Of Bird and Cage

Of Bird and Cage is a 2-hour metal album under the guise of a narrative game. The gameplay is bizarre and sometimes frustrating, but as expected, the soundtrack is the titles saving grace. The collaboration of many infamous artists is by far, the strong point of the game. The story itself is exceptionally grim, centring around various traumatic themes that are thrown in all at once and it is certainly not for the faint hearted. [u]Pros[/u] + Amazing metal soundtrack that matches and compliments the scenes in the game brilliantly, featuring many prominent artists, known from [i] Asking Alexandria, Evanescence, Guns N' Roses [/i] and many more. + At least 4 different endings and varying choices throughout the game, providing excellent replay value. + Easy chapter select options to replay certain levels. + Collectables + Steam achievements. [u]Cons[/u] - Everything is timed, no time for exploration and some tasks are unclear with a short timeframe to complete them. - The overblown amount of trauma and violence in the game was overbearing and confusing (until later acts) [h1]Story: An Overwhelmingly Traumatic and Grim Narrative[/h1] Playing as Gitta, a 25-year-old with an exceptionally troubled past, players are thrust into her chaotic world. Gitta is a drug addict, reliant on feeding her addiction to see the world clearer (or so she thinks...). Beginning with scenes from her traumatic childhood and abusive father to quickly venturing to drugs was a lot already, but it gets worse. After giving up her dignity with a dealer to obtain more drugs, Gitta gets into physical fights, is taken advantage of by her boss, is beaten by her abusive boyfriend and father whilst being witness to graphic murders by her abductor, Brees (yes, she gets chased and kidnapped as well). If this all was not enough for her, she also uncovers an awful death in the family and a long-forgotten connection with Brees that further spirals her downwards. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2494494295 [b]My thoughts[/b] After my first hour playing Of Bird and Cage, I was thinking, what on Earth am I playing? I am all for a dark story, covering intense topics but this game really takes it to the next level. When you think that is it, the developers curve the story more to make it even more twisted. In the first Act, I did find it a bit overwhelming, with no real background story or understanding to the protagonist, all of her ordeals began to swirl into one and was a bit difficult to keep up, also lessening the emotional impact. Thankfully, it does begin to take a better shape in later Acts but by no means does the game ever become "pleasant". It is a gruelling experience and truly demonstrates the realistic spiralling nature of someone in Gitta's position. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Unfortunately, as I envisioned, the gameplay is NOT the best element of the game, but it also is not terrible. Using typical WSAD keys to control Gitta, explore the areas and pick up collectables and items, that aspect is all pretty straight forward. Where it does a complete 360 is that every scene is timed, predetermined by the length of the song playing. This made it impossible to take in my surroundings and explore, or in parts where the tasks were a bit obscure, I simply did not have the time to be able to figure it out. Once the timer ends, it does not result in death, but just acts as if you did not complete it so the story branches down a different path which is slightly annoying. [b]Combat[/b] I lost count of how many times Gitta finds herself in physical fights with multiple men. I found each and every one of these scenes to be god-awful, simply painful. Using easy right click to block and left click to strike, it was utterly janky, and I have no idea if some of my hits connected with the target, or if my blocks worked. If my hits connected, it was merely serendipitous. Not to mention that I am playing as a tiny 25-year-old female drug addict (who is shown to be physically weak), against multiple men at once, including my large, fit, and older abductor, and I can win, just using my fists? I am all for female empowerment, but this was just bizarre and the actual combat, an embarrassment. