Gorgeous adventure sets the bar sky-high

Game offers players contemporary feel despite being 10 years in the making

It's been almost ten years since we first heard about Owlboy. Developers D-Pad Studio have popped up with info, updates and even a demo over the years, so there's never been any suggestion that the game wouldn't come out, but ... almost ten years, for an indie platformer. It's a long time to be excited about something. And there's a serious risk with any game that's been in development for so long. Tech changes, tastes change, and sometimes you can be left with something that feels like a product of its time, even though it's only just hit stores. The risk of being outdated is mitigated with Owlboy somewhat, at least in terms of its pixel art visual style, but it's a risk nonetheless.

As you've probably heard by now thanks to fantastic pre-release reviews and launch day sales, Owlboy's risk paid off. The almost decade-long development did nothing to harm it. In fact, having played the game intensely over the last week or so, rinsing out every single secret, collecting every single optional collectible, finding every last hidden item and area on top of completing the main story, it's hard to imagine a game that could be any more polished, any more precisely and lovingly crafted. Contrary to the way that many games with huge development cycles turn out, Owlboy is an absolutely stunning, contemporary experience.