on what happened, a lot of the ending is left up to conjecture by the player.
The gameplay is sorely lacking in this game. Enemies are sparse, combat is painfully dull, and even the bosses are meh. You play as Otus who only has one attacking move, but it doesn’t actually damage most enemies. Your damage comes from the friends you make along your journey, and you carry them in your talons so that they can help you fight. One has a pistol, one has a shotgun, and one has webs. But they all basically do the same thing when it comes to fighting. They each have a secondary ability, but those are for getting past obstacles. All that to say that fighting in this game comes down to flying around and holding down the trigger. Also, I was so disappointed when they have been showing me this big, bad villain and how unstoppable he is the whole game, and then you don’t even get to fight him? Lame.
Random small point but Owlboy also doesn’t have a map, which I always hate when it comes to metroidvanias.
Now, I will sing a few praises for the game. It is absolutely stunning pixel art. I mean the depth to each screen, the diversity of areas on the map, and the beautiful colors used make this game shine. I could seriously look at this games art for hours.
Another thing I loved about this game was its wonderful cast of characters. And I’m not just talking about the main characters, but almost every npc you run across is delightful in some way. I found myself getting a good chuckle multiple times in an otherwise dark story.
Owlboy is… ok. But it isn’t a game that I will play again. If gameplay suffers a ton, then I really need the story to be A+, and to me it just isn’t.
Metroidvanias usually focus on gameplay through adventure, progression of the character, and combat.
Owlboy does not follow this formula, and instead focuses on its story… but I’m not too convinced it does it that well. Or at least well enough to cover up the stale, boring gameplay and combat.
The story was.. ok. I didn’t really get too attached until the last third of the game. But even as the credits rolled I still didn’t fully understand what was going on, and I’m not sure that I cared. I looked up a few explanations for the ending and it seems like although there are some definite facts on what happened, a lot of the ending is left up to conjecture by the player.
The gameplay is sorely lacking in this game. Enemies are sparse, combat is painfully dull, and even the bosses are meh. You play as Otus who only has one attacking move, but it doesn’t actually damage most enemies. Your damage comes from the friends you make along your journey, and you carry them in your talons so that they can help you fight. One has a pistol, one has a shotgun, and one has webs. But they all basically do the same thing when it comes to fighting. They each have a secondary ability, but those are for getting past obstacles. All that to say that fighting in this game comes down to flying around and holding down the trigger. Also, I was so disappointed when they have been showing me this big, bad villain and how unstoppable he is the whole game, and then you don’t even get to fight him? Lame.
Random small point but Owlboy also doesn’t have a map, which I always hate when it comes to metroidvanias.
Now, I will sing a few praises for the game. It is absolutely stunning pixel art. I mean the depth to each screen, the diversity of areas on the map, and the beautiful colors used make this game shine. I could seriously look at this games art for hours.
Another thing I loved about this game was its wonderful cast of characters. And I’m not just talking about the main characters, but almost every npc you run across is delightful in some way. I found myself getting a good chuckle multiple times in an otherwise dark story.
Owlboy is… ok. But it isn’t a game that I will play again. If gameplay suffers a ton, then I really need the story to be A+, and to me it just isn’t.
great game with some beautiful artwork that really shows off just how long it was in development, I don't remember a whole lot from when I played it in 2016 but I remember enjoying every second of it and it left me wanting more, if asked to describe its tone my elevator pitch is "Nier for kids"
This game was beautiful and its soundtrack kicks ass, plus it has some really rad boss fights. I just wish the moment to moment gameplay wasn't sooooooo... blah. The stealth sucked and the game crashes too much.
I enjoyed my time with Owl Boy. The art style is great and the story was a lot better then I expected. The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The platforming, flying around, and puzzle solving are great. The shooting I felt was a bit uncomfortable and cumbersome for me which is bad because it's a big part of the game. Overall it's a good game and short enough to play in a few days
I understand the appeal of powerscaling, but I think it's very boring when its just comparing how strong someone is and not about powerful shit like the weed that guy on the hub's bathtub was smoking.
Un apartado artístico y sonoro excelentes desperdiciados en un título burdo y torpe en cuanto a la experiencia jugable y narrativa se refiere, aunque intenta evocar el sentido de la exploración se estanca ofreciendo una aventura lineal con un pobre desafió.