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2495572197 [b]Movement, exploration and QTE's[/b] The movement was also quite clanky and simple tasks like using a broom to reach a box was a real challenge. On a more positive note, there were many story items to be found throughout the areas, as well as little extra choices, typically connected to achievements. This made the world seem richer, but it was once again severely impaired by the time limits imposed on players. Even finding the actual "task items" before time ran out, could be tricky. The game is also riddled with QTE's, which are not my favourite, but I found majority to be more forgiving in this title, thankfully. [h1]Graphics & Sound[/h1] Graphics are quite average, with most characters featuring similar facial expressions from start to finish. The world is constantly flashing and words popping up everywhere, emulating the perspectives of a drug addicts. This did get a bit taxing on my eyes and I was constantly choosing to take more drugs just for clearer visuals, but I suppose this is the intended purpose. Understandably, the developers from [i] Capricia Productions [/i] are a small company of musicians and fellow gamers, with little actual background experience in large game development projects. Their passion to convey music through games is both unique and inspiring. In my opinion, not having top tier graphics in this style of game is not necessary. Depending on your expectations, Of Bird and Cage does not look awful, its decent and it is enjoyable, especially when paired with the wonderful soundtrack. Although I have laced my review with plenty of constructive criticism, one element which I cannot fault, the actual premise of the title - the music. Everything plays brilliantly in sync, sometimes as if the characters are in a metal musical. The melodramatic riffs and theatrical rhythmic beats are impeccable. The songs themselves are also catchy and it is clear that this is where the game shines the most. Running away from enemies through burning, hazy streets with the clashes of an orchestral symphony in the background that perfectly matches the flashes of lightning across the screen, really fuels the heartrate! Despite other elements of the game being a bit haphazard, the soundtrack and unique music focus in a game is enough for me to recommend the experience to metal fans. Featuring [i]Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex Guns N' Roses), Rocky Gray (ex Evanescence), Rob van der Loo (Epica), Davidavi 'Vidi' Dolev (Subterranean Masquerade) [/i] and many more, the collaboration of these artists make for an impressive album. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2495490733 [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Of Bird and Cage differs from other titles, solely focusing on its musical incorporation and composition. Despite its lacklustre gameplay and overwhelmingly traumatic story, it still manages to be a captivating, yet distressing experience, one I will not forget too quickly. With differing branching paths and an easy method to replay chapters, the option for replayability is high. The developer’s passion for displaying an impressive metal soundtrack through a game is both clear and unique. I recommend this title to those interested in the featured artists and musical genre as a whole. For those looking for a darker story, not too fussed with the application of music, I'd recommend looking towards more narrative-focused games. This review copy was provided to the Devils in the Detail curator. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34936724][quote]Follow my curator page, [b]Cookie Reviews[/b], if you enjoyed this review and want to see more like it.

[h1]Take symphonic metal to the next level in a macabre interactive music video retelling of a classic fairy tale.[/h1] Games can be an art form, but what makes them unique from other forms of art is that the outside player’s interactions are an integral part of the work. The gameplay experience may be different for each individual player, yet it is essential to bring any game to the status of masterpiece. [i]Of Bird and Cage[/i] is an interesting example of how the traditional art form of music seeks to use the medium of games to bring itself to a new level. The question remains whether it succeeded in creating a game or little more than a glorified music video. [h1]Game Universe[/h1] [i]Of Bird and Cage[/i] builds its world and tells its story through music, with much of the dialogue being sung rather than spoken. The story is presented in three acts with four possible endings depending on choices made during the game, and the player mostly acts from the perspective of Gitta, a 25-year-old woman whose tragic and violent childhood is probably what led to her adult drug addiction. However, as is sometimes the case with music videos, the story often feels like it doesn’t make sense. Part of this may be because Gitta’s addiction makes her an unreliable narrator, but there is also a lot of jumping around between past and present as well as between reality and memory or nightmare sequences. In addition to being inspired by symphonic metal, the story is a macabre retelling of [i]Beauty and the Beast[/i]. The tone is dark, and the themes explored feel like the game needs more robust content warnings. For example, a scene of domestic violence is the first of the game and recurs throughout, and that isn’t the only scene of violence to play out on screen. While this can be a powerful jumping-off point to explore deep and complex subjects, [i]Of Bird and Cage[/i] seems to miss the mark in drawing essential connections to prevent the violence from coming off