Owlboy is an interesting case: When Owlboy was released, it was hailed by critics as a heartfelt, powerful story with fascinating, responsive gameplay. Recently online, however; I have seen posts saying Owlboy has inconsistent controls and a shallow story. Which of these is it?

To answer this, let’s begin with Owlboy’s story. The story follows a young boy named Otus, a literal “owl boy” with the power to fly. He is a mute, and fails at simple tasks at times. It doesn’t help that his mentor frequently belittles him and he is bullied by a number of his own kind. The only person that stands up for him is a human, one of a few in a society above the clouds that mostly lives in harmony. Others support him, but Geddy, a young mechanic, is the only one seen actually fighting for him.

Early on in the story, a mischief maker invades the town, stealing objects and causing trouble. Otus and Geddy pursue him in the hopes of making something of themselves, proving to the town in the sky that they are worthwhile beings. What follows is a series of events that leads to deep tragedy, and eventually, culminates in a climax that is as intense as it is deeply moving.

Yet in all of this, the game, if sped through, might take 4-6 hours to beat. How in the world could a game whose focus is as much on its gameplay as its plot make something great in so short a time?

It comes down to the characters and the writing. No dialogue is wasted. Watching Beyblade: Metal Fury recently on Twitch, I was shocked (and laughed) at how much exposition could be crammed into one battle...and one deciding the fate of the world, at that. Owlboy doesn’t overdo exposition. If you want to learn more story details, there are a few sidequests that allow you to discover a lab of sorts that gives answers to questions.

Owlboy doesn’t waste its characters or its world. I hear so much talk about such-and-such games that have “deep worlds” and wonder how much of the potential of those games might be squandered by exposition or meaningless quests. Owlboy has a huge world crammed into a small game. How remarkable it is that the creators of the game made it so alive! Don’t get me wrong, I love open world games, but this linear game has a world that is miles above some of those worlds. It is truly beautiful.

And that is, in large part, due to the art direction. Owlboy is billed as a “hi-bit” adventure game. Its layered textures and vibrant, emotive character animations make the game all the more beautiful. The creators spent 9+ years working on this game, and it shows. Every part of this game is beautiful, largely due to the love poured into it by the developers.

The music is also amazing. For one, the opening town music reminds me a lot of the Traverse Town music from Kingdom Hearts. It is adapted, however; to give a more airy feel, to reproduce the idea of flight. And in a game called “Owlboy”, this adds a lot to the flavor of the game. Each moment in the game is reinforced by its phenomenal soundtrack.

What of gameplay, though? This is another section in which Owlboy diverges from tradition. Owlboy is a platformer that focuses on aerial movement. The ground is where the protagonist is, largely, weakest and most vulnerable. Otus can fly through the air, pick things up, and dash mid-air to stun enemies or gain speed. Every bit of this movement can feel wonderful and fluid thanks to the clever animation and responsiveness of the controls.

In addition, he can pick up his friends and use them as weapons. That is, he carries them and they do most of the damage by the player in the game. One has a fast-shooting but weak gun, another has a flame-shooting cannon that takes time to recharge, and the last has “webbing” that carries Otus long distances in an instant while wrapping up and possibly defeating enemies along the way (as well as fast shooting web shots to take out or stun enemies).

One minor sacrifice of plot in exchange for less stressful gameplay is that Otus’ friends are essentially invincible. Otus can drop, throw, and switch between them with the click of a button, even calling them to him from long distances (which option allows the creation of some clever puzzles). This does not affect the impact of the plot too much, and allows the focus to rightly be on the progression of Otus from unconfident mute to hero.

Yet each of these friends are wonderfully realized, with great dialogue and meaningful backstories. While these backstories are not extensively explored, what is shown is more than enough to support the emotion of the story without feeling manipulative (a counterpoint is Undertale, which, while having more potential depth, squanders a great deal of it through emotional manipulation).

There is a fascinating twist late-game that I do not want to spoil. Suffice it to say that the final boss of the game might not be who you think it will be. And I admire the game all the more because of it, actually. The game could have given you an epic climax against the main villain of the game. The final boss is not that villain. The focus of the game, once again, is brought back to its heartfelt, emotional story. You still get that epic climax, but with more layered meaning brought about by what you fight for...and in this case, it isn’t merely to save the world. I wept as I pondered the implications of the climax, and few games have ever gotten me to weep and cheer like Owlboy did. Some might consider the ending depressing. I do not. Infinity War was depressing. Owlboy was a fine antithesis to that movie, showing what can be accomplished if someone sacrifices themselves instead of those in their way. Forgiveness for those who make mistakes is a key element of the plot...even if that person is yourself.

I want to write poems and pages of material about this game. Few games have affected me like Owlboy, and few ever will, likely.

I’ve covered the story criticism...what about the gameplay criticism?

One side section of the game might seem to justify a portion of it. It is known as...the CANNON. Once fired from this creature of darkness, your control does not work as you might think it ought to. It be...janky? No, awkward to the uninitiated. Not poor control...but definitely awkward to the unprepared. I was unprepared, and thousands curse its name. But there are those who brave the CANNON in order to seek a forbidden power. That is, to get all the coins necessary to unlock the final optional addition to the game...a cloak that grants the main character a great power...after he needs it. Criticize it if you will, but the Spectre Cloak is awesome, even if it is unnecessary.

To conclude, Owlboy is a case in point that a short story doesn’t have to be a shallow story, and how the aspects of a game can meld together into a experience that is more than just wholesome...it can be excellent, as well.

9.8/10