This game felt like a jack of all trades but a master of none. It felt like it almost wanted to be a metroidvania but it's not. Almost wanted to be a zelda-like but isn't. Almost wanted to be Paper Mario-like but isn't. Still think it was one of the most polished indie games I've ever played, the art, music, animation, attention to detail are all a home run
Lato artistico è molto bello, dalla pixel art al character design, dalla qualità delle animazioni a diverse tracce nella OST. Purtroppo, tutto il resto è un po' banalotto e il game loop ha finito col rompermi le balle senza mai vedere una concreta evoluzione: la novità chiave è quella che permette di teletrasportare su di sé uno dei propri companion, ma questo a conti fatti diventa solo un modo per alternare nell'immediato la propria modalità di attacco. I puzzle, poi, non sfruttano affatto questa meccanica e risultano essere un po' troppo triviali anche a causa di ciò. Peccato
This and Iconoclasts, for me, fall in the camp of robust and perfectly good brawler-platformers which really do nothing new or exciting
Someone once described Owlboy to me as a “good piece of wax fruit.” Having taken a big ole bite of that fruit, I can certainly see where they’re coming from.
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked, 2,800/2,800 coins, 3/3 gold tokens. Owlboy is a well-designed, somewhat unusual 2D platforming adventure. The game sees you taking control of Otus, a young, mute owl, who, despite being branded a disappointment by his mentor, finds himself exploring the world with a view to thwarting a pirate plot threatening the destruction of his community. Being an owl, the usual running and jumping platforming mechanics are supplemented by Otus' ability to fly, alongside various shooting mechanics afforded by the cast of companion characters who accompany Otus on his journey.
Controls are responsive, the game world and various areas are interesting to explore (albeit with a few secrets perhaps somewhat too well-hidden) and there's a touching story driving the game forward - and then absolutely beautiful pixel-art graphics. While it would benefit from a built-in map as it's quite easy to get lost in a few of the areas, aside from that it's hard to find much to say about Owlboy that isn't positive!
Controls are responsive, the game world and various areas are interesting to explore (albeit with a few secrets perhaps somewhat too well-hidden) and there's a touching story driving the game forward - and then absolutely beautiful pixel-art graphics. While it would benefit from a built-in map as it's quite easy to get lost in a few of the areas, aside from that it's hard to find much to say about Owlboy that isn't positive!
Worth playing for the music and art alone
Dunkey maybe led me astray on this one. Amazing soundtrack, beautiful pixel graphics and decent story but the puzzles were not very good and the gameplay wasn’t very exciting from what I recall. Maybe I’ll pick it up again.
feel like i have to intro every single scathing review of an indie game with "gosh i sure hate being this guy but". but we must be honest. this game is extremely boring. it's mechanically subpar for a modern metroidvania (controling yourself in midair is loosey-goosey, there are no maps or warps, and lord forgive me if i find the progression system in this game to be underwhelming). why do indie games keep trying to have an epic story and characters. i think games need to stop trying to tell stories explicitly and instead tell implicit stories rooted in experience. make your game fun and/or engaging, or don't bother.
Lovely to look at, but boring to play. It's going for a big ZELDA adventure-y feel but both the story and the gameplay are really missing something important that would normally keep your interest in a game like that. The controls, the combat, and the world design are pretty clunky, but that's probably the worst you can say about it. It's playable. It's structured fine. I can see someone enjoying this if they don't have anything better to do. But I kind of feel like I do!
Really needed some kind of hook that it doesn't have. Phenomenal sprite art and a classic blue-sky action/adventure gamefeel aren't enough.
Really needed some kind of hook that it doesn't have. Phenomenal sprite art and a classic blue-sky action/adventure gamefeel aren't enough.
every time a visually stunning indie game with a long-ass dev cycle has shitty combat and tons of flaws in general, an angel loses its wings.
this one took me years to finally get through, and for good reason. there's a lot here that just... doesn't feel fun. combat is pretty bad - even though owlboy's mechanics are fairly unique and fun to get acclimated to. you don't do enough damage, swapping between characters is clunky, sometimes aiming with the controller doesn't feel right, and every hit slams you against a wall and stops you from doing anything for several seconds. i think i got through every boss by face-tanking half the hits and just hoping i didn't die before it did.
there's also no map at all - which for a game like this is really bad. while the game itself is decently linear, you're put off from looking for any collectibles or secrets after you're done with that area out of fear of getting lost or just never finding something.
