Analysis of the platformer Owlboy or “Make indie Great Again”!»

“Mediocrities, with millions of dollars, advanced game engines and the most modern technologies, make mediocre games that we forget immediately after finishing, and talented ones can create masterpieces from a handful of pixels that can touch the heartstrings of even the most stingy of emotions among us.”.

Today the industry is replete with various indie projects: good and bad, stylish and tasteless, original and mediocre, amazing and just the kind that may make you lose the desire to play anything for a long time. Although it is worth admitting that there are now much more bad indie projects and the attitude of the majority of players towards this layer of the industry is more negative than positive — largely thanks to Valve and its Steam Greenlight, which, although it was successfully covered up in the spring of this year, has already managed to “get into trouble” in the history of the industry, having contributed, probably, to the release of the largest amount of low-grade slag in the entire history of the same industry (although what else can you expect from a company that first made masterpieces, like Half-Life and Portal, and then descended to milking unscrupulous players through Dota card games and various skins for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). In general, a separate encyclopedia (or at least an article) could be written about Valve, its modern business model and the consequences of this very model, but I will not go into the details of such an explosive topic.To., firstly, this article is not about that, and secondly, I don’t want to spoil the mood of the already humiliated and offended fans of Portal and Half-Life, whom I certainly understand and respect.

But I started this topic for a reason, because you need to understand that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and Valve with its Steam Greenlight has once again proven the relevance of this catchphrase, as old as time. Intending to create a people’s platform where talent and newcomers from the world of video games could create and sell games without any support from major studios, Valve opened a Pandora’s box from which the most vile and disgusting representatives of the gaming industry escaped, who, in turn, dealt a blow to the credibility of the entire indie segment. Of course, it’s not entirely correct and fair to hang all dogs on Valve because of the spoiled reputation of indies, but if you should scold someone, then it’s probably worth starting with them. That’s why it becomes especially offensive, because because of all this hype, because of the damaged reputation and because of the biased attitude of the players, in all this mess of low-grade slag, real masterpieces are lost, like last year’s platformer “Owlboy”, which will be discussed later.

In general, a rather strange situation turned out to be with Owlboy, for some reason this project was practically not covered in any way on Russian-language gaming resources — no articles, no reviews, no video reviews, not even mentions — 90% of the Russian-language gaming press simply decided to skip this project and I personally don’t quite understand the reason for such indifference, because the project is really interesting and worthy of attention, and this is far from just the opinion of an ordinary, ordinary player like me. Western gaming resources rated Owlboy very highly, and even such mastodons as IGN and GameSpot did not skimp on their assessment, giving it 9.3/10 and 9/10, respectively, labeling the game as “Amazing” and “Superb”, with which I, of course, absolutely agree and, which I also want to prove to you in the future.

So what is “Owlboy”?? Owlboy is a 2D platformer in the Pixel-Art style, built on vertical gameplay, unusual for this genre, and has a special ability to tell a not at all bad story through ordinary pixel images. The developer of the game “D-pad Studio” is a team of 5 people, behind whom there is only one small project called “Savant Ascent”, which most of you have most likely never heard of. This small team is headed by Simon Andersen — a melancholic, little-known perfectionist developer who is afraid of low ratings on Steam and the Metacritic aggregator like fire. Due to a special mindset, a manic desire for perfection and fear of criticism, Andersen rewrote the concept of his brainchild several times and began development from the very beginning. As a result, because of this, as well as due to a number of financial difficulties and depression of the leading game designer, the development of the game lasted for 10 long years, turning an ordinary indie project into a real long-term construction. But whether this game was worth 10 years of development or is it an ordinary platformer, the protracted development of which is associated only with the whims of one person, I will tell you further, but for now you can take a look at this video from GDC 2011, or at the video attached below — there you will find not only Andersen himself, but also part of his small team.

