Owlboy

Very very good old-school platformer game with an interesting story and pleasant controls! The graphics are beautifully crafted and show that even 30+ years later, pixel art has its way to feel relevant. Same applies to the music that is very distinct! Having said that, I'm maybe growing too old (impatient) with games, and the game felt a bit longer than I'd want it to be - not by much, but I wish it would end at 75% of its current length. Not to say that it is "long", or repeated, on the contrary: It felt well paced and I'm sure that a 10-15h game for others would be considered a short one at that. But as I grow older I see myself valuing my time more, so I'd rather that the developers spent their resources in cramming more value of gameplay/assets inside... 5h of game-length. I'd rather finish the game and feel "damn, I need more!" It's a strange request I'll admit it, but hey, Hollywood spends millions of $$$ in making 120min long experiences and we gladly pay the admission ticket - similarly games don't have to be long to be memorable!

Everything is just top-notch. The story is amazing, the soundtrack feels like this little imaginary world itself is singing it and its all coupled with the most exquisitely crafted visuals i have ever seen in a RPG. I heard this studio spent quite a few years making this game and it was all worth it because they created a work of art that stands out even to this day.

If I could give it a 4 and a half or even a 4 I'd do it. While I'm capable of doing the latter, I'd prefer not to hurt the devs; they deserve support for this game despite a few of its unfortunate flaws. First things first. Its short. I got just under 10 hours out of it. You'll probably get more if you have the patience to get all the coins but I did not. I got a more important "collectible" and the ending (I don't know if there's a true ending or not so I might get a bit more out of it). One of the game's biggest flaws is that it just flat-out needed more to it in terms of content. Another flaw to point out is that its overly forgiving. While the core gameplay is challenging and honestly incredibly fun, the game is so forgiving that it might as well not be a factor. If you lose/game-over you start where you were or at the nearest checkpoint which is often very close to where you were; I also think damage done to you during boss fights was reduced or something. I feel like making the player replay some portions would've been a fine way to extend content and make the game more memorable as a result, as just breezing through everything makes it harder to do the latter. Plus since the gameplay was fun it wouldn't have been a problem Despite these flaws, the game is charming in its characters, writing and world. The biggest flaw here is that it just needed more of everything and the ending, to me at least (and I might be the only one) felt unsatisfying. I feel like I needed more time with these characters. I still liked them but... I didn't grow as attached to them as I honestly should have for a game like this. Another excellent point in the game's favor is its stellar and well-thought-out design. One example is a boss that is basically built for only one character in your party to beat, and the fight's "story" and dialogue is designed by that forced choice. Its marvelously tragic once you get to that point. Anyways give it a shot, give some money and be happy!

Old pixel graphics style, good music and sound, moderate history and almost good balanced all Boses and difficult level (except last two and last map - I fled more like playing Japan arcade style game that typical platformer). Overall max 5 hours of play, xbox pad is must for this title...

I played for an hour or so, and the gameplay is good, and the graphics and details are amazing. But you get constantly interrupted wherever you go where your character can't move and you have to listen to dialogs or watch the camera pan left and right showing you what secret / door you opened. It's very distracting and takes away the flow of the game. Also making it feel very scripted. I never had this issue with other games like Flashback, Another World or any other 2d sidescrollers. I will give it some more try later on.