Owlboy Free For Mac
| Owlboy | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | D-Pad Studio |
| Publisher(s) | D-Pad Studio |
| Director(s) | Simon Stafsnes Andersen |
| Designer(s) | |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Simon Stafsnes Andersen |
| Composer(s) | Jonathan Geer |
| Engine | XNA |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Platform-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Owlboy is a vertical platform adventure set in the sky, where the islands of the world have been spread apart after a great calamity. You play as Otus, among the last of the Owls, a renowned race that has produced many of the world's great wonders. Terraria 1.4.1.2 Mac Game Free Download. Terraria 1.4.1.2 MacOSX Free Download. Dig, Fight, Explore, Build: The world is at your fingertips as you fight for survival, fortune and glory. Will you delve deeper into the cavernous expanses in search of treasures and raw materials with which to create ever-evolving equipment, mechanisms,. Buy Owlboy Collector's Edition -10%. About this bundle. Get the Owlboy Collector's Edition - featuring the full game by D-Pad Studio and Original Soundtrack by Jonathan Geer. Laserdisc roms. Items included in this bundle. Owlboy - Soundtrack. Action, Adventure, Indie.
Owlboy Free For Mac Downloads
Owlboy is a platform-adventure[1] video game created by the Norwegian independent developer; D-Pad Studio. The game is notable for its long development cycle, which began in 2007, and was released in November 2016.
Gameplay[edit]
The player controls Otus, who is capable of flying and carrying objects during flight. These objects vary in use, but are mainly used as ranged weapons, thrown weapons, and puzzle-solving tools. As the game progresses, Otus gains allies that accompany him during his journey, each having their own weapon with exclusive properties.
Plot[edit]
Owlboy is set in the land of the sky; the islands of the world below have been separated by a catastrophic event. The player controls a boy named Otus, who is a member of an owllike humanoid race called the Owls. When Otus' village is attacked by a band of pirates, he sets out on a journey to save it from them, and uncovers the lost truth of the Owls.[2]
Setting[edit]
Owlboy takes place in the floating settlement of Vellie. The village is made up of many different islands, and is populated with humans and owl-humanoid creatures alike. Vellie is located near the floating city of Advent which is their capital. The owls do not naturally have the ability to fly like their wild counterparts, but with the help of an owl cloak, they are given the ability to fly. The areas surrounding Vellie and Advent contain old relics and temples in them from the time the ancient owls were larger in number and ruled the land.[3]
Story[edit]
The main character is called Otus, who is mute. The game begins with a scene including Otus's mentor Asio, who is training him to be an owl. He is given an owl cloak by Asio, which gives him the ability to fly. Otus is looked down upon by the other members of Vellie, because he is accident-prone. As such, Otus is not seen as a suitable successor to the owl name. He spirals quickly into a small bout of depression, but is helped out of it by his self-proclaimed friend Geddy. Geddy is a human who serves as the Vellie Guard. When the village of Vellie is attacked by a band of pirates, he sets out on a journey with Geddy to save the village, and the rest of the world as they know it. On the way, they make more allies, including the former pirate Alphonse, and Twig, a former ally of the pirates. As they work to fight the pirates, they slowly uncover the truth of the ancient owls, and have to work to fix their mistakes.[4][5]
Development[edit]
The inspiration for Owlboy came from several sources, most involving Andersen's penchant for Nintendo games. The basic mechanics were inspired by the Super Mario Bros. 3 Tanooki Suit, although with reverse mechanics.[6] Similarly, Andersen also became interested in rumors of a new game in the Kid Icarus series wondering how the flying mechanics of those games would translate to 3D, and this made Andersen realize that he felt a 2D design for his game would work better.[6] Finally, Andersen was inspired by the then-upcoming Wii and felt that it provided a great opportunity to create an old-school game.[6]
Beginning development in 2007,[7] the game spent the better part of a decade in development. The team worried about the expectation of fans and thus started over several times. Andersen also had to deal with suffering from depression, which he had since childhood.[6]Owlboy was released primarily for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers, but D-Pad also considered a release for home consoles.[8] A Nintendo Switch version was released in February 2018, with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions being delayed.[9] The game was shown off at PAX 2013.[10] At PAX 2016, it was announced that the game would be released on November 1, 2016.[11][12]
Reception[edit]
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Pre-release[edit]
Owlboy received positive commentary from gaming publications. Kotaku's Luke Plunkett stated in 2013 that it would be 'worth the wait' of its extensive development time. Regarding the art style, he mentioned, '.and the game's charming art style, which for want of something more descriptive reminds me of a Genesis version of Wind Waker.'[1] Dave Cook of VG247 described the game as 'a rather neat-looking 2D pixel art platformer'.[8] Nathan Grayson of Rock, Paper, Shotgunlamented the fact that by 2013 the game still did not yet have a release date as 'the bad news – the news by which all upsetting and otherwise unfortunate events are judged'.[20] The website Kill Screen would go on to compare the game's long development cycle to that of Fez, another indie game with a similarly long gestation period, writing and describing both games as 'retro-sentimental platformers by independent studios that promised a lot, but seemed fated to never come out.'[21]
Post-release[edit]
On release, Owlboy was met with widespread critical acclaim and an aggregate score of 88/100 on Metacritic as of January 18, 2017.[14] IGN's Chloi Rad gave the game 9.3/10 and writes that the game 'shines thanks to surprisingly varied, Metroidvania-style gameplay and a charming cast of unlikely heroes'.[18] The game has sold 100,000 copies.[22]
Accolades[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | New York Game Awards | Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year | Nominated | [23][24] |
| Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game | Nominated | |||
| Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated | |||
| 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | Nominated | [25][26] | |
| National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards | Art Direction, Fantasy | Nominated | [27] | |
| Game, Original Family | Nominated | |||
| SXSW Gaming Awards | Gamer's Voice Single Player | Won | [28] | |
| 2018 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game | Nominated | [29][30] |
Other media[edit]
Otus is featured as one of the playable characters in the indie crossover fighting game Bounty Battle.