Indeed, the painstaking work of the developers and the desire for perfectionism are felt literally from the first minutes of the game, when we get acquainted with the visual component. Outstanding Hi-Bit Pixel-Art design delights the player throughout the entire game and never ceases to amaze literally until the very end. Each level is made in a special style and is good in its own way, be it floating islands in the clouds, snow-covered expanses or a generally gloomy dungeon, it doesn’t matter, each location here has a personal charm, but at the same time manages not to deviate from the general style. Certain scenes, moments and locations look especially impressive, for example, when the main character enters a location with the symbolic name “Cloud Gardens”, the camera deliberately moves away from the main character in order to let us enjoy the beauty of this place. To be honest, it’s not a sin to put such things on the desktop, of course, if you like such art, and this is really art, without any discounts or concessions.

The local fauna and surroundings, by the way, are alive here: trees move gracefully in the wind, birds chirp, and fish swim in the water, with which, for fun, you can chat. The developers weren’t even lazy and added a change of time of day to some levels, thanks to which one location can radically change its color in a short amount of time, giving you new emotions (how wonderful are the gatherings around the fire and how beautiful is the sunrise). There are also interesting buildings in the game, the design of many characters is also pleasing to the eye, and some are even impressive, I especially remember some bosses, which ones I won’t say, but I think each of you will have your own favorite in terms of visual performance, both among the characters and bosses, and among all the existing environments in the game.

In general, we can say https://nongamstopsites.uk/ that the environment in Owlboy tells its own story — it is not just a set of some beautiful landscapes, but an important game attribute that complements the overall game story and directly affects the atmosphere of the game. The ability to tell stories through the environment is a special gift and talent that is not inherent in all developers, even from the supreme AAA pantheon, so I am especially impressed by the idea that such beauty is created by only 5 enthusiasts without much financial support. The visuals in Owlboy are truly gorgeous and impressive, even though many games in a similar style have been released over the years and Pixel-Art has already set many of us on edge. If you are into design, if you are a fan of Pixel-Art style, or if you are just a connoisseur of all things beautiful, then this game is definitely for you, because it brings a lot of contemplative pleasure and there is really something to see in it.

The excellent picture is complemented by a good soundtrack, which includes both 8-bit compositions for the nostalgic and orchestral melodies for those who like something more epic. Despite the fact that the melodies in the game are significantly different from each other, in the context of the game itself they sound harmonious and, as in the case of the significantly different locations that I wrote about above, do not stand out from the general style. It is important that the soundtrack is quite long and consists of 68 tracks, many of which can be listened to separately, and this is very important for a good soundtrack. Personally, what I remember most is the composition called “The Final Ascent”, which in itself deserves all sorts of praise, and in the context of the game itself, although it sounds only once, it is inserted so correctly and appropriately that the intensity of passions in the pixel work begins to reach its climax and you already get from the game exactly the same emotions as when playing through the best AAA adventure blockbusters. Jonathan Geer, the main and only composer of the game, although he does not have any experience working with large studios, has already managed to prove to players that he knows how to create suitable content and has fully earned the right to work on some big AAA title.

In general, describing your impressions of music in the form of such a text is not the most rewarding and interesting activity, so I suggest you just go to the official website of the composer jonathangeer.com and get to know the author’s work for yourself, or use any of the streaming music services you know to find his tunes, or buy Owlboy Collector’s Edition, which includes the soundtrack in high-quality FLAC format. By the way, this is not an advertisement, no one pays me for this and I don’t personally know any of the developers, at least for now, I’m writing this for especially gifted individuals who, for some reason, may have such thoughts in their heads.

In terms of gameplay, Owlboy is an atypical adventure platformer, 90% consisting of vertical gameplay with a huge amount of action, flavored with walks, simple puzzles and seasoned with a pseudo-role-playing system, which, although it is present here for show, practically does not spoil the main gameplay. There are really a lot of shootouts and action in the game, I was especially pleased with the presence of some exciting “wow” moments (yes, it sounds funny, but even such moments are in the game), the most memorable, for me personally, was the scene with the chase from a huge frog statue and the scene of the battle with the dragon and the further chase with him. By the way, now we are approaching the analysis of some of the most unusual and interesting solutions in terms of gameplay. Firstly, as you already understood, Otus (the main character) has wings and can fly, almost any time and anywhere, and secondly, despite the presence of these very wings and the ability to plow the heavens, our protégé can’t do anything else, by the way, at all — he is mediocrity and incompetence according to the laws of the game universe. The developers didn’t even skimp on leaving him speechless.e. he is mute and no matter how unpleasant it may sound, there really is a certain meaning in such a scenario decision, which I will talk about a little later.

