The King's Bird Reviews

The King's Bird is ranked in the 40th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10
May 8, 2019

The King's Bird is a good example of a platform game that follows the old adage "easy to learn, difficult to master", as its demanding controls will demonstrate. Players who muddle through it with patience and perseverance, however, will find a work that is very rewarding, and not just because of its marvelous art style. A very welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch catalogue, which could perhaps improve on its gameplay's repetitiveness in some instances.

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3.8 / 5.0
Mar 20, 2019

A beautiful game marred by repetition yet incredibly playable.

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65 / 100
Mar 17, 2019

The King's Bird fails for its imprecise and unnecessarily complicated gameplay for a platform game, making the experience more frustrating than fun. Even though the game has a stupendous look and a high quality soundtrack, it is difficult to recommend only for its technical side.

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6.5 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

The King's Bird has the potential to be wonderful—and in its art and music, it is. Based on that alone I would play it all day. But the sense of freedom it is trying so hard to evoke is held back by its finicky controls, and since the game's very foundation is meant to be freeing, it falls short. Altered controls and a slightly wider margin for error, especially on console, would really let The King's Bird soar beyond the confines of its cage, and boost its mechanics up to the high tier of its design.

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3.4 / 5.0
Feb 28, 2019

The King`s Bird is a beautiful ID title though that will find a core of gamers that love it. Just be prepared for some patience and learning.

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5.5 / 10.0
Feb 26, 2019

The King's Bird has a lot of potential in both the challenging and the serene, but its tolerances for mistakes get just a little bit too tight. It wants to be two games. On the one side, there's an almost Journey-like indie with beautiful gameplay, audio, and visuals that calm the mind and soothe the soul. On the other, Serenity Forge wanted to create tough challenges that would feel like a triumph to overcome. While I was completely on board with the marriage of ideas at first, the two began to clash somewhere along the way as the trials no longer supported the gameplay. What Serenity Forge managed to do with the visuals and sound is on another level, but the loose gameplay mechanics never quite fit into how precise the challenges are designed to be. I wanted more of what The King's Bird was, and less of what it became.

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3.5 / 5.0
Feb 20, 2019

There isn't really much to say about The King's Bird. It's a simple looking game that comes down to using the world around you to propel yourself forward. At times this can be fun and other times extremely frustrating. When push comes to shove, it's good enough that I can see the value in it and has more than enough to keep someone interested, especially if they want to improve on previous runs.

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5 / 10
Feb 20, 2019

The Kings Bird is perhaps one of those games suited to gamers who love speedruns, where twitch platforming comes second nature and has the patience to really stick with the game. I enjoyed the first few levels, but the shortcomings of the controls and the haphazard nature of if they work or not kind of distracted me from what is an interesting and challenging game to play. Perhaps I need to just get better and these types of games, but having played games for 27 odd years I like to think I have the skills necessary to at least get to grips with the most challenging of games. As it stands The Kings Bird is hard to recommend to the casual gamer, but speedrunners will probably get the most out of this if they can get to grips with the somewhat broken mechanics.

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XGN.nl
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Feb 16, 2019

The King's Bird is a game in a truly magical environment. The soundtrack is delicious and the gameplay is great. But in the last the game stutters a lot. Sometimes the character doesn't act right and you will die instantly. This becomes a frustration.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 13, 2019

The King's Bird is a beautiful game. It's easy to learn, with movements that make for a unique take on the classic 2D platformer, set against a bold and stunning backdrop.

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Feb 12, 2019

Hardcore platformer fans will love the challenges that The King's Bird presents while less skilled gamers can still appreciate the gorgeous game world via the incredibly helpful Assist Mode.

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7 / 10
Feb 12, 2019

The King's Bird is a tightly designed precision platformer whose gameplay loop consists of retrying the same frustrating areas until reaching the satisfaction of conquering them. Lather, rinse, repeat. The moments of flying through a dreamscape and sticking the landing are a true delight, at least. For fans of hard-mode platformers, this may arrive as a welcome treat and worth sinking a handful of hours into for that sweet payoff, but those with other tastes may want to keep looking elsewhere.

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6 / 10
Feb 12, 2019

There are moments in The King's Bird where it's easy to lose yourself in the gameplay and striking visuals. Rocketing around colourful stages and indulging in the serene soundtrack is fun, but frustrating puzzle mechanics and little variance in the gameplay taint the experience.

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6 / 10
Feb 12, 2019

WORTH CONSIDERING - The King’s Bird could have been something truly special, but middling controls, average level design, and infuriating difficulty will leave many giving up on it well before the ending. Some will no doubt cherish the challenge, but most would be better served looking elsewhere.

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6 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2019

Perhaps The King's Bird's brilliance shines through on other platforms. Maybe speedrunners will find the level timer an irresistible challenge. I might even Git Gud myself if significant updates round out the edges, but for now, I'd recommend something a bit more polished.

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78 / 100
Feb 12, 2019

As N++, Super Meat Boy and other games alike, The King's Bird focuses on control and gameplay over story. Gain "momentum" and use it to glide and rush through the levels it's the key to complete the game and conquer the online rankings. It's a challenging experiencie, f you're the kind of player that loves speedrunning gaming.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2019

You play the game as a very nimble young woman capable of some pretty impressive wall-jumping acrobatics but also with a limited ability to glide and fly...

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TheSixthAxis
Steve C
Top Critic
7 / 10
Oct 3, 2018

When things are going well, The King's Bird is a wonderful and fluid experience.

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67 / 100
Sep 15, 2018

There are a few issues holding The King's Bird back from being a true standout hit, but those who like their platformers to be a bit avant-garde, should be able to appreciate this virtual ride, along with speed run enthusiasts.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 3, 2018

An excellent platformer that is as beautiful as engaging and challenging. It has some flaws,like its sometimes imprecise controls, but as a whole, is an entertaining experience.

Review in Spanish | Read full review