as gratuitous and meaningless. [h1]Gameplay and Mechanics[/h1] True to its marketing of a metal album presented as a game, the gameplay experience is essentially an interactive music video. QTEs make frequent appearances, and the vast majority of scenes run on timers. This can be stressful due to insufficient cues on what the player is supposed to be doing or how they are supposed to accomplish it. Gitta’s addiction affects gameplay by blurring and graying the visuals if she can’t get access to drugs (although imagery of birds can also help her focus), which adds an additional layer of challenge in a way that feels more frustrating than fun. Some players may feel like they’re more along for the ride than actively influencing the outcome. There were many times where the clock ran out, and I was left wondering how my action (or inaction) could have possibly led to what was happening now. I played with mouse and keyboard and found that the controls weren’t always intuitive or responsive. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531146102 [h1]Art Style and Graphics[/h1] The graphics quality is perhaps not as high as it could have been for such an artistic endeavor in 2021, especially when considering the artistry frequently present in symphonic metal music videos. This includes the fonts, which seem childish and out of place. The menu interface design certainly conveys the music album theme since the player chooses which level or part of the story they would like to play by selecting a song in the soundtrack. The game does use a gothic color palette, but when Gitta is in the throes of her addiction the blurry vision and grayed colors get so extreme as to render the player taking actions impossible. The game does open with an epilepsy warning due to the visual design choices. [h1]Sound and Music[/h1] [i]Of Bird and Cage[/i]’s name-dropping of artists from several of my favorite symphonic metal bands immediately piqued my interest in the game, so it’s not surprising that the soundtrack is one of its strongest elements. The majority of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken, although where there is spoken voice acting it tends to be mediocre, particularly when compared to the singing. However, as much as it pains me to say, the music isn’t as emotionally gripping or compelling as I would have anticipated for the primary driver of the story’s throughline, and the songs won’t be ones I’ll be adding to my personal playlist. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531154913 [h1]Verdict[/h1] At the time of review, [i]Of Bird and Cage[/i] is $14.99 with an as-advertised playthrough time of approximately 2 hours. However, there are four possible endings, 57 possible Steam achievements (many of which are missable), and in-game collectibles such as CDs, story items, and visions to give the game plenty of value in content. Fans of symphonic metal may find this an interesting and interactive musical experience. However, if you prefer a more player-involved experience or aren’t a fan of dark and violent themes, this game may not be for you. [quote]Visit SaveOrQuit.com for detailed game reviews, posted daily![/quote]

This title falls under the "wish there was a neutral button". I played only via Steam Deck, so feed back here for the review is based on my experience playing it this way. First off, the game is labeled as being a verified deck game. This is more or less true, the prologue worked fine with no settings changes. However, getting the actual game to run required forcing it to Proton 5.13-6 compatibility. Some video did not display properly and navigating back to main menu from ends of chapters hung the game requiring forced shut down. The Music score was stellar and fit the themes of the game well as was certainly intended. The game play for me was less than stellar. QTE events run the show here and are quite confusing in some places or out right impossible to get right as you are on a time elapse to complete objectives and use QTE. There isn't much room for exploring an area because of this and you will often fail to accomplish a lot of things. Although failing to do things doesn't lead to any game over or repeat of the chapter to continue, it left me feeling like I missed a large part of the narrative going on. I'm aware that there are multiple endings which I assume I could reach by completing QTE better or managing to beat the clock in some scenes to alter the outcome in the ending. I don't think I'll be doing another play through to be honest as the pressure of beating the clock to find things in overly large areas coupled with QTE system that had a lot of moving parts puts me off from giving it another try. I found the story was adequate for my time spent with it and it is certainly a different type of interactive game that is worth a try. In closing I would say cautiously recommended with the expectation that there will be much trial and error to see all thats on offer here.

