Facing misfortune in a stunningly immersive world. Owlboy could be summed up with that single statement, but the platformer by D-pad Studio breaks with modern tendencies and brings back, in its own way, the old essence of gaming. Cheesy but loving friendships, joyful worlds menaced by evil, and a pinch of innocent humor. The golden era’s clichés come alive in a title that doesn’t fear to approach gameplay through a beautiful atmosphere, and a heartful tale. Almost ten years of development make sense when you find yourself flying Otus, the Owlboy, through an incredibly detailed hi-bit scenery while listening to Jonathan Geer’s captivating soundtrack.
Owlboy Review – High Flyer, Chosen Flaws
In a place where islands roam the skies, a small village hidden between the clouds emerges: Vellie. It’s one of many towns where humans and hybrid-like owl people live together, sharing a colorful world in the heights. The house farthest down is where the young mute Owlboy Otus lives. From the beginning, he isn’t the coolest hero around. Actually, he’s just a kid, and quite an unpopular one. His master doesn’t think much of him, owl kids mock him, and his only friend is Geddy -a goofy defense mechanic who’s constantly jumpy, but also thriving for adventure. You don’t get a dream roster of knights right away; Owlboy is a story about a group of outcasts with fears, tender dreams, and a will to face their own difficulties.
In a journey that guides you through ancient old temples, buried dark ruins and gigantic flying ships, the silent Owlboy looks for a way of stopping the sky pirates threat for good. His race’s past, once powerful, could be either Otus’ key to success, or the end of everything as he knows. This game isn’t the regular platformer you’d see nowadays, trying to fill your screen with as much bullets and enemies as humanly possible; but at the same time, it isn’t a full-on puzzle game like Inside or Limbo. Owlboy stands in the middle, almost being like a storytelling title trapped in a magnificent 2-d pixel world. It shines on its narrative and art, but on the way to that hill it made some sacrifices.
First of all, the gameplay is ruled by simple mechanics. You can walk, roll, fly, spin attack and -more importantly- carry. You see, Otus isn’t much of a fighter, and he can’t just dive into a fire lizard; instead, he chooses to carry his friends around for extra on-air support. It’s a neat little feature, you pick up your allies and gain control of, for example, Geddy’s blaster. This is the kind of detail that boost immersion. Putting the cast on a relatable level where they aren’t all mighty, but actually cover for each other’s weaknesses. Again, it’s all about the cast and the narrative; every aspect of this game focuses on bringing the world’s story and its characters feelings to life.
It’s an understandable consequence that there’s no struggle to find in terms of gameplay. Don’t get me wrong, Owlboy’s playthrough is as polished as it gets, but it isn’t a game you’ll battle with. The game will get progressively harder; going from skirmishes with rock-throwers to facing a raging mechanical toad is quite an upgrade. Nevertheless, the game is devote to the writing and it embraces the concept of inexperienced heroes, which reflects on the type of encounters you face.
EVERY ASPECT OF THIS GAME FOCUSES ON BRINGING THE WORLD’S STORY AND ITS CHARACTER’S FEELINGS TO LIFE
Boss fights usually are a matter of wit; puzzles will ask for attention, but without trying to fry your brain; and finally, stealth missions are recurrent, usually to avoid enemies out of the young party’s league. As a result, the playing pace slows down. It works wonders for the intended narrative style, a novel-like aim that makes a cinematic out of your playtime; but on the other side, players not fond of this might lose interest or find the interruptive lore tiresome.
In other ways, some recurrent video game features are simplified to avoid unnecessary distractions. That’s the case of the upgrade system. It consists in gathering coins and reaching different caps to unlock trinkets at the Buccanary’s shop. Pay a visit every once in a while, laugh at the shop keeper’s temper and off you go with your new power-up. Another example is the tutorial itself, that serves as an introduction to the main character’s mind; through scene filled with Otus’ insecurities, the game both teaches you the basics while also making you empathize.
There’s a simple reason to follow the developer’s lead to a slower run, the art direction is truly stunning. To any retro lover, Owlboy is eye candy at its finest. The game surprises with details in animation, especially gestures, emotions, and expressions; Otus might be mute, but joy lights up his face, and sorrow changes his manners completely. Combined with proper sound effects, each conversation acquires tone and gives a hint of the current mood. Where action lacks, an intense atmosphere comes as backup. Stealthing through pirates wouldn’t be the same without blazing cannons firing in the runway; war and fire raining down the sky; and the orchesta striking with tense chords, winds and percussions in this scene worth comparing to escapes seen in Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee.
Owlboy offers an unique experience through a vision of beauty and mended mistakes. The grass moves with the wind, your wings flapping echoes through caves and there’s a small chance that everything isn’t gonna fail horribly. D-pad Studio’s creation excels as an audiovisual story; it has its flaws as a proper game, but they seem acknowledged. When the experience is a its lowest, the game manages to throw a twist, a heart warming moment, or an unexpected hilarious line to force you back in track.
Far from perfect, but highly improved by the artistic deliver, Owlboy‘s story and lore is intriguing and charming. Issues appear when matters like the sky pirates’ future is quickly dispatched into thin air; or settings that could’ve been shown more -would have been great to see more of Advent’s glory. In any case, it is something to talk about. Owlboy carries a bit of the classic’s magic, even The Legend of Zelda feels present with the new trinket animation.
Take a break, relax with Toby at the hot springs; camp out with the party and chat, then wake up to a rising sun and lively tunes; or cross paths with a fancy fish in the strangest place. It is a title to enjoy and blow off some steam, so forget about hardcore challenges if you want to give this tale a go.