The lack of any abilities of the main character is compensated by the presence of several companions and friends of Otus, who, in turn, serve as the weapon and glove of Thanos from Marvel at the same time.e. they make our loser hero an almost invincible warrior who is not afraid to attack an entire army (although, admittedly, you will have to die quite often in the game, especially towards the end of the story). During the game, we can pick up our companion friend from the ground at any time, or teleport him to us in one click and use him for his intended purpose. What is most important is that you can, and sometimes even need to, switch between characters on the fly — this gives a special flavor and drive to the battles and gameplay in general. A good part of the gameplay here is built on teamwork, for example, in order to defeat some bosses, you need to be able to switch between partners in time.To., where the weapon of one does not work, the weapon and abilities of the other do — yes, this complicates the gameplay and makes some scenes annoyingly difficult, but at the same time much more exciting and entertaining.

Specifically, here there are quite interesting makings for a cooperative passage and, if a continuation of this project is ever released, then it will simply have to have a cooperative in its composition, although I am aware that in order to implement such an idea it will be necessary to make a number of changes to the overall gameplay.

The game is simply replete with various interesting gameplay finds. There is also stealth in the game, and it’s quite good, I especially remember the scene where you had to get to your destination, hiding in the darkness from very unfriendly gnomes, reacting to any small sound, even the flapping of the main character’s wing. There were also scenes in which you need to move through pitch darkness and use any light sources in order to protect yourself from the merciless locusts, just like in some Gears of War. Also in the game you can use the environment to facilitate some tasks, for example, in order to destroy fire lizards, which are called “Molts” in the game, you can use jugs and water scattered throughout the level; it is enough to pour water on your enemy once so that he turns into a helpless statue and falls apart — this is instead of getting into trouble and wasting your strength, nerves and time.

The only controversial part of the gameplay is the leveling system, which is mostly present here for show. It is impossible to press pause, select a skill and increase the level for local currency, in the form of ordinary coins; instead, we must go to a location called Tropos over and over again and there, in a special store called Buccanary’s Shop, buy various improvements, such as health and rare gadgets for weapons. But okay, if there was a choice in this very “shop”, then there would be an incentive to return there and collect coins, but the improvements there can literally be counted on one hand, and even those without which it is quite possible to complete the game. It turns out that due to the almost complete lack of improvements, there is no point in collecting coins at levels, which are scattered in excess quantities throughout the locations. Moreover, there are even secret chests with coins to gain access to which we must clear certain parts of the locations from enemies — this, in theory, should stimulate the player for long battles and yes, this really stimulates, but only until the player finally understands that there is nothing to buy for these coins.

There is one more thing related directly to the Buccanary’s Shop and the RPG system in particular. The problem is that during the next visit to Buccanary’s Shop, we are forcibly given a stupid green hat, which is called “Dorky hat” and we can’t take it off, which, at the time of passing, simply threw me into a stupor. It was later that I found out that in order to get rid of the “Dorky hat”, you simply need to die or take damage from an enemy, but at that time I didn’t know this and was so furious that I simply decided not to visit the ill-fated store in the future. I, of course, understand that the developer simply wanted to make fun of the player in this way, but personally this joke seemed unsuccessful to me.To. Instead of the player having fun with the original sense of humor of the creators, he is given the false impression that the stupid hat is not removable. Although, perhaps I have problems with a sense of humor, I don’t know, but in any case, “forewarned is forearmed,” so I hope this doesn’t happen to you.

