I've said YES to recommend BUT be warned it's tricky to control. Took long enough to get out of the main menu and actually start the game - Couldn't navigate the cute little owl to the New Game option and couldn't see any mouse cursor to select. Could just be my machine.

When the game actually loads the visuals and music are adorable. The main let down again are the controls. If this is by design then It's a bit frustrating and not in a "super Meat boy" difficult kinda way.

It might just be my terrible ability but this is a cool concept and cute enough game. Give it a go.

⠀

There are some glitches in it but the game is still pretty nice & cute.

The game can be finished within an hour and feels both fun and creative to play through. -Getting in and out of the hollow can be a little tricky until you figured it out, so don't let it fool you. The best thing about the game, in my opinion, is the sound effects and the music, which was made from basically any common household item you'd find in your apartment.
Try it out and feel the vibe.

This is easily my pick for GOTY 2022. I have the soundtrack on repeat 24/7. I'm looking forward to seeing the Any% speedruns.

All that said, this is a wonderful labour of love. You could do much worse than to spend an hour of your time with a wholesome and lovingly crafted platformer. Do yourself a favour and allow yourself to be charmed by a genuine and sincere developer. I'll bet you a nickel you come away wistful and smiling.

Owlone in the Woods is a wholesome game where you play as an owl. You play as a mother owl who is going out to collect food for your babies. While doing this you are struck by lightning and pass out. When you wake back up you come to find all your baby owls missing and know you must retrieve them. You go on a wild adventure avoiding foxes, ants, porcupines, and more so you can get your babies back where they belong. This game is not that long but not that short so I'll give it credit for being a good length game to be free. I would tell you to play this game if I told you what to do, but I don't tell you what to do. I do highly recommend you play it though.

'Owlone in the Woods' is a free pixelated 2D platformer where you play as an owl who flies off to hunt for food for its 4 owlets but unfortunately gets struck by lightning injuring it and taking away most of its mobility. Now with the inability to hunt for food efficiently, the owl returns to its nest to find even more unfortunate news as all four of its owlets are now missing! It then sets off on a journey to rescue them all and return them home safely while also collecting mice to feed them. It's actually not a terrible game and is relatively short having around 20 or so minutes to its name. I did have a few gripes about it but they weren't big enough to warrant a negative review.

'Owlone in the Woods' actually offers quite a few features for a platformer this simple by implementing multiple ways to move around the level such as dashing, climbing and even flying. Despite this, you don't get to perform these actions right from the get go due to the lightning injury that incurred but instead, you recover a set movement for each owlet you save ultimately unlocking all movement options at the last level. Something else I appreciate is how the developer was able to create a tutorial and mix it in with the introduction to the game. It was seamless and tells the story to the player as well as teaches them how to play.

The main menu was also something I haven't really seen before in a game (especially one this simple). It basically consists of the player in their nest along with their 4 owlets but the catch is that you can actually move and jump around as if you were actually playing the game. The only difference being it's the main menu and you select menu options by moving towards it and using the action key. I guess there are games that do this but for a simple, short and free game like this, it's rather surprising.

Now when it comes to actually playing, the game is relatively responsive but there were many times where climbing or flying wouldn't register and I'd fall and get hit by a fox or take fall damage. A lot of the game also takes place in dark environments so your vision is limited on top of having controls that aren't the most responsive. Another gripe I have with this game is that the level design isn't the best. There were two points in the game where avoiding damage (to my knowledge) isn't possible. You will always take a hit no matter what because the game doesn't give you a big enough window to avoid taking damage.

Aside from that, the level design is okay but can come across as confusing since darkened areas of the environment aren't in the foreground like they usually are when it comes to games. Brighter areas instead are in the foreground when they would normally be on the same plain as the player. This could disorient some players and cause them to die but thankfully, checkpoints are plentiful and there are no game overs as you have infinite lives despite only being able to take 2 hits before dying. All in all, 'Owlone in the Woods' plays fine apart from the trivial pet peeves that I have about the game but fortunately, it doesn't derive from the fact that the game is still a nice, decent and short platformer.

As mentioned, there's some sort of delay when it comes to the controls registering and it can ultimately get you killed which could be annoying if you're going for the "0 hit" achievement. The game does at least show you how to play the game in it's own quirky way but it doesn't change the fact that the game is a bit finicky to play.

'Owlone in the Woods' adopts a very pixelated style that I honestly have mixed feelings with. Although I don't mind pixelated games, this take on it doesn't sit right with me. It's pixelated yet somehow detailed giving off a very grainy look and that's most likely what's throwing me off. That being said, since most of the game is in darkness, it didn't particularly bother me too much but I must admit for someone who isn't bothered by most visual styles, this one bothered me a little.

Very basic but not to the point where it feels as though the developer couldn't care less about how the game sounded. There aren't many sound effects and there's only one soundtrack that plays throughout the game. The sound effects themselves feel basic and cheap and the music is forgettable but thankfully none of them are obnoxious in any way, shape or form.

'Owlone in the Woods' is a relatively short 2D platformer where you play as an owl out to rescue its 4 owlets. The gameplay is okay for the most part with some form of progression involving obtaining new ways to manoeuvre. The game controls a bit finicky and doesn't have the best level design but none of these gripes break the game in any way. It's not terrible and can be finished in less than half an hour so if you're into short, casual platformers, this ones a penniless one that you can give a go.

I LOVE IT
GOOD GAME

A nice and cute game!

Simple, cute and lots of charm. This free game is fun and I really enjoyed my time with it.