The King's Bird

The King’s Bird offers up a unique platforming experience through its gameplay and design, that leads to some pretty spectacular moments. The feeling of flying is captured masterfully here, and simple controls that are hard to master keep you coming back until you finish the story. The sound and art design, while done before give unique spins that make the world all the more rich in detail. While the story is nothing to write home about, only a handful of other small issues really caused me any annoyance or trouble while playing, and I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a good stress reliever or an excuse to unwind at the end of the day.

Through its minimalist silhouettes, you get a cliched tale of oppression and freedom. The simple haunting music sets a tone. Platformers are one of the oldest genres of video games, and while this one controls differently, it is still a classical platformer at heart. But you want to hear the protagonist sing. You want to fly. She wants to fly. And in video games, there’s nothing more powerful than the moment that the player and the character’s desires become one.

There is definitely a magic to it and a draw that I found compelling.

Despite its shortcomings, the game still manages to maintain its own balance and strong identity, which emerges above all in the artistic sector.

An excellent platformer that is as beautiful as engaging and challenging. It has some flaws,like its sometimes imprecise controls, but as a whole, is an entertaining experience.

Overall the controls are intuitive and responsive, with the game working with you to complete its levels, but every once in a while, certain mechanics felt a little off. Thankfully there’s a wide array of accessibility options, and while hardcore gamers may lament this approach as overly casual, the optional nature means that The King’s Bird can be enjoyed by all.

Developer Serenity Forge might not get away with the whole artistic storytelling approach in the backdrop, but up front, The King’s Bird — while not without some unnecessary frustration to begin with — does deliver, where it matters, on its challenge and integration of physics to end up a satisfying precision-platformer overall.

There are a few issues holding The King's Bird back from being a true standout hit, but those who like their platformers to be a bit avant-garde, should be able to appreciate this virtual ride, along with speed run enthusiasts.

The King's Bird has unfortunately a frustrating level design and a gameplay that lacks of precision. After some really pleasant initial moments, including flying features, the game unfortunately become too tricky for the player.

If you enjoy a challenging platformer, The King’s Bird will test your limits. Even if you don’t, it is at least important to note what the indie title is able to accomplish with its physics. Still, a lacking progression system, threading the needle difficulty, and bad camera work currently hold The King’s Bird back from being a great game, and it is instead merely a good one.

Handsomely silhouetted by muted ancient structures, The King’s Bird has you gliding, tumbling, and ricocheting through a voiceless world of wonder. Its momentum-based mechanic is a clever take on the platforming genre, providing as many moments of pure glee as moments of pure aggravation. The King’s Bird lacks the variety and detail necessary to elevate it into a masterwork, but it packs more than enough of a challenging punch to be worthy of a platforming enthusiasts’ attention.

Rich gameplay concepts and lush aesthetics caged by suffocating level design and a weak story. The constant clash between free, flowing movement and repetitive, often claustrophobic levels puts a damper on the entire experience.

Difficulty has its place in platformers, but there are games where too much challenge can distract from the core conceit. A King’s Bird locks you in a hopeless cage when all you want to do is fly.