The leveling system is the only thing that you can complain about in the game, but still this is not something that can greatly spoil your impressions, because in fairness, even despite all of the above, my overall impressions were not spoiled, because the advantages that the game has completely overshadow all the minor shortcomings, and by the way, I have not yet finished talking about the main advantages of this project, because there is something in the game that deserves your attention.

The story and characters are what really came as a big surprise and revelation to me. I never thought that pixel characters could tie you to you so much and force you to empathize, and the story of, at first glance, the simplest pixel work, can’t let go until the very end. No, there is no overly twisted plot here, although there are a couple of unexpected twists. The story in Owlboy is as simple as possible and even banal at first glance, but the very presentation of this story, the message and manic attention to detail do their job. At some point you stop perceiving the characters as a handful of pixels and they become almost family to you. Otus is the main character, a representative of the “superior race”, who can fly, but is naturally mute and devoid of any abilities or talents. He is constantly forced to put up with the fact that he cannot respond to the humiliation of others, and his teacher and mentor Azio treats him with a great deal of skepticism and initially it is not entirely clear whether he really despises him, or is simply trying to protect him from an impending threat. The relationship between fathers and children is a special theme in the game, which is perfectly revealed as you progress, the main thing is not to skip the dialogues and talk to Azio and other characters at every opportunity. The dialogues, by the way, are excellent here and it’s a pleasure to follow them; I was especially pleased with the presence of a sound sense of humor, as in any good modern film, there are also characters who are responsible for the humorous component.

Each character here is perfectly written, has its own character, its own style of dialogue, special facial expressions and, most importantly, motivation. All characters have motivation to one degree or another, we perfectly understand why the villain does what he does, we understand that Otus goes on the most dangerous journey of his life in order to somehow prove his worth, Gedi goes with him because he wants to take revenge (maybe sounds a little exaggerated, but still), Twig is an indiscriminate adventurer and “Dorky”, ashamed of his origin and his relatives, but at the same time ready rush into the embrasure for them (by the way, my favorite character), and Alfonso just wants to escape from this hell and read some good book. In the story of Owlboy, nothing happens just like that and simply because, without any reason, of course, you shouldn’t expect any revelations that can blow your mind here, but the adventure story that is here is done at a very decent level and it seems that the developers have squeezed out all the juice that can be squeezed out of the story in a pixelated 2D platformer.

For a work in which there are no live dialogues (everything has to be read), no cool CGI videos, cool facial expressions, like in some Uncharted 4, live acting and in general everything that, in theory, is so necessary to evoke some serious emotions in the player — all this is a huge achievement and the developers can only be applauded because, using the most primitive tools of self-expression (in this context, we mean Hi-Bit Pixel-Art), they were able to tell a good story history, and this is worth a lot, especially considering that not all AAA projects can boast of such experience.

In general, if we sum it up, what can we say?? Bottom line, Owlboy is a 2D pixel platformer, devoid of all modern technical
advantages, but at the same time incredibly beautiful, amazing sounding, exciting and fascinating, touching and intelligent — this is a new standard of the genre that we will remember for many years to come, and it is also a clear example of the fact that it does not matter what the creator uses to express himself, what is important is how he knows how to use the means that he has and what he is ready for in order to achieve his goals. Mediocrity, with millions of dollars, advanced game engines and the most modern technologies, make mediocre games that we forget immediately after completion, and talents can create masterpieces from a handful of pixels that can touch the strings of the soul, even the most stingy of emotions among us. You should never miss Owlboy, if only because it is one of the best games of the last few years and one of the brightest representatives of the indie family in general.

Afterword. In general, I don’t yet know how the public will react to this article and whether they will react at all, but if at least one or two people, after reading my article, buy the game, then we can already say that I didn’t write all this text in vain and the players still have an interest in small, but still proud projects. I truly believe that such games deserve all the praise and attention from the specialized gaming press, because players need to know that in order to create masterpieces, you don’t have to be an employee of Naughty Dog and have multimillion-dollar budgets, although this is also important, but still much more important is the desire for a goal and the talent that Simon Andersen possesses and to whom I, in turn, am very grateful for an unforgettable gaming experience.