my least favorite part, however, were the stealth sections. personally, stealth sections are my least favorite gimmick in any game - they're slow, boring, and the stakes often don't matter so i just end up making a mad dash whenever i can. owlboy is filled with TONS of these - and each one is worse than the last. pirates will see you behind cover, the safe areas are few and far between, and don't even get me started on the bugs. NONE of these are executed well at all.
i kinda hate to tear into this game so much, because tbh it IS really beautiful - and despite all these downsides i don't hate it. it's got some of the best spritework of any game i've played, the music and worldbuilding are spectacular, and while i didn't get the best ending i loved the story regardless. the character designs are great too - your main cast is a ton of fun, and the NPCs and enemies have great designs as well. there's a ton to like in this game, but there's also a ton to dislike. give this one a try if you don't mind getting slammed against a wall every few seconds i guess.
this one took me years to finally get through, and for good reason. there's a lot here that just... doesn't feel fun. combat is pretty bad - even though owlboy's mechanics are fairly unique and fun to get acclimated to. you don't do enough damage, swapping between characters is clunky, sometimes aiming with the controller doesn't feel right, and every hit slams you against a wall and stops you from doing anything for several seconds. i think i got through every boss by face-tanking half the hits and just hoping i didn't die before it did.
there's also no map at all - which for a game like this is really bad. while the game itself is decently linear, you're put off from looking for any collectibles or secrets after you're done with that area out of fear of getting lost or just never finding something.
my least favorite part, however, were the stealth sections. personally, stealth sections are my least favorite gimmick in any game - they're slow, boring, and the stakes often don't matter so i just end up making a mad dash whenever i can. owlboy is filled with TONS of these - and each one is worse than the last. pirates will see you behind cover, the safe areas are few and far between, and don't even get me started on the bugs. NONE of these are executed well at all.
i kinda hate to tear into this game so much, because tbh it IS really beautiful - and despite all these downsides i don't hate it. it's got some of the best spritework of any game i've played, the music and worldbuilding are spectacular, and while i didn't get the best ending i loved the story regardless. the character designs are great too - your main cast is a ton of fun, and the NPCs and enemies have great designs as well. there's a ton to like in this game, but there's also a ton to dislike. give this one a try if you don't mind getting slammed against a wall every few seconds i guess.
It is difficult to find a more sumptuous pixel-art than Owlboy's, which has the triple merit of an exceptional artistic direction, detail in the sprites and diversity of the animations. It would be cruel, however, to sum up the game solely on its graphical prowess, as it is also a tasty breath of fresh air in adventure platformers – which have sometimes been a bit too quick to embrace the Metroidvania route. The title features a coherent world and a story that, without reaching heights of finesse or complexity, brilliantly hits its target. Some may find the outpourings of pathos somewhat forced, but they echo some of life's most painful issues: what does it mean to remember? what does it mean to be appreciated by others? Owlboy oozes with answers to these questions, aided by a rich cast of characters, whose personalities are carefully delineated. The game puts an emphasis on its narrative, interspersed with gameplay phases – exploration or dungeons. In fact, the mechanics are relatively simple, but properly oiled to work in specific contexts. At times, however, some flaws are particularly noticeable. The canon mini-game is surely one of the most horrible of the genre and the choice of the last chapter to remove an essential mechanic leads to a certain frustration. It is the game's abundance of content, coupled with a solid coherence, that allows us to put aside these flaws. Finishing the game in its entirety allows us to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and to understand the delicateness of the writing. This poignant writing perhaps teaches the true virtue: humility. This is probably what characterises Owlboy, as a video game, the most.
I will go to my deathbed without ever beating this game
The most frustrating platformer I played in a really long time. Screw the spamming bosses, screw low damage you deal, screw hitboxes, screw getting thrown off walls after each hit, screw this game honestly. 5/10
Art looks fantastic, gameplay didn't snag me.
Very hard one to rate, this one. After finishing it, I came away with a very positive impression indeed, but the more I think about it the more cracks under the surface seem to appear.
In general, the gameplay was mostly fine, but felt underdeveloped in many places; lots of concepts get introduced and then abandoned before exploring their potential, and the inconsistent quality of some of the more experimental moments of the game make it feel a bit like a 'throw everything at the wall and see what sticks' approach. For the most part, nothing was so poor to detract from the game too much in my opinion, but I found a lot of the levels too big and empty, the camera too zoomed in, the player moved too slowly and there were quite a lot of instances of enemies or hazards attacking from offscreen.
