Owlboy

 Switch
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 175 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 175
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 175
  3. Negative: 19 out of 175
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  1. AnatolGoodnor
    Aug 18, 2023
    7
    Charming, linear 2D-game with great visuals and good music. Not really Metroidvania, because the exploration is missing. I do like the general gameplay, although the control scheme takes a bit of time getting used to. The level design is pretty okay. Starts strong, but feels unfinished and as if a lot of content was cut in the latter parts of the game. Overall the story is fine, with a fewCharming, linear 2D-game with great visuals and good music. Not really Metroidvania, because the exploration is missing. I do like the general gameplay, although the control scheme takes a bit of time getting used to. The level design is pretty okay. Starts strong, but feels unfinished and as if a lot of content was cut in the latter parts of the game. Overall the story is fine, with a few twists. But the selection of the last boss is just not clever at all. Really promising start, but falls short in the end.… Expand
  2. Han_theReal
    Dec 10, 2022
    8
    Nice looking puzzle platformer with beautiful soundtrack, cool story, characters and fun gameplay.
  3. duey2k
    Sep 6, 2022
    8
    Owlboy is an absolute treasure! It captures the heart of the Gameboy Advance system, tosses in some Shantae and gives you a pirate adventure with a heart of gold!

    This is one of my Top 10 games that most people overlook.
  4. poggomobile
    Jun 16, 2022
    5
    it's ok... cute art and interesting idea, but I don't know... it just keeps losing me. Whoever created it is good, but needed to spend more time making the playability a bit better I think.
  5. bitterologist
    Dec 25, 2021
    5
    The art style is lovely, and the music is nice. The central mechanic is thematically neat (you can only succeed with the help of your friends), but also nonsensical and kind of redundant. There are some neat sections of gameplay, but most of it is sub-par. There are quite a few difficulty spikes, stun-locks and an overall clunkiness to the controls which makes large swathes of the gameThe art style is lovely, and the music is nice. The central mechanic is thematically neat (you can only succeed with the help of your friends), but also nonsensical and kind of redundant. There are some neat sections of gameplay, but most of it is sub-par. There are quite a few difficulty spikes, stun-locks and an overall clunkiness to the controls which makes large swathes of the game feel more like a chore than something enjoyable. Also, the lack of a map really hurts the game. I got as far as the monkey boss, but that's where I ran out of patience.… Expand
  6. B-Bog
    Sep 26, 2021
    5
    I _really_ expected more from this game. It draws you in with an interesting concept, beautiful pixel-art and an intriguing narrative, but kinda falls apart when it comes to the actual gameplay, mostly due to hacky dungeon-design and a horrible control scheme. The difficulty curve is all over the place, the enemies mostly don't present a fun challenge but are just annoying pests that slowI _really_ expected more from this game. It draws you in with an interesting concept, beautiful pixel-art and an intriguing narrative, but kinda falls apart when it comes to the actual gameplay, mostly due to hacky dungeon-design and a horrible control scheme. The difficulty curve is all over the place, the enemies mostly don't present a fun challenge but are just annoying pests that slow you down, the exploration suffers from the lack of a map-screen and too many dead-ends that only become relevant in the post-game, the reload time for the shotgun is straight-up ridiculous, and getting knocked down and dropping your partner EVERY TIME you get hit is just infuriating, especially since after you have fallen, you'll often have trouble even locating your character on screen. The latter is not exactly helped by the TOTALLY overblown screen color-shifting effects that'll make you wonder if you have accidentally installed f.lux on your Switch. I also found the post-game lore revelations to be really disappointing (so, if you were wondering, no, collecting the Golden Disks isn't really worth it if you haven't already done so in the course of your normal playthrough). Like, c'mon guys, the game is over, there's probably not going to be a sequel, just spill the tea already, what happened?… Expand
  7. thehairyscreame
    Jun 29, 2021
    8
    This is a very good game made by talented people who put their hearts and souls into this. However there are a few issues with the game, for example the game is really easy for the majority of the game, but the last two boss fights and the last section of the game are really difficult out of no where. The story is really good and the music is even better but the random difficulty spikes isThis is a very good game made by talented people who put their hearts and souls into this. However there are a few issues with the game, for example the game is really easy for the majority of the game, but the last two boss fights and the last section of the game are really difficult out of no where. The story is really good and the music is even better but the random difficulty spikes is what really brings owlboy down a few pegs.… Expand
  8. Attegun
    Mar 7, 2021
    6
    Seriously overrated, a game with a good idea for the mechanic behind it, but is poorly realized trough unsatisfactory level design and the story wouldn't be if more fleshed out, but it comes out as rushed, trying to make me feel sad for characters that I didn't care for that much.
    Its good pixel can't hide the fact that this game is really not fun, and the controls are worse than
    I    Seriously overrated, a game with a good idea for the mechanic behind it, but is poorly realized trough unsatisfactory level design and the story wouldn't be if more fleshed out, but it comes out as rushed, trying to make me feel sad for characters that I didn't care for that much.
    Its good pixel can't hide the fact that this game is really not fun, and the controls are worse than
    I thought. They're not straight up bad, but feels uncomfortable to play.
    It took me two weeks to finish just because I didn't want to get back to it.    … Expand
  9. Gontrand00
    Dec 8, 2020
    7
    A beautiful platformer with some really nice moments, but that has some bad points in it.