The reviews for this game must be fake, it's a bug fest. The voice acting is atrocious, the overall models look like garbage. The music made me wanna burst my own ear drums.

[b]I cannot recommend this game.[/b] First I have to say, the idea behind it, that the story is told through the music in the genre of metal I find ingenious and was accordingly, also by all the positive reviews really curious what to expect. Unfortunately, the game has disappointed me very much. It's not the music, which is most of the time really very very good, but everything else was really not so successful. The controls are really crappy in places, the fights just don't feel right, and everything in general is a bit weird. The story is poor to okay at most. The animations to the spoken & sung are subterranean and the voice actors at the beginning of the game really didn't speak convincingly and seemed very posed. The gameplay itself was, because it was adapted to the music often very stressful and I have often not even managed what was required by the game. I can honestly not quite understand the positive reviews, that is except for the music just really badly done. In any case, no recommendation on my part, sorry.

Mit dem Motto “PlayTheMusic” möchten einige Haudegen der Rock- und Metalmusik (aktuelle und ehemalige Mitglieder von Bands wie Guns’n’Roses, Evanescence, Within Temptation und Asking Alexandria) ein spielbares Musikalbum herausbringen und ihre Musik in ein storygetriebenes Drama verpacken. Ob dieser außergewöhnliche Ansatz gelungen ist, erfahrt ihr in der Review zu [b]Of Bird and Cage[/b]! [i]Disclaimer: Wir haben diese Kopie kostenlos erhalten – was aber nichts an der davon unabhängigen Bewertung ändert.[/i] [b]ACHTUNG. TRIGGERWARNUNG. Das Spiel nimmt sich weder visuell, noch inhaltlich irgendwelche Grenzen wenn es um (häusliche) Gewalt, Drogenmissbrauch und psychische Krankheiten, insbesondere Paranoia, Halluzinationen und Panikattacken geht. Wer empfindlich auf diese Themen reagiert: Finger weg, liest am besten auch nicht weiter.[/b] [h1]Story[/h1] Das Leben der 26-jährigen Gitta ist im Arsch: Als Kind ist sie mit enormer häuslicher Gewalt aufgewachsen und hat ihr Leben nie in den Griff bekommen - sie hält sich gerade so mit einem Job im Diner über die Runden, hat aber ein enormes Drogenproblem und geht aus Verzweiflung mit ihrem Dealer ins Bett, wenn sie nicht gerade nachts in den ranzigsten Bars ihre Leber wegsäuft. Als sie es sogar für notwendig hält einen mehr als nur zwielichtigen Barbesitzer um seine Drogen zu berauben, wird sie entführt. Insgesamt entführt uns das Spiel in einen Rausch aus Gewalt, Traumata, Panik und Wahnsinn. Of Bird and Cage tut alles mögliche, um die Abgründe eines gescheiterten, sich am Abgrund befindenden menschlichen Daseins darzustellen. Während Gittas Leben nicht nur in der Storyline als absolut ruiniert dargestellt wird, werden auch dem Spieler ihre psychischen Probleme auf brutaler Art vor Augen geführt: Sollte die Drogensucht Gitta akut packen, verfällt sie in Halluzinationen und der Spieler sieht die Welt wörtlich brennen und kriegt auf visueller Art durch eingeblendete Gedanken, künstlich erzeugte Enge und wild wechselnden Effekten ihre Panikattacken aufs Auge gedrückt. [i]Of Birds and Cage bietet eine absolut düstere, unheimliche, aber vorallem erschreckend realistische Story im Drogensumpf dar, welche sich keine Tabus macht und sich nicht zu scheu ist, den abartigsten Kram ebenfalls zu visualisieren. Das Setting ist zwar definitiv Geschmackssache und bestimmt nicht für alle Gemüter geeignet, ist aber in der zugrundeliegenden Story einfach unfassbar.