Owlboy

 PC
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
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  1. Riot Pixels
    Feb 22, 2017
    71
    All in all, it's a decent platformer worthy of your 10-20 hours of free time. But, as far as metroidvanias go, there is so much stuff to improve in the potential sequel, for example, a map, a teleport system, a bag of collectable items and lots of well-hidden secrets.
  2. Edge Magazine
    Jan 5, 2017
    70
    With a smart, wry script, a warmly uplifting narrative and a likeable cast, this is a game with its heart in the right place, even if some of its other parts feel a little out of whack. [Jan 2017, p.123]
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  3. Gamer.nl
    Dec 13, 2016
    70
    Owlboy looks amazing and has a soul, but the story is a let-down. The gameplay gets interrupted all the time, which is frustrating.
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Nov 1, 2016
    What a treat. And a surprisingly deep one, with compelling moments you’ll want to talk about. It’s a pleasure to control, it has impeccable difficulty balancing to keep you moving forward while always feeling like you’re being skillful, and all in the prettiest of pretty pixel graphics. Triumphant.

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PC Game of 2016
66
#66 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
57
#57 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 273 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 182 out of 273
  2. Mixed: 60 out of 273
  3. Negative: 31 out of 273
  1. Tubey
    Nov 15, 2016
    5
    So much time and attention has been spent making this game visually gorgeous, with an impeccable pixel art design. Mechanically, it's OK too -So much time and attention has been spent making this game visually gorgeous, with an impeccable pixel art design. Mechanically, it's OK too - solid controls on offer with varied and somewhat unique ideas.

    The problem is the game forgets to be the one thing any game NEEDS to be at its' core to be a success - and that is actually fun to play.

    Too many levels are the same thing - pick up a friend, shoot a few things or whatever, and solve puzzles. The combat barely ever changes, and the puzzles all seem samey with each stage having one puzzle that sets it out, but you then do that like ten times in the space of fifteen minutes.

    Everything just feels far too confined - there's only one way to do anything in the whole game, and you do it over and over again. It reminds me strongly at the faults in Final Fantasy 13 - one massive, visually impressive corridor that you trundle along doing the same things time and time again.

    It's irritating too, as I really wanted to like this title. As it stands, it's one of those that's worth a punt if it ever drops down to around a fiver at most.    … Full Review »
  2. zatta
    Nov 8, 2016
    5
    The game plays well and is mechanically consistent, and the graphics are superb. The main problem with this game is the action is stopped farThe game plays well and is mechanically consistent, and the graphics are superb. The main problem with this game is the action is stopped far too much to watch boring dialogue and in-game cut-scenes. The game holds your hand too much, and it is too linear. There's a lot of running to new locations killing some enemies on the way, then stopping to watch boring cut-scene, repeat over and over.. There are cool boss fights, but they're not exciting enough to merit all of the forced dialogue you have to slog through. The story is alright but the characters are not interesting. There's too much story and not enough actual game. The developer designed a game for people that like story-driven experiences with minimal effort to complete. Owlboy is exactly what I do not want my 2D games to play like, too easy and boring. If you grew up on Nes/Snes/Genesis games, and you like games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: SOTN, chances are you're gonna be bored. It looks pretty, and some people (casual gamers) are going to love it _because_ it's easy and hand-held, but I personally want to play games, not watch them.… Full Review »
  3. globogim
    Nov 12, 2016
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Alright, I just beat Owlboy after 7 hours of play (too much of which was cutscenes for my taste). I did not 100% it, though I did do some of the extra content.. It was alright, but highly disappointing. Wait for a sale.

    George Weidman (Super Bunnyhop on Youtube) described this game best: "I love you, but sometimes you're a piece of ****

    TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE:

    I believe the game at on point exited to desktop suddenly without warning. However, I can't replicate this. What I'm certain it did was minimize itself at points without warning, despite me only using a 360 controller. This happened a couple of times, and may have something to do with using a second monitor.

    There were a couple of framerate hiccups that frankly shouldn't have been there considering the style of game, but it wasn't anything harmful to the experience.

    You have some options for graphical settings, though not many. Understandable for the style of game.

    PRESENTATION:

    Lots of wonderful, stunning pixel art that I appreciate thoroughly. Animations are also nice, though there are unfortunately not many of them to see. Characters can emote, and Otus is a precious cinnamon bun, but after the 50th time he gets spooked or looks dead-eyed you kinda wish there were more things they could do. However, what's there is very nice.

    Menus worked alright, UI was fairly minimal and unintrusive. You have options to change parts of the UI, which is appreciated.

    There was a surprising amount of the screen going a single colour (white or red) due to shooting an enemy or something, and I found that pretty jarring.

    GAMEPLAY:

    This is where Owlboy just tanked for me. The first couple of hours were enjoyable, even if largely scripted. The ability to fly is nice, though it ultimately may have done the game more harm than good. In Owlboy you can fly indefinitely without consequence, which must have posed many problems for level designers trying to make a challenging 2D "platformer".

    It is more of an exploration-based game like Zelda or Metroid, but the only real exploration is done in the game's dungeons. There's some rudimentary puzzle solving, stealth sections, and shooting enemies, standard stuff. However, I never got into a flow like you might in a Zelda dungeon, where you start being unable to do very little to progress and by the end, can do everything in it. It didn't feel like Metroid either; I never felt lost, I never felt I had to explore much more than one or two screens over to find my next path to progress. The level design isn't particularly complex or elegant.

    Case-in-point, there was a section where you pass some deadly moving blocks into a room with a giant screw blocking your path. I'd never seen anything like it prior, and couldn't figure out the solution. There was a terminal window in the room, but all it said was a bunch of vague stuff about the story. I tried to leave the area, but found the deadly moving blocks would kill you no matter what timing you used, so all I could do was try the screw again. I did end up progressing, but from what I could tell, nothing prior taught you how to do it, and the solution was not even slightly in-line with anything shown before. That's poor level design, even if I'm just bad at puzzles.

    The real boss fights, while good when present, were far too scarce. Several "boss fights" were nothing more than waves of common enemies thrown at you, which was disappointing. This also exacerbated what I feel was the absolute biggest problem: the shooting. It's laid out like a twin-stick shooter, but the weapons at your disposal either don't feel remotely satisfying to use, taking far too many shots to kill, or are just impractical for combat. A shotgun you get halfway through has a preposterous cooldown, which is awful when it's used for several repetitive puzzles. Most of the game you'll be mashing a single button to shoot, just because they found it necessary to give your gun a 3-shot burst if you don't do that.

    Combat isn't just repetitive and time-consuming, it's also frustrating. When you get hit, the whole screen stops moving for a fraction of a second and you get flung in a seemingly random direction. If you hit a wall or an enemy, you also slide along that wall for a period of time. This looks good to a viewer, but when you're playing, it just feels like the controls are being yanked from your hand.

    CLOSING:

    I'm sure you can get something like double the time I spent out of this game, but I'd never want to do so. The game works fundamentally, but it's just not very fun after a while. The art is beautiful, but the game lags behind, trying to compensate by shoving story beats in your face.

    If you want pretty art and a bland game that might have you dying more than you expected, but not because it's difficult, go for it. I'd wait for a sale.    … Full Review »
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