    -The controls are so not intuitives that even after 5h of playing the game I still mess some commands -You character feels somewhat sluggish and that absence of fluidity sometimes just make you so weak against any ennemies -There is one thing I would literally erase from the game if there was a    A beautiful platformer with some really nice moments, but that has some bad points in it.

    -The controls are so not intuitives that even after 5h of playing the game I still mess some commands
    -You character feels somewhat sluggish and that absence of fluidity sometimes just make you so weak against any ennemies
    -There is one thing I would literally erase from the game if there was a patch : the fact that your character fall down EVERY TIME you get hit by an enemy. It is such a bad idea since, not only it kills your flow, but it also makes you have a great disadvantage against any enemy, since you have to get up and fly again to just go back to being equal with them. It's even worst when they hit you near a wall since you'll also hit the wall, then fall down to the ground. All this literally takes 3 secondes every time. A good thing is that dying doesn't really have consequences, but still. It's utterly frustrating because, again, it's a platform game. Anything that can easily kill your flow or makes things unfair because of bad controls really waste the potential of the game.

    I stopped playing around 2/3 of the game since it was lacking rythm, the world design wasn't at his best and I always felt that the fight were kinda unfair. I don't get why they put so many controls on every buttons where they easily could have mashed some together.

    Wait for a sale. I got it for 5$.    … Expand
  10. alan2pc
    Nov 17, 2020
    5
    I’m the type of player that doesn’t get drawn in much by art, music, and story. Don’t get me wrong, those things can put a great game over the top. But for the most part, I’m looking for gameplay. And I felt like Owlboy failed her. I didn’t enjoy the gameplay at all. I put in about 2 hours playing this game and decided it wasn’t for me. My 8 year old nephew said his friend had theI’m the type of player that doesn’t get drawn in much by art, music, and story. Don’t get me wrong, those things can put a great game over the top. But for the most part, I’m looking for gameplay. And I felt like Owlboy failed her. I didn’t enjoy the gameplay at all. I put in about 2 hours playing this game and decided it wasn’t for me. My 8 year old nephew said his friend had the game too, and thinks it stinks as well. So, there you have it, kids and adults both agree.… Expand
  11. moothemagiccow
    Nov 12, 2020
    6
    This game is all right, but it's in love with its story, which is really weird. If you enjoy watching someone getting yelled at by their abusive boss and looking sad all the time, all the while being unable to skip the cutscene, check out Owlboy.

    Whoever said it's a Metroidvania does not know what a Metroidvania is. The game is linear. As a whole, the game is frustrating because it    This game is all right, but it's in love with its story, which is really weird. If you enjoy watching someone getting yelled at by their abusive boss and looking sad all the time, all the while being unable to skip the cutscene, check out Owlboy.

    Whoever said it's a Metroidvania does not know what a Metroidvania is. The game is linear.

    As a whole, the game is frustrating because it does a bad job explaining itself. If there's a specific way to beat an enemy, it's not clear about it. If you can't shoot something, there's no audio or visual indicator that it doesn't work, you just keep shooting it and nothing happens. In one instance, I was supposed to throw its weapon back at it, but it was unclear whether I could just pick up the weapon or if that would hurt me. It becomes a matter of trial-and-error, which just wastes time. It fails to explain itself in the global sense, too. It tells me things like "go find Geddy!" and I seriously can't remember who Geddy is, and I certaintly don't know where he is.

