Bird Game is a short but interesting oddity, and admittedly, I enjoyed it and would recommend it, especially because it is completely free.
Gameplay-wise, it appears to me that it is built using RPG Maker or a similar program; this is fairly obvious given that certain menus appear but are never used. Personally, I quite enjoy games of this style, but admittedly, they are very similar in their construction. This means that if you are familiar with these sorts of games then you already know how this game plays: turn-based combat, a party of characters to choose from that have their own abilities and small inventories that can adjust their stats, a leveling system built upon fighting in turn based combat, and items that restore health, some sort of ability resource like mana, revive members of your team, and clear status effects. It is basic and familiar, but I do enjoy it. Where these sorts of games differentiate themselves from others is how the game is balanced and made unique. Overall, the balance is decent; it is on the easier side for sure, but I would rather have an easy game over a frustrating one. A unique oddity of the game is the naming conventions. It makes it fairly unclear what is going on at first, but once you learn what some of the weirder statuses and actions are it all kind of clicks. I don’t really know why, but I kind of found that sort of translating/interpretation element to be fun in its own way. Also, the puzzles were few but fairly simple; one gave me some difficulty, though it was surmountable; beyond that, the puzzles were pretty straightforward. The only real downsides of the gameplay are that the inventory and leveling systems are really underutilized, which is caused by the next issue: the game is just really short (though the playtime can be extended a decent amount if you are achievement hunting). Neither of these problems is that big of a deal, given that the price of the game is free. And besides, what you really should play the game for is the story.
This game’s story is esoteric and odd, but I really did enjoy it. It has this sort of plot that immediately grips you, causes you to ask questions, and in the end still confuses you a bit. I found the relations to religion to be especially fascinating and really enjoyed how it was explored here. I don’t really want to spoil anything, and it really isn’t that long anyway, but just know that this game is funny, fascinating, and well worth experiencing.
The sound design is quite odd. The music feels slightly off at all times in a way that causes you to be at just a bit of unease, which I liked. None of the music was so good that I had to go and find it, but I felt that it all fit the game well. The sound effects are simple and likely are taken from some sort of library, but they did something that added a bit more character to the sound design and made the stock sounds unique. What they did is make the whole soundscape bitcrushed, both the music and the effects. Some might find it irritating to have a sort of compressed and sort of crackly soundscape, but personally, I found it all charming. Overall, I really enjoyed the sound design.
What initially drew me to this game, though, was the art style. I enjoy weird and kind of ugly games, and this is definitely a weird-looking game, and I could see someone might even call it ugly. Personally, though, I really like it; it has been stylized in a way that feels unique and has this sort of retro look. If you look at the screenshots and see how they intelligently use dithering and various shades of grey to create depth in simple black and white objects, I think you’ll understand what I mean. It can make the game a bit annoying to navigate at times, but that is a small price to pay for such an interesting-looking game. On top of this, the game is not completely black and white; there is color, and its sparse and thoughtful use enhances the game artistically in my opinion. Generally, it is used very sparingly in character, often to differentiate them from one another while providing information about who the characters are. When the game does use color, it often creates this feeling that something is uniquely important or out of place, almost alien, in the world. I love it. I think the whole design of the game was really well thought out, and I personally found it very appealing.
Overall, if you like games that play like old school RPGs, enjoy odd stories, or just want to explore a world seeped in character and charm, I think this game is well worth playing. This game is clearly underappreciated, given how few reviews it has, and that is astounding to me because it is free! I have reviewed games where people charge $2 for a short 15-minute experience, and by 100%ing the game, I got a wonderful 3.4-hour experience for nothing beyond the cost of the electricity to run my PC. This game is great, give it a try. After all, what do you have to lose?
