Owlboy

FIGHTING AGAINST OWL ODDS

- Vikki Blake

We’ve all felt a little like our eponymous hero, Otus. We’ve had those times when someone’s talked down to us and belittled our ideas, called us names, and sniggered behind our backs. We’ve all felt small and humiliated, acutely aware of our mistakes and failings. And that’s the magic of Owlboy, really; though its story is anchored firmly in fantasy—a story of a floating world heavily influenced by an ancient race of wise old owls—it’s a tale that, sadly, most of us can identify with.

The opening tutorial alone—which exists pretty much to showcase your ineptitude to the masses—is enough to draw a sympathetic frown as you watch, not for the last time, as Otus’ ears pull back in dismay and his shoulders sag miserably. He starts his lessons so full of expectation, only to have that chipped away as Asio—Otus’ impatient, quick-tempered mentor— realizes that Otus is, well, a little bit clumsy. A little bit different. And because he’s mute you’ll spend much of the time listening to others talk for Otus, or—even worse—at him, as though this lack of speech makes him incapable of anything else, too.