    The game can be frustrating, but is at least somewhat forgiving. Whenever you encounter a challenge and get killed, it starts you back pretty close to where you left off.
    There are also a few bugs, which is surprising as it's 2 years old and has been patched a few times.    … Expand
  12. Theobaer
    Jun 13, 2020
    5
    Lovely crafted, lovely looking yet only mediocre adventure-platformer, that I would really love to rate high, but it's story and gameplay couldn't attract me too much and I don't feel any urge to pick it up (plus, there are plenty alternatives out there, that feel way more statisfying to play, so why would I force myself into playing it, you know?).
  13. Ondik
    Apr 23, 2020
    4
    Really disappointing game. Starts of promising, but takes turn for the worse. Very bad level design, that only highlights how the controls are unpresice and very unintuitive. Stopped caring about the story and will probably not finish the game, because it has lost it's charm. And that is shame, because it looked like masterpiece from all the reviews.
  14. thryce3
    Apr 9, 2020
    9
    Beautiful throwback graphics, endearing characters, and a touching and fairly deep story. The gameplay is interesting and fun. Damn that cannon mini-game though.
  15. Meeleepit
    Mar 4, 2020
    4
    For some reason i struggled immensely to finish this game not for being hard but being so dam boring .

    The pixel art is stunning but the game itself is very frustrating ,the world layout does not make sense.

    it was a schlep to traverse from one part of the map to the next.

    Controls was horrid on this game.
  16. Eldarvoe
    Feb 21, 2020
    6
    I love how this game looks, it has one of the best (if not the best) pixel art visuals I've ever seen, but unfortunately I didn't like gameplay or the story that much.
  17. sjogro
    Feb 6, 2020
    6
    Bad; controls are icky, gameplay lacks some real fun, lack of ingame options (such as save/load/map/fasttravel), lineair storytelling and gameplay segments become boring after a while. Good; original story, original world, great graphics and music score. Conclusion: Some parts are just intolerable and annoying to go over and over till it’s finally done. The world is confusing and certainlyBad; controls are icky, gameplay lacks some real fun, lack of ingame options (such as save/load/map/fasttravel), lineair storytelling and gameplay segments become boring after a while. Good; original story, original world, great graphics and music score. Conclusion: Some parts are just intolerable and annoying to go over and over till it’s finally done. The world is confusing and certainly could benefit from a simple map. Or even some fasttravel points. Yet I’m glad I gave this a shot. From the start it reminded me a little of Kid Icarus Of Myths & Monsters on the GameBoy, which really got me excited. After playing through I wouldn’t really recommend this game as much as I thought I would when I had just played the first part. Not really for new Switch owners but if you’re bored on Switch and haven’t tried this yet it’s definitely worth a go.
    Also: I think some reviews are pretty harsh because the makers gave us a smell of something really interesting.    … Expand
  18. chr1so
    Oct 21, 2019
    7
    An ok side scroller/metroivania. Most of the game exploration-wise is just decent but the boss fights were the real highlight here and helped make it a solid 7 for mine.
  19. s3cond
    Sep 21, 2019
    8
    Owlboy is almost perfect. Just a wonderful pixel art game with nice graphics. The animations and the story are absolutly nice to see and the music is just great. The control scheme is not that easy and its possible that your game can crash, but this isnt that often. I can recommend you this wonderful game, just buy it!
  20. Cedoch
    Aug 30, 2019
    9
    Excellent game ! Worth the price. Musics are beautiful. If you like the 2D games, don’t hesitate!
  21. jcolin
    Aug 1, 2019
    6
    It's a fairly fun adventure game but the roguelite elements really hold it back. Unlike some other rogue lites where you may die but you've earned some upgrade that will carry over, in this one you simply respawn at the start. Basically, just try, try, and try again. In the roguelites i like, things get easier the more you die as you get strong enough to beat the challenge. In this one ifIt's a fairly fun adventure game but the roguelite elements really hold it back. Unlike some other rogue lites where you may die but you've earned some upgrade that will carry over, in this one you simply respawn at the start. Basically, just try, try, and try again. In the roguelites i like, things get easier the more you die as you get strong enough to beat the challenge. In this one if you're really stuck on a level thats just it. You're done.… Expand
  22. CodyWanKenobi
    Jun 21, 2019
    5
    Owlboy is NOT a masterpiece. After playing through the entire game, I was shocked at all of the high reviews that swayed my buying decision. I got this game at half price and I still feel that I paid too much. I cannot understand why anyone would call this game a masterpiece. Don't be fooled. There are so many other indie games out there that are much better than Owlboy. Skip this one,Owlboy is NOT a masterpiece. After playing through the entire game, I was shocked at all of the high reviews that swayed my buying decision. I got this game at half price and I still feel that I paid too much. I cannot understand why anyone would call this game a masterpiece. Don't be fooled. There are so many other indie games out there that are much better than Owlboy. Skip this one, unless you can get it under $10.

