Black Bird Reviews

Black Bird is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Worth your time
Jun 6, 2019
BLACK BIRD review video thumbnail
85%
Jan 10, 2019

Black Bird is an enjoyable 2D shoot 'em up that shines on Nintendo Switch.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2018

Black Bird is an excellent shoot ’em up and a landmark release for Onion Games. As this is their first release on proper gaming platforms, it makes sense they went all out and produced an exceptional game within a shiny package. It really is a fun time, and can get legit challenging.

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8 / 10
Nov 8, 2018

I really liked the 8-bit sepia-toned pixelated art style mixed in with some bright colors here and there. The game's visuals are top-notch with a lot of attention to detail. Same goes for the game's music which is a weird, quirky and eccentric soundtrack that perfectly complements the experience.

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3.5 / 5.0
Nov 5, 2018

Black Bird is a wonderful, sad, strange, funny, cute and bizarre shooter that can't quite make its gameplay match the quality of everything else.

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Oct 30, 2018

Aside from its distinct graphics and hilarious music, Black Bird is basically a copy of Sega's classic shooter Fantasy Zone.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
5 / 10
Oct 30, 2018

Black Bird's irreverent take on shoot-'em-up is fun while it lasts, but there's not enough content to sustain repeat playthroughs.

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7 / 10
Oct 29, 2018

Black Bird is a unique little shooter that only gets better as you play it more and uncover its secrets. Its vintage-style art direction is charmingly melancholy, and its strange soundtrack only adds an extra layer of quirkiness to proceedings. It's very much a score challenge game, though, meaning players expecting a wealth of things to see and do may be left feeling underwhelmed by its meagre four stages - especially when you consider the rather high price tag. This is very much a case of quality over quantity, and as long as you're up for repeat playthroughs, you're in for a wonderfully bizarre treat.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 24, 2018

Black Bird has a distinctly creepy fairytale feel about it, with a dark story and the kind of retro explosions that will appeal to any lifelong gamer.

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80%
Oct 24, 2018
Black Bird Nintendo Switch Review-DON'T MESS WITH THE BIRD! (SHMUP) video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 23, 2018

There's really nothing left I can write to get across just how much I enjoy Black Bird. In fact, looking at the word count for what is a relatively short game, I've probably written too much. A more succinct version of this review would simply state “Onion Games has done it again.” For fans of the developer, that's pretty much all I'd have to say to convince them it's worth it. For anybody who hasn't had the good fortune of experiencing the studio's previous offerings, well, there are over 1,000 words above to tell you whether or not Black Bird is worth a shot.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 23, 2018

Black Bird is one of the most interesting games I've played in a long time with loads of surprises all over the place.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 17, 2018

I wish there was more to it, or at the very least that it was a little more forgiving. The style of Black Bird is masterful as the mixture of the peculiar soundtrack, dour pixel art, and elegantly simple gameplay makes for a fun yet fleeting experience. It's just over too soon for everyone except shoot-'em-up savants.

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