References[edit]
- ^ abPlunkett, Luke (January 21, 2013). 'Damn It, Owlboy, Why Aren't You Out Yet'. Kotaku. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^'Welcome to a world in the sky!'. OwlboyGame.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^'Owlboy'. www.owlboygame.com. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
- ^'Review: Owlboy'. Destructoid. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
- ^Media Glitch (2018-05-30), Everything you wanted to know about Owl Boy Interview, never before seen stuff and Q&A, retrieved 2019-05-06
- ^ abcdKlepek, Patrick. 'The Exhausting Ten-Year Journey to Release 'Owlboy''. Vice. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^Donnelly, Joe (August 25, 2016). 'Owlboy release date set after nine years in development'. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ abCook, Dave (January 9, 2013). 'Owlboy: PC version releasing in 2013, console port being considered'. VG247. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^'Owlboy Coming to Switch, Xbox One, PS4 Next Year'. IGN. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^Hillier, Brenna (July 30, 2013). 'PAX Prime indie showcase titles include Towerfall, Owlboy'. VG247. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^Donnelly, Joe (September 6, 2016). 'Owlboy release date finally confirmed after nine years in development'. PC Gamer. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ^McWhertor, Michael (August 24, 2016). 'After eight years, beautiful platformer Owlboy looks like it's finally coming out'. Polygon. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^'Owlboy for PS4, XB1, PC, Switch Reviews'. OpenCritic. OpenCritic.com, LLC. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ ab'Owlboy'. Metacritic. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^Hancock, Patrick (October 27, 2016). 'Review: Owlboy'. Destructoid. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^Vazquez, Suriel (November 4, 2016). 'Owlboy Review - Taking The High Road'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^Brown, Peter (November 2, 2016). 'Owlboy Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ abRad, Chloi (November 2, 2016). 'OWLBOY REVIEW'. IGN. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ^Prescott, Shaun (November 11, 2016). 'Owlboy review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^Grayson, Nathan (July 10, 2013). 'ELEVATEWAR: Owlboy Dev's Elevator Brawler Savant'. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^Priestman, Chris (August 25, 2016). 'NEARLY 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING, THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF REASON TO CARE ABOUT OWLBOY'. Kill Screen. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^Madsen, Jo-Remi (April 7, 2017). 'Indies On Tour - How we escaped the office, and discovered the world'. Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^NYGCC (January 7, 2017). 'Nominees! 2017 New York Game Awards!'. The New York Videogame Critics Circle. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^NYGCC (January 20, 2017). 'Winners! NY Game Awards '17'. The New York Videogame Critics Circle. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^'20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists'(PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^'20th D.I.C.E. AWARDS HONORS BEST IN INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT'. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 23, 2017.
- ^'2016 Awards'. National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 20, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^Aviles, Estevan (March 20, 2018). '2017 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Announced'. SXSW. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). 'Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now'. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^Sheridan, Connor (November 16, 2018). 'Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale'. GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
External links[edit]
| Game Info |
| PlatformWin |
| PublisherN/A |
| DeveloperD-Pad Studio |
| Release Date |
Heroes still triumph of course, as they tend to do, but there’s a thread running through it all that speaks to a level of doubt, insecurity and imperfection that too many such stories barely skim in comparison. Perceived failure and genuine failure, inherited failure; failure that’s fresh as a wound. The point is that everyone fails, has failed, will fail, and that’s OK. Failure isn’t by definition the end.