    The GOOD: Art style is occasionally pleasing. Geddy (Otus' friend)

    The SOSO: The music and sound was okay but overall, forgettable. Not like some of the other comparable indie games like Hollow Knight. The controls and gameplay often felt weird. The mechanic of carrying your friends was new and fresh but it didn't really grab me as something that I wanted more of. Having to grab, pull up, then consume a piece of fruit to restore my health felt too long and drawn out for such a simple task.

    The BAD: Boss fights! During more than half of the boss fights, I had no idea what was happening. Every boss was defeated on the first try and each felt like... "what just happened?" The main villain, Molstrom... you never even fight!? Such a strange choice. The shop to buy "upgrades"??? was pitiful. You get hats, which have no explanation but essentially provide you one free hit before taking damage. You have a handful of health upgrades and a couple lackluster gun upgrades. I wouldn't have hated the character upgrade system so much if there were an adequate fast travel system. Thinking of backtracking to old areas to find forgotten coins (especially when Otus flies so slowly) was laughable. You've got cannons everywhere, why not put in a fast travel system? And if somehow I missed access to an existing fast travel system, then that is pretty poor game design. The world was horribly designed and very boring. I was excited to go to advent and see an actual town, but it gets destroyed and has no purpose, the rest of the world is just a few islands here and there. I felt that I was in a game with a world patched in a built around the game rather than in a real world that could exist for the story. The story was convoluted. It was either hard to follow or I was not invested/interested enough to even care about what we were doing. There were so many moments, such as the owl temple? up in space, where you can't fly, that dragged on and on. I kept going because I wanted to finish the game. I wanted to see if it would get better, but nothing about the story motivated me to finish. Character loyalty and development was very poor. I had no reason to be invested in the townspeople of Vellie, yet my whole purpose was to help them? I was so lost and unattached throughout the whole game. The times when I was supposed to be drawn into the story with backstory or other events seemed forced and out of place.    … Expand
  23. Corificness
    Apr 28, 2019
    9
    A beautiful game with a great story and even better gameplay. It's a different styled metroidvania game in that you are often flying most places and carrying your friends to use as weapons. The game was never too hard or too easy, very well planned. I think my only complaint was that it was hard to get all the stuff to complete each area 100%. Seemed like you had to find some things theA beautiful game with a great story and even better gameplay. It's a different styled metroidvania game in that you are often flying most places and carrying your friends to use as weapons. The game was never too hard or too easy, very well planned. I think my only complaint was that it was hard to get all the stuff to complete each area 100%. Seemed like you had to find some things the first time through the area or it was forever lost. The game looked great handheld and on the tv and had some great music throughout. I loved exploring each area in the game, trying to find all the hidden nooks and crannies.… Expand
  24. MegamanAT
    Apr 1, 2019
    0
    most overrated game ever. lousy controlls, bad story, bad leveldesign. no worth 20 bucks. more a 5 $ game.
  25. iMustang
    Mar 24, 2019
    8
    This was a cute story about a mute humanoid owl going on an adventure to stop pirates wreaking havoc, while also trying to overcome his own inner demons. While occasionally somber, the colorful cast of characters bring a lot of smiles to your face throughout this small journey. The pixel art found throughout the game is up there with the best classics, but the music is on par with AAAThis was a cute story about a mute humanoid owl going on an adventure to stop pirates wreaking havoc, while also trying to overcome his own inner demons. While occasionally somber, the colorful cast of characters bring a lot of smiles to your face throughout this small journey. The pixel art found throughout the game is up there with the best classics, but the music is on par with AAA titles without question. The gameplay is also a fun challenge and feels like a hybrid of classic Mega Man and Legend of Zelda all in one package. If you’re looking for a fun peaceful journey to go on, Owlboy is worth picking up. It’s not perfect, but it’s a beautiful game made with a lot of soul.… Expand
  26. Deckard2
    Nov 12, 2018
    9
    You would be forgiven for assuming this is just another in the long list of metroid-vania's to hit the Nintendo Switch. However, once the initial first steps are taken into young Otus' journey to save his home land of Advent your heart will be warmed as you start to care about the tale that unfolds before you.

    A story of an underdog overcoming adversity, it is once a gain a testament to    You would be forgiven for assuming this is just another in the long list of metroid-vania's to hit the Nintendo Switch. However, once the initial first steps are taken into young Otus' journey to save his home land of Advent your heart will be warmed as you start to care about the tale that unfolds before you.

    A story of an underdog overcoming adversity, it is once a gain a testament to the game and its writing as to how much you begin to care about your pixelated heroes. The music is soaring, the gameplay satisfying and by the time the credits rolled I was well and truly invested in my merry band of adventurers.

