Owlboy steadily mixes combat and exploration with measured stealth challenges, fast-paced escape sequences, and entertaining exchanges between characters. Standard combat isn't anything special, but it never wears out its welcome thanks to deft pacing. Owlboy is consistently charming and surprising, and when its final act doubles down on every front, it's bittersweet to see it end. Knowing that success comes from a show of skill rather than your ability to collect upgrades is gratifying, but you walk away from Owlboy with the sinking feeling that the equipment and upgrades in the game have unrealized potential. Still, a keen eye and fast reflexes are more critical to success than any upgrades purchased during your adventure.
Owlboy game upgrade#
There’s a modest upgrade system driven by collecting and turning in coins found in chests, but you're upgrading health reserves-in the form of soup canisters-and your team's weapons, not physical traits. Otus is unfortunately a tad slow by default, which causes you to spam his dash move repeatedly to keep things moving along outside of combat. However, with the help of a handy teleportation device, he can summon one of three partners into his claws mid-flight to utilize their long-range blaster, shotgun, or webbing that can ensnare enemies and be used as a grappling hook to escape dangerous situations. On his own, Otus can only dash into enemies, stunning them at best. They typically bombard you with rocks and other projectiles, rarely engaging in close-quarters combat. Your trek to the pirate's den takes you through expansive spaces and into the heart of sprawling cave systems where buccaneers and wildlife alike lie in wait. When the dust settles and the second half of your journey kicks off, sprightly piano compositions provide a much-needed respite from the stress of a society under attack. Violas and flutes instill merriment at first, but this innocence is short lived when the pirates invade, oboes drone and cellos growl to the slow beat of a heavy drum. When you first take control of Otus, darting around floating islands and chatting with other creatures makes for a pleasant experience, and while the open air and bright colors deserve some credit, it's the orchestrated soundtrack that solidifies Owlboy's shifting atmosphere and tone. And if you have a soft spot for 2D games with multiple layers of parallax scrolling-where the background moves slower than the foreground to simulate depth-you're in for a treat. From subterranean creatures to ancient structures, Owlboy tackles several artistic themes and subjects with consistently impressive execution. In tight spaces, you're brought closer into the scene for more intimate inspection. When you enter wide-open spaces, the camera zooms out, chunky details shrink, and meticulously designed structures and environments take shape. It may be a throwback of sorts, but Owlboy's visuals aren't tailored to specifically ape 8- or 16-bit graphics it doesn't have a limited color palette, and its pixel resolution changes based on the scene at hand.
Owlboy tackles multiple artistic themes and subjects with consistently impressive execution. Coupled with a script that's rife with emotion and nuance, Owlboy's characters feel real in your heart despite their cartoonish look. There's great attention to detail in the cast's animations, which are often tailored for a specific scene, as opposed to falling back on routine reactions. Sad moments aren't swept under the rug by unreasonable optimism-they stay with your squad and fundamentally alter their outlook on the mission and their own identity in surprising ways. The plot manages to avoid predictability, however, not only through a handful of twists, but by allowing characters to evolve throughout the course of the game. Owlboy is old-school, not just in its presentation, but also in its storytelling-there’s no voice acting, and events are set in stone with nary a major decision-making opportunity in sight. Otus teams up with a military mechanic, Geddy, to put a stop to the pirates before their home is destroyed. Trouble brews shortly after he wakes up and concerns of pirate sightings explode into panic as a nearby metropolis comes under attack. It's a powerful setup that endears our hero to you. It begins with Otus-our mute protagonist and the runt of his village-during a stressful dream where his professor and dark figments criticize his inadequacies and chastise his inability to speak.
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