A Bird Story

I really am getting sick of animated novels passing themselves off as a game. In this 'game' get ready for it to play itself, all actions that are not part of the script are nonexistent. Also get ready for this 'game' to take over you char to move it, make actions with it, explore etc. In fact, there is no REASON FOR YOU THE PLAYER TO PLAY THIS GAME it makes all the actions, all the decisions, all the exploration for itself. you are merely given the illusion of connectivity with moving the char to chosen action points whereby the game then takes over. boring, dull, bland artwork idiotic as a game. interesting as a graphic animated novel. Now just freaking label it that way instead of continuing to con customers out of money who think they are getting a point click adventure game. 2 points for music

it's a movie. go on youtube and watch it for free... really, you can't do anything in this "game"

I spent my last night playing To The Moon. Everybody already told that is a touchy story with a wonderful soundtrack, but after you wiped your tears you say "yea, but where was the game?" Freebird should have learned from that lesson a basic ingredient for a GAME is GAMEplay; good storyboard, acceptable graphics and an astonishing soundtrack with almost no interaction at all is like building a Ferrari around a lawnmower's engine. A Bird Story follows the same path: good appearance, even less interaction. I started playing two hours ago, ended half an hour ago. One hour and a half of boredom.

This is not a game. It is an animated short story that takes just over an hour to walk through. The story itself is sweet but a bit thin and, more importantly, your input is barely required. I have nothing against narrative-leaning games. I thoroughly enjoy things like Gone Home and Oxenfree. But all the things that make something a game - choice, interaction, exploration, player self-expression - are present in those and designed out in A Bird Song. You will spend most of that hour watching the avatar, for long stretches of time, programmatically perform all the actions you should be taking yourself as the player. Then you'll be given control back for as much as 30 seconds just to walk the little guy to the other end of the screen or the front door, at which point the program takes over again. I bought this, er.....let's call it a work...because I am a fan of the maker's previous one "To the Moon". If you haven't played it yet, get that one instead. It shows off the creator's tenderness to better effect with the additional benefit of not locking you out as a participant. As a side note, I've wondered where something like this should more properly be sold and what it should be called. It shouldn't be on Gog. It's not a game. But it is an artistic expression. Hmmm. Perhaps at the very least we could do with a category that indicates something that is several degrees of interaction less than "narrative game" or "interactive story" so that people who come on here expecting (quite rightly) to buy a game aren't inadvertently diddled. "Animated story" perhaps.

A Bird Story is not a game. It's not interactive fiction. It's a superb pixel-animated film. While playing this game, it's clear that it shouldn't be a game. There is no player choice or challenge. The player is on a fixed path and his actions are limited to exactly the actions necessary to continue the narrative. He can't change the narrative and explore the consequences of different choices. Despite the above, the story is touching and the dialogue-less narrative is an accomplishment, conveying emotions, conflict, and the scope of the world with only its visuals and sound. For this game, my advice is don't be a player. Find a playthrough online and be a viewer.