[/i] [i]Spielzeit:[/i] ca. 2 Stunden [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Ich habe tatsächlich etwas mit den Worten gerungen, um eine passende Beschreibung zu finden… Und bin gewissermaßen bei “Life is Strange auf Speed” hängengeblieben. Grundlegend stimmt das Gameplay überein, indem man sein aktuelles Umfeld, seinen aktuellen Raum erkundet, in Gesprächen mit dem Umfeld einen Progress erschließt und auch die letzte Schublade durchsucht, um den entscheidenden Schlüssel (...oder die “rettende” Dosis Drogen) zu finden. Und man trifft mehrere schwerwiegende Enttäuschungen, die tatsächlich Einfluss auf den Spielausgang haben. Nach dem Prolog tritt das Spiel allerdings aufs Gaspedal und koppelt die Level an die im Hintergrund spielende Musik. An sich nichts schlimmes, im Gegenteil, ich liebe dieses Idee, allerdings hetzt das Spiel zu sehr. Man versucht viel zu viel Inhalt in ein zwei-, dreiminütiges Level zu stopfen sodass man teilweise nicht die Chance hat das Level zu erkunden um alles zu entdecken (natürlich gibt es Collectibles), tw auch überfordert sein kann, überhaupt den erwünschen Progress zu packen. Dennoch ist das Spielprinzip recht vielseitig und fordert vom Spieler immer was anderes ab, da dieses altbekannte LiS-Prinzip mit Laufeinlagen a lá Mirrors Edge oder Quick Time Events a lá Heavy Rain kombiniert, die im Kontext der Story stets Sinn ergeben. Aber: Das Gameplay ist definitiv nur Mittel zum Zweck. Und das merkt man an allen Ecken und Enden, da die Steuerung sehr unpräzise und schwammig von der Hand geht und man oftmals erst in zweiten, dritten Anlauf überhaupt erst rallt, was überhaupt zu tun ist, bzw. was das Spiel von einem verlangt. Dazu ist es technisch alles andere als ausgegoren, eher in einem frühen Betabuild - erst im dritten Anlauf konnte ich das Spiel ohne Absturz, Gamebreaker oder gar Spielstandverlust durchspielen. [i]Das Gameplay, bzw. die technische Umsetzung ist die einzige Schwäche dieses Spiels - die schießt aber den Vogel ab. Dass das Gameplay in storygetriebenen Games nur das Mittel zum Zweck darstellt ist nun wahrlich nichts neues, aber derart halbgar und gespickt mit technischen Problemen kann man durchaus die Spielbarkeit dieses Spiels anzweifeln.[/i] [h1]Gestaltung[/h1] [b]Positives[/b] + Unfassbar guter Soundtrack (bei den Künstlern dahinter auch kein Wunder) + düstere, ranzige Inszenierung passt ideal zur Storyline + krasse Darstellungen psychischer Ausnahmesituationen [b]Neutrales[/b] • veralteter Grafikstil • “irrwitzige” Animationen [b]Negatives[/b] - technische Fehler bis zum Geht-nicht-mehr [b]Fazit:[/b] [i]Ich bin ehrlich: Mangels “Mittelmäßig”-Funktion seitens Steam hätte ich beinahe eine Münze geworfen, ob der Daumen nun gen Sonne oder Boden zeigen soll… Und letztendlich, nach gründlichem Überlegen ist es doch ein Daumen nach oben. Aber weniger wegen dem was Of Bird and Cage ist sondern vielmehr dessen, was es werden kann, sollte weiter daran gearbeitet werden. Um diesem Ansatz zu würdigen und Aufmerksamkeit für diese Art von kunstvoller Spieleformen zu wecken in der Hoffnung, in Zukunft mehr davon, dann auch qualitativer, zu sehen.[/i] [quote]Hat dir diese Review gefallen? Dann zeig es doch mit einem Like und einem Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/8049466/]unserer Kuratorenseite.[/url][/quote]

One of the most unique and surreal experiences you will ever play. Beauty and the Beast meets Sin City on a modern story covering multiple real adult issues. Story 10/10 Naturally this is where it shines. It focuses on your character(Gitta) who suffers from having a traumatic childhood and ends up having the same traits as her parents. As she is now grown up she naturally falls into the wrong crowd and becomes addicted to drugs and is at the mercy of her dealer BF and has a rather rough and unplesent life. This abruptly changes once she meets (Brees) who takes her captive and she really falls through down the rabbit hole and spirals into insanity and the dark places that come with it. Her drug addiction alters her perspective as it shows the affect having withdrawal has on the body and mind. Without your fix the world looks dramatically different. What I really like is how this game covers multiple difficult to talk about subjects, Drug Addiction, Domestic