Owlboy is a charming little indie game with a simple but elegant control scheme, a lovely soundtrack, beautiful pixel art, and a rich world lore which the story provides a lens into.
Overall Score 7/10. Worth playing but not likely to change your life.

Owlboy presents a unique gameplay style, with the ability to freely fly through the 2D world the focus is less upon platforming or even precision flying but instead allowing the challenges to be about the combat system and puzzle solving. the flying itself feels good with the ability to dodge in midair providing an elevated sense of control as well as allowing for quick traversal throughout already completed areas, combat relies heavily upon use of companions rather than the inherit abilities of the main character. However thanks to the ease with which you can switch between and control those companions it never feels like a detriment. The only real issue occurs with the fact that your first companion is made largely irrelevant by the final companion. Otherwise the mechanical gameplay is solid and leaves very to complain about
Gameplay Score 8/10

One of the twin pillars holding up this game and explaining its high rating. The sound design is just absolutely glorious, it successfully sets the tone throughout the game and manages the not to be underestimated feat of not becoming bland over time. furthermore the little sounds that sprinkle flavor through the game are simple and elegant in a way that complements the score around it without ever distracting from it.
Sound Design Score 10/10

The other pillar of this game. The pixel art on display here is masterful. The retro style often used as a crutch to reduce the time and costs of art design is instead elevated to an unprecedented standard with multiple layers of foreground and background being merged together to create a visually dynamic world that is constantly impressive. Furthermore the animations are masterful with real emotion and weight on display even in small motions. The Intro alone reveals the amount of work that went in to making these characters move in a way that lets you feel for them, and sets a gold standard within the style.
Art Design Score 10/10

This area is sadly the weakest part of the game by a wide margin. To begin the length of the game is sadly lacking. Short games are fine in general and can even provide experiences that are wasted on a longer format, but this is not on of them. With the way that the game plays and how the narrative moves forward the point where you enter the final section feels like it should be at most the halfway point. in this case specifically the atmosphere of the world cries out for much more exploration and depth. Whats more the story being told here does not do justice to the world it is being presented in. many details are revealed hastily and given no time to sink in or even be processed by the characters before the next major plot point steamrolls into place and barrels the game closer to the end. The other failing lies in that much of the dialogue feels like it needs a few more passes and to be read aloud and adjusted before being presented. In fact the lack of voice acting is in this case a good thing as much of what the characters say is stilted and awkward in ways that do not mesh with the character delivering them. It is truly disappointing as it is clear that the bones of a rich and truly epic story are here but not given the room to be fully explored. Also it should be noted that this issue is exacerbated by the notable lack of side content within the game. despite a large focus on completionist style treasure hunting on display in the achievements there is no real reason for doing most of it within the narrative of the game.
Story Score 4/10

In the end and despite what flaws the game has I do still recommend this game fairly highly on its merits alone. the only final issue i wish to address is a slight caveat to my recommendation. This game is one that most people should play, if they can get a good price for it. As it stands the game retails for $25 with a $10 soundtrack which if bundled together costs $31.50. As the soundtrack is lovely I would be remiss to recommend the game without it. The problem lies with the fact that in for the length of the game the price is fairly steep, if you truly loves games of this genre and want to show your full support for the devs then that that price is worth it, but if this game being for you is a question even at all i would recommend looking for a sale before acquiring it.