Owlboy Reviews

Owlboy is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
9.3 / 10.0
Nov 3, 2016

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.

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82 / 100
Nov 11, 2016

A beautiful adventure platformer with a cheerful pixel art veneer, but with very modern themes.

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Recommended
Oct 28, 2016

It's taken nine years to land, but Owlboy is well worth the wait.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2016

Dungeons are fun and well-designed, and the story will keep you moving at a steady pace

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GameSpot
Top Critic
9 / 10
Nov 2, 2016

Owlboy's touching story is brought to life through beautiful art and an unforgettable soundtrack.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2016

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.

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5 / 5.0
Nov 3, 2016

If Shovel Knight was the best game that late-era NES never had, Owlboy is the best game that late-era Super NES never had.

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Recommended
Nov 1, 2016

What a treat. And a surprisingly deep one, with compelling moments you’ll want to talk about. It’s a pleasure to control, it has impeccable difficulty balancing to keep you moving forward while always feeling like you’re being skillful, and all in the prettiest of pretty pixel graphics. Triumphant.

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9 / 10
Feb 12, 2018

Owlboy is a three-pronged attack of success: the gameplay is tight, satisfying, and remains fresh throughout; the game's world is visually stunning thanks to some truly masterful pixel art; and you'll find yourself really caring about the cast of characters and the world surrounding them thanks to a compelling storyline and background lore. The game could be improved with the inclusion of map to aid exploration, but when that is the only real thing we can pick at as a negative point it is clear that we're on to a winner.This is a game that is absolutely worth your time; if anything we've mentioned above has you even remotely intrigued by this game, we urge you to consider giving it a go.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 15, 2018

Owlboy was already worth playing and now even more people can enjoy it. They also fixed the icon that was seemingly a mistake prior to release for the people who pre-ordered and preloaded it.

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9.5 / 10.0
Nov 11, 2016

Owlboy revisits a golden age of gaming, with a deep and moving story that incorporates some of the best characters and ideas in a long time.

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8.2 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2016

Owlboy is an old style game with beautiful and colorful graphics. The game has a lot of variety on his mechanics and the result is a great experience.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Feb 27, 2018

An old school game that manages to do almost everythig well being a living homage to some gaming classic while still retaining its own and unique flavour.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2016

While Owlboy may have small sections that cause numerous restarts, those portions are buried underneath the overwhelming amount of great moments found within. Nearly everything about Owlboy is well-crafted. From the graphics, the soundwork, the characters and their inter-relationships, the changing state of the world, the gameplay, and the title’s ability to introduce and drop mechanics in a dynamically-paced way, Owlboy is a perfectly executed composition of story and gameplay.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Feb 14, 2018

A superbly crafted 2D adventure that is a near perfect blend of new and old influences, in terms of both gameplay and the stunning visuals and music.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Apr 10, 2018

A superbly crafted 2D adventure that is a near perfect blend of new and old influences, in terms of both gameplay and the stunning visuals and music.

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8 / 10
Jun 1, 2018

If you called Owlboy a piece of art, I would nod my head and agree wholeheartedly. This game, in visuals alone, is a masterful achievement. For those breath-taking visuals to be matched by equally beautiful characters and unique gameplay moments just elevates it even further. The beginning of the game is a bit too slow, and sometimes the gameplay was merely okay, but those are minor blemishes on a video game experience that is absolutely worth your time, and definitely worth the decade that it took to bring it to life.

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86 / 100
Feb 14, 2018

Owlboy arrives on Nintendo Switch (and PS4 y Xbox One) retaining all its charm and beautiful pixel art that make it an indie hit in 2016. It's a nice adventure that shines in its characters and writing, but if fells short in playing time, collectibles and use of the world. At least, you can now enjoy this little gem anyewhere.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

10 / 10.0
Oct 27, 2016

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.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Nov 1, 2016

A superbly crafted 2D adventure that is a near perfect blend of new and old influences, in terms of both gameplay and the stunning visuals and music.

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