Owlboy

DOES IT RULE THE ROOST?

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Few games are as beautiful to look at as D-Pad Studio’s Owlboy. It appears to have been plucked from the 32-bit era of sprite design, where developers continued to push the limits of sprite based technology while everyone else around them was fully embracing the 3D revolution, and it’s all the better for it. Owlboy immediately catches your attention from its gorgeous-looking title screen and continues to awe you with its meticulously detailed visuals that look truly stunning in places. The floating islands that lead character Otus lives on are awash with rich warm colours, while the world itself pulses with life thanks to all the tiny details that have been crammed into each screen. Characters are full of personality, while cutscenes are brimming with fine detail and are full of atmosphere. It’s a pity then that the mechanics of Owlboy fail to match its delightful looking visuals.

Owlboy is full of interesting game mechanics; it’s just that many of them suffer from disappointing implementation. Take standard shooting, for example. Otus can carry companions who can use their weapons to take down enemies. The lock-on system isn’t the best, though, and it’s all too easy to not line shots up or accidentally lock on to the wrong target. Switching between characters (all of which have different abilities) can also be tricky at times, making