Using a badly configured (or badly written) browser add-on for blocking content.Running a "scraper" or "downloader" program that either does not identify itself or uses fake headers to elude detection.Using a script or add-on that scans GameFAQs for box and screen images (such as an emulator front-end), while overloading our search engine.There is no official GameFAQs app, and we do not support nor have any contact with the makers of these unofficial apps. Continued use of these apps may cause your IP to be blocked indefinitely. This triggers our anti-spambot measures, which are designed to stop automated systems from flooding the site with traffic. Some unofficial phone apps appear to be using GameFAQs as a back-end, but they do not behave like a real web browser does.Using GameFAQs regularly with these browsers can cause temporary and even permanent IP blocks due to these additional requests. If you are using Maxthon or Brave as a browser, or have installed the Ghostery add-on, you should know that these programs send extra traffic to our servers for every page on the site that you browse.The most common causes of this issue are: Owlboy is a modern day retro classic.Your IP address has been temporarily blocked due to a large number of HTTP requests. That's no coincidence, and it speaks volumes of what D-Pad Studios has achieved. Nine years seems like an inordinate amount of time to recreate a style that was perhaps mastered in the 90s, yet this degree of iteration, reiteration and perfection to be found here speaks volumes of the care and time D-Pad Studio has taken.Īt its heart, Owlboy is a throwback and reimagining of a genre gone by, yet it feels like a game you might've already played - one you're returning to with fond memories. Against the slew of 8-bit chiptune-flaunting retro-likes the indie sphere has been populated with lately, Owlboy's orchestrated music feels up-scale and cultured.Īs does so much of Owlboy. In recent years, few games have had me heartily reciting its zones' themes days after playing in the same way Owlboy has, which is testament to its stellar sounds. Owlboy's music is truly fantastic - a fittingly artful complement to its animations. Like any puzzle worth its salt, the eureka moments outweigh the struggle. You're asked to weave between steam geysers while haphazardly juggling concrete plugs and a frayed temperament as you figure out where the heck you're was required to push and pull and fill next.
One conundrum makes great use of Otus' unlimited flight stamina by demanding he push, pull and squeeze water from steam clouds in order to access keys from rainwater ducts. For the most part, the puzzles require some degree of cooperation, and each cavern's learning curve is evenly paced meaning the game affords you plenty of time to learn each new skill in turn.Īs in Zelda, each tomb/dungeon/cave is rounded off by an end-of-zone boss that often requires the use of whichever skill you've mastered en route. Otus eventually uncovers a teleporting device and thereafter transports Geddy to various locations in order to access otherwise unreachable and inaccessible locations. One example of such intuitive teamwork occurs in the opening dungeon when Otus and Geddy become separated. Owlboy there for you (when the rain starts to pour). New companions join the cause as the story unfolds - many of whom boast area-specific abilities, which in turn lends the game a Metroidvania feel at times. Early on, Geddy is your sole companion, his hand cannon laying waste to enemies and clearing the way of path-blocking rubble. It's so simple yet so, so enjoyable - particularly when you whisk Geddy off his feet and cart him around as a 'gunner' within the game's enemy-ridden caves and dungeons. Double tapping jump in Owlboy sends Otus skyward but - unlike the vast majority of games which include the ability to fly - he's able to soar freely without being governed by stamina metres or restrictive timers.īeing given the opportunity to circle the skies without hindrance is one of Owlboy's defining features.
Otus' first encounter with overexcitable best mate Geddy just moments later, though, allows Owlboy to confidently tease its wide-ranging emotive repertoire inside its first ten minutes, while also serving to introduce the value of its central mechanic: flight. The latter's scalding of our seemingly misunderstood hero in the game's opening scene leaves Otus with his head bowed, sweat running from his brow and twiddling his thumbs. Well-worn genre stereotypes do exist - something first embodied by Otus' hard-shelled domineering professor and mentor Asio - however they all fit snugly in this world.