Owlboy Critic Reviews

Owlboy is a special game. Almost a decade in the making has certainly allowed for a rarely seen amount of polish and effort in an industry brimming with day-one patches and rushed deadlines. I'm at a loss when trying to think of critiques, honestly. I can't even say that I wish there was more of it because what is here is just so damn satisfying from start to finish, and I wouldn't want to ruin that.

Aside from just being one of the best indie platformers or retro throwbacks in recent memory, it’s easily just one of this year’s best games, period. Aside from playing like a dream and having flight-based gameplay that’s an absolute delight, it evokes the old quote of “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry” through an absolutely astounding and moving story with several lovable characters and a fascinating world to discover.

An amazing platform experience from top to bottom. From the gameplay to the art to its style of wit and storytelling, Owlboy takes notes from the long history of its genre and combines them into a stellar journey.

D-Pad Studio has crafted a sublime, pitch-perfect adventure. Smart, gripping, joyful and expansive, Owlboy sets the bar sky-high for future 2D platformers.

A unique adventure that will help you to remember the best arcades of the last century in every bit of the game.

Make no mistake, I unabashedly love this game. It’s a beautiful, near-perfect blend of old-school whimsy and new-school innovation. I’d never heard of Owlboy before it re-emerged earlier this year, but even if I’d spent nearly a decade anticipating this release, I can’t imagine that the finished product would have left me unsatisfied. It’s one of the best 2D platformers I’ve ever played.

Owlboy is a phenomenal adventure that succeeds in telling a captivating story with interesting characters and enjoyable gameplay.

Owlboy is a 2D metroidvania platformer that gives you the best time; you’ll love how fluid the controls are and how they work really well no matter who your buddy is. The story is touching, interesting and full of great narrative, told through plenty of hugely expressive characters all worth knowing. I’m glad I got to play this, and it’s come at a time when I wasn’t expecting it. Owlboy will surprise you and it will move you beyond belief.

Owlboy shines thanks to surprisingly varied, Metroidvania-style gameplay and a charming cast of unlikely heroes whose bittersweet journey is among the best I’ve experienced in recent years. Its remarkably detailed pixel art makes every scene more breathtaking than the last, but it’s the relationships between characters in both story and gameplay that makes Owlboy something truly special.

After nine years in development Owlboy is finally out and it's a masterpiece!

Owlboy was an incredible experience in every sense. Visually and audibly, it was a masterpiece. The characters were lovable, especially the protagonist, Otus. The story was compelling, and each new chapter gave something new and challenging to the players. D-Pad Studio clearly put a lot of love into this game and it paid off immensely.

Paired with a well-written story and varied soundtrack, Owlboy does something that a lot of pixel-art games don’t – it elevates the medium from the bare requirements.

Owlboy packs a fantastic amount of retro charm and genuine heart, with wonderful and creative gameplay to back it up. This long-awaited indie darling may be one of the year's best.

This is more than a treat for fans of old-school games; Owlboy is a heartfelt experience that will touch anyone with an affinity for great art and storytelling.

Owlboy is sure to be a classic, and you’re doing yourself a disservice by not at least looking into it.

It was definitely worth the wait. Owlboy is not only a fantastic piece of pixel art with some great to support it but is also an engaging game, very well crafted, never boring, with an interesting and moving story.

Owlboy is a fantastic adventure with enjoyable gameplay.

Owlboy not only has the hook of a new idea to mix up the genres it mettles in, but the fundamentals to follow up on it. Its sense of movement is fluid, its momentum is strong, and its characters are engrossing. The tone might be saccharine at times, but when so many other games go for either oppressive grittiness or eye-rolling irreverence, I’m willing to accept that.

This excellent platformer is catchy and sticky. Gameplay is constantly evolving, so you do not have time to get bored. The visuals are great, the gameplay is great and to top it all off it has a great soundtrack. An absolute must-have for platformer fans, but not only for them.

Every pixel of Owlboy's composition imparts a soaring level of care. Its impression upon 2D platforming parallels the comfort of a handmade blanket or the pleasure of devouring made-from-scratch cookies. Owlboy's sympathetic characters and gorgeous construction devours any suspected immunities to the charms of handcrafted artistry. It's a one-off rarity that somehow escaped the assembly line.