What I enjoyed about the game more was everything around the gameplay. The story was decent; there are a few major plotholes and contrivances that stack up towards the finale, but the emotional beats are done fantastically well. I particularly like how the game is not afraid to make the characters (and by extension the players) witness some truly horrific things, and doesn't shy away from showing how these things affect them. The characters are definitely the best things about the game, and it does an excellent job of conveying emotion through nothing but text and very well done sprite animations.
Everything added together, I think this game is either average or fantastic, so I split the difference for the score!
In general, the gameplay was mostly fine, but felt underdeveloped in many places; lots of concepts get introduced and then abandoned before exploring their potential, and the inconsistent quality of some of the more experimental moments of the game make it feel a bit like a 'throw everything at the wall and see what sticks' approach. For the most part, nothing was so poor to detract from the game too much in my opinion, but I found a lot of the levels too big and empty, the camera too zoomed in, the player moved too slowly and there were quite a lot of instances of enemies or hazards attacking from offscreen.
What I enjoyed about the game more was everything around the gameplay. The story was decent; there are a few major plotholes and contrivances that stack up towards the finale, but the emotional beats are done fantastically well. I particularly like how the game is not afraid to make the characters (and by extension the players) witness some truly horrific things, and doesn't shy away from showing how these things affect them. The characters are definitely the best things about the game, and it does an excellent job of conveying emotion through nothing but text and very well done sprite animations.
Everything added together, I think this game is either average or fantastic, so I split the difference for the score!
Owlboy is to me, a classic adventure platformer. The mechanics are great, the pixel artsyle with the ancient/anthropomorphic characters and solid story make this a solid game. It reminds me of Mega-Man in a way, but stands on its own.
Such a shame how boring this game can get when the plot is pretty interesting, some songs are fire and most importantly it looks absolutely stunning from the beginning to the end.
The characters are really expressive and have memorable designs, the lands you walk on are have great patterns and the background (and sometime foreground) are so detailed and beautiful and have amazing parallax it's... it's the best looking pixel art game I've played.
I'm not familiar with its development cycle, I just know it began a billion years ago so I assume they spent most of the time working on the artstyle. Also the fact I haven't been waiting for this game since its announcement is part of why I'm not being as harsh on it as other people I guess.
The gameplay is very unsatisfying however. The basic and spider shots feel weak, the fire canon takes way too long before you can fire again and because we can just fly around the battles feel weirdly boring as you can go about anywhere in the room, unless you're in a tight passage. The dungeons were pretty well thought out so I'll give it that.
Anyway it was overall pretty disappointing but still a fine short game with a ball-busting artstyle and an "average gameplay", whatever that means lmao.
The characters are really expressive and have memorable designs, the lands you walk on are have great patterns and the background (and sometime foreground) are so detailed and beautiful and have amazing parallax it's... it's the best looking pixel art game I've played.
I'm not familiar with its development cycle, I just know it began a billion years ago so I assume they spent most of the time working on the artstyle. Also the fact I haven't been waiting for this game since its announcement is part of why I'm not being as harsh on it as other people I guess.
The gameplay is very unsatisfying however. The basic and spider shots feel weak, the fire canon takes way too long before you can fire again and because we can just fly around the battles feel weirdly boring as you can go about anywhere in the room, unless you're in a tight passage. The dungeons were pretty well thought out so I'll give it that.
Anyway it was overall pretty disappointing but still a fine short game with a ball-busting artstyle and an "average gameplay", whatever that means lmao.
A game that took 10 years for the developers to finish was done in about 9 hours, according to Steam. They were not a bad 9 hours, mind, but to be honest it wasn't fantastic, either. Serviceable gameplay that actually does a lot of interesting stuff with the mechanics over the course of the game, lovely if forgettable music, beautiful pixel art and a simple, run of the mill story (with some nice characters) all combined to make a game that felt a bit hollow to me, as if it needed some more time in development, even if it took 10 years already. Its pretty light on content, especially if you're like me and don't really do any completionist stuff, because all the game has besides the short story is collecting shit. Get it on sale, if at all.
Breathtaking pixel art and combat that fucking SMACKS
Very pleasant game to play with a strong message. I wish it had some form of fast travel to make backtracking less of a chore, but otherwise it's a wonderful game.
Couldn't bring myself to finish this one because it bored me to death, which is pretty impressive since it's only about 10 hours long. It's a shame since the visuals are gorgeous, but none of the gameplay, story or characters actually captivated me enough to see it through.