Owlboy Review

[Guri]

Owlboy is a love-letter to classic platform games of years gone by. You play as Otus, a half-owl, half-boy, whose only ability is really to fly, dodge and dash. The key to defeating enemies in this game are the many allies and friends that Otus has. There are 3 main allies that Otus is able to pick-up and have along his side in sticky situations. The 3 allies have a rifle, shotgun and web shooter respectively. The game is also an artistic and musical marvel, in my opinion this game is a must play just because of the effort going into making this game, it looks and sounds amazing.

Dash and Shoot

As I have said Owlboy has just 3 moves on his own and that is the ability to fly, dash and dodge. He is also quite slow moving around the beautiful levels. Even when you have picked up one of your allies, your playstyle largely remains the same when it comes to the movement mechanics. While he does have upgrades for you to unlock none of them change the way you play drastically. This is both a good and a bad thing. It’s slightly bad in the sense that it feels like the upgrade system could have been used better, BUT this is a good thing simply because it ensures that when you do finish a dungeon or a mission or even the whole game it feels like it was because of your skill and not because the game made itself easy for you.

Don’t judge the game by it’s cover

On first look this game might look like an artsy cute kids game, but don’t let that fool you. Even playing this game for a little while will make you realise how much depth it has. There are 3 aspects to what makes this game beautiful: the art design, soundtrack and the story. I’ll explain each one individually.

This game took 9 years to complete. Why did it take so long? This game is one of the few hand drawn pixel-art games in the market right now. And it shows. You can see the care taken to draw and design each bit of this game. When an enemy dies there is a smoke cloud that goes up and you can see a face on it! Small things like that is what makes this game stunning to look at. There is a lot more, but it is better for you to discover this on your own.

The soundtrack and music for this game is a treat and is able to keep up with the art design as well. There are a plethora of instruments that come in to play at just the right time to keep you hooked. At the start, the soundtrack on its own makes you feel like you are about to go on an adventure not just in this fantastic game but also in real life. And yes, this game does take you on adventure in real life with your emotions in its amazing story telling.

The story is about an oddball by the name of Otus who is always put down by his professor and mentor. It goes over his adventures as he tries to save his tiny village and how his relations with various members changes and evolves. I do not wish to spoil anything about the story, so I will stop here but it is an amazing tale.

Money well spent!

The game doesn’t take too long to complete and while you can replay it, there will be nothing like that, first time experience of this game. It also doesn’t cost too much and what it offers is perfect for the price. If you are wondering, as to whether or not you should buy the game, not to worry as it is definitely worth picking up and will keep you hooked throughout!

Reviewer: Anonymous Source

Rate: 9/10