    Don't let the fact that this is another in a long line of 2D side-scrolling metoridvania's put you off. This is an adventure worth taking and a rare gem that should be experienced if you have a Switch.    … Expand
  27. IFLiden
    Oct 18, 2018
    8
    Owlboy is a fantastic game. The story and the characters are charming and you have an absolute gem of a soundtrack. The music is incredible. The art is pretty and you can really tell the developers took their time with this game.

    To be able to pick this up for 18 euros factory sealed was a no-brainer for me and it plays so well on the Switch. The only down-side of the game - in my    Owlboy is a fantastic game. The story and the characters are charming and you have an absolute gem of a soundtrack. The music is incredible. The art is pretty and you can really tell the developers took their time with this game.

    To be able to pick this up for 18 euros factory sealed was a no-brainer for me and it plays so well on the Switch. The only down-side of the game - in my opinion - is that although the great story, the game kind of plays by itself.

    The sense of exploration wasn't really there for me, but the world still feels rich. The story kept me intrigued until the end.

    Definitely worth your moneys.    … Expand
  28. jeffbizloc
    Sep 24, 2018
    3
    Played through about 3 hours before I decided this wasn't a game for me

    Pros:
    - Early on it was a nice casual game

    Cons:
    - Controls felt poor
    - I did not like not having a map
    - Just generally thought this game was nothing special, I joked I wouldn't of thought this was good in 1985
  29. drlowdon
    Sep 23, 2018
    7
    Owlboy is a 2d platform-adventure game from independent developer D-Pad Studio. Players take control of Otus who, following a pirate attack on his sky village, sets out to stop the pirates causing any more harm.

    Owlboy is a great looking game combining beautiful 2d graphics and smooth animation with a soundtrack to match. The gameplay is fairly old school but, for the most part, fairly    Owlboy is a 2d platform-adventure game from independent developer D-Pad Studio. Players take control of Otus who, following a pirate attack on his sky village, sets out to stop the pirates causing any more harm.

    Owlboy is a great looking game combining beautiful 2d graphics and smooth animation with a soundtrack to match. The gameplay is fairly old school but, for the most part, fairly entertaining during the opening half of the game. Unfortunately Owlboy does cross the line from challenging to frustrating in its latter stages with the inclusion of one hit kills, bullet sponge enemies and increasingly large spaces between check points. I never felt as though I didn’t want to see the game through to the end but by the time the end credits rolled, after around 10 hours of gameplay, I can’t say I was dissapointed that the game was over.    … Expand
  30. TheSeahorse
    Aug 31, 2018
    6
    Owlboy is a weird game to review. I want to love it but it has so many flaws that I end up only ”kind of liking it”.

    The art, music and characters are what carries this game. It’s crazy how good pixel art can look when done correctly. The characters are funny and likable which makes the story more interesting (even though it’s a pretty basic story). Owlboy has a beautiful world and a    Owlboy is a weird game to review. I want to love it but it has so many flaws that I end up only ”kind of liking it”.

    The art, music and characters are what carries this game. It’s crazy how good pixel art can look when done correctly. The characters are funny and likable which makes the story more interesting (even though it’s a pretty basic story).

    Owlboy has a beautiful world and a very unique game play idea that unfortunately doesn’t work that well. 2D platforming with no boundaries doesn’t work. The game tries to make it work but the flying always feels somewhat clunky and you end up bumping into things you didn’t mean to all the time.

    The game is a bit short (took me 6 hours) but it still felt like a chore to complete the last two hours. There just isn’t enough ”game” in this game, it’s more of a visual novel. And when the novel part isn’t great the game isn’t great either.

    Overrated    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best Switch Game of 2018
33
#33 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
63
#63 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. XGN
    Jun 11, 2018
    90
    Owlboy is amazing thanks to it's fantastic set of characters and an incredible world to explore. The game has beautiful pixel art and great dialogue that will make you laugh out loud. The only downside is that the game crashes for no reason sometimes.
    Read full review
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Jun 1, 2018
    80
    If you called Owlboy a piece of art, I would nod my head and agree wholeheartedly. This game, in visuals alone, is a masterful achievement. For those breath-taking visuals to be matched by equally beautiful characters and unique gameplay moments just elevates it even further. The beginning of the game is a bit too slow, and sometimes the gameplay was merely okay, but those are minor blemishes on a video game experience that is absolutely worth your time, and definitely worth the decade that it took to bring it to life.
    Read full review
  3. Everyeye.it
    May 7, 2018
    80
    Too bad that the conversion for Switch brings some problems, as a scheme of commands not always intuitive and annoying crashes that could damage the enjoyment of the experience.
    Read full review
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