If that seems like a heavy message for a game about a cute little owl kid and his friends, well, welcome to Owlboy.
Failure isn’t by definition the end
On the surface, Owlboy is all clouds and feathers and friendship staged in the sun-soaked floating archipelago of Vellie. The demands of the game itself are not always as kind. Make no mistake: Owlboy is about clever boss fights and punishing platforming puzzles. Though most of these aren’t masochistic in their difficulty, no player will leave a stranger to the crumpled and broken frame of the game’s hero, Otus the owl.
That said, Otus isn’t helpless. Progressing through the branching world map requires his skills (spins, rolls and, of course, the power of generally unlimited flight) as well as those of his friends, whom he can summon and carry as he flies about. Each of them has a different weapon and a different utility to make use of, from guns to grappling hooks, and they can interact with the game’s environments in different ways. One ally’s fiery shotgun, for example, can be used to blast enemies and obstacles alike, daintily light lanterns, or raze patches of vines and leaves to ash in the wind. Allies are unlocked as you progress, and coins accumulated by digging up treasure and flying through aerial loops can eventually be used to soup-up their skills as well as Otus’ health.
While picking up, carrying, swapping and using these other characters could have easily been a chore, Owlboy has streamlined this aspect pretty effectively. Aiming a weapon will snap the reticle to the most likely targets within range. An empty-handed Otus will also automatically summon his last-used friend into his grip the second a player tries to make use of one of those friends’ weapons, and the shoulder buttons on an Xbox 360, Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controller swaps between them.
Yet as much as Owlboy lays out the tricks and tools for you to use and sets you in environments that hint towards one solution in particular, that particular solution isn’t always most efficient route forward. There are many occasions where a hostile environment seems like it demands pure timing and skill but you can still get by just as well cheesing it in the cheapest ways possible. Hugging walls, spamming Otus’ roll action rather than fumbling with a grapple, ducking into corners — these are strategies that I would expect to develop over time spent repeatedly playing a game and honing my skills. But loopholes and cuttable corners come easily and often enough that some sequences just feel loose as a result.
Elsewhere, Owlboy can seem unnecessarily harsh. A good example of this is seen in one area near the end of the game where healing items (plentiful up to that point) vanish entirely. In the stealth-oriented sequence in question, poisonous smoke fills the rooms whenever Otus is detected by the enemies in the area, making healing items even more important. Either you’re meant to evade detection for the entire sequence or else die and return to a checkpoint often enough that the presence (or absence) of those items doesn’t matter, but pivoting so suddenly from abundance to absence is as jarring as it is irritating. Then there are the times where a single misstep, a single mis-threaded needle is a death sentence, when accidentally triggering the flight mechanic — something blissfully easy to do, much to the benefit of nearly every other segment of the game — is a mortal error. When Owlboy is at its most punishing, it’s often at its most flawed.
Checkpointing is at least relatively generous, with the exception of the occasional high-risk environmental puzzle that goes on just long enough that I could have done with an additional mid-way checkpoint or two. And sometimes the game marks a save just before an unskippable not-quite-cutscene before certain boss fights or challenges. A striking moment in the story or staging the first time I saw it grated the fourth, sixth, tenth time over.
This is frustrating, because Owlboy is damn charming. Its story makes some deeply satisfying swerves, for one thing; what initially seems like a rote story of sky pirates and sky peasants goes in an unexpected direction. Moreover Owlboy is full of beautiful art that’s lush and dimensional, painted with a palette of sun-dappled stone and cloud sometimes seeming to extend into the distance forever and other times perfectly evoking dark, claustrophobic constriction. Even if you’re slightly desensitized to the full glory of good pixel art it’s hard to leave without finding at least one scene, one animation, or even one lore-captioned still to admire. Even the music manages to meet the bar that both the story and the artwork set, filled with orchestral pieces and an occasional nod to the chiptune.
As much hair-pulling as I’ve done over the course of completing Owlboy for review, as skeptical as I was that it could pull itself together for a satisfying and redeeming conclusion, in the end it still won me over.
Wrap Up:
Owlboy is a game about making mistakes on the way to success.
I can lean back and pick out plenty of things about Owlboy that frustrated me, but its failings shrink in the face of its triumphs. I have no excess of affection for the 16-bit genre retreads but even as Owlboy lacks the tightness or consistency of many of the games it sits alongside, it’s far more approachable, far more endearing, and far more unique.
Owlboy Free For Mac Os
Owlboy was reviewed using a pre-release Steam key provided by D-Pad Studio. You can find additional information about Polygon's ethics policy here.