Violence, Abusive relationships and highlights them into an artful story that makes you really feel the physical and mental struggle she is going through. You are looking at a Whirlwind 2 hours with a lot of incentive to replay for 4 endings and collectables. Audio 10/10 Fantastic music soundtrack throughout the game. Heavy metal sequences in action moments and an even a duet in one of the captive sequences, The songs really highlight the impact Stockholm syndrome has had on Gitta and through the music it shows how her perspective of Brees changes throughout the experience. In a game like this it would have to deliver and it does oh so marvellously. Graphics 8/10 - Ran very well and didnt have any FPS issues. Locations all looked crisp and set the atmosphere needed to progress throughout the game. The addiction fire looked an impressive visual. Gameplay 7/10 Probably the one area it is a little bit weak in places. Most of the story based interactions plays very well and the chase sequences are smooth. I just found the fighting sequences to be a tad weak especially the hand to hand combat sequences. They just didn't deliver the theatrics the rest of the game delivered. I would also argue you have to think fast in a lot of the sequences and why I would encourage everyone to at least play this 2-3 times as for some of the endings you will need to have a firm knowledge of where key objects are to alter your scenario as time really is your enemy a lot of the times. But I loved how some of the sequences you are set up to fail. It highlights the struggle and the mental hopelessness Gitta is trying to push through with no clear. path in sight. Overall 9/10 - Going to say this is a new and must play experience. It tastefully and Artfully covers several difficult subjects and highlights how no life is perfect but you could be in a far darker place and what is needed to overcome it. My Full YT review is below https://youtu.be/Mtf3T_z3nIU

Alright, so it pains me to have to say this, but I wouldn't recommend this game. It has absolutely wonderful and great concepts applied, but it falls apart in the dev side. Best way to describe it is it feels like an amazing game concept, but slapped together with all the cheapest or free assets possible to make it come together when you don't have the budget to do the programming yourself. So S-Tier concept, absolute failure in terms of gameplay. Controls are trash, mini game fights are trash, quick time events are somehow 1000% more trash than most quick time events, and I say this as a software developer that for funsies has made basic games whose controls functioned identically to this game. Know how I did it, purchased or installed free assets that other people made and then tweaked it a bit to try smoothing it out. It came out just as bad as this. Should pull out the dumb fights, turn it into more timed choices, basic puzzles, etc. Play to the games and devs strengths here. Sure you won't have as many features to the game, but I would greatly prefer a fully functional simpler game than this buggy crap (bug in this case meaning not ship-able quality). I legit want to see the other story possibilities, but getting through to one ending was a huge trial in patience that I uninstalled it after one play through and will not ever attempt to play it again, not will I watch someone else play it just to see the other endings because that in itself would be painful to watch.

Good story and awesome music get hampered by horrible QTE's and terrible time limit.

Oh what a mess. Where to start - so, the game is an unmitigated disaster. Graphics - bad. Controls - bad. Gameplay - Huh what? Non-existent, yet also bad. Story? I suppose it's a matter of taste... It's pretty linear. Even though there are meant to be meaningful choices/decisions you mostly end up in the same places. Definitely cheap, nasty and misanthropic in any case. So as a game it's a hard pass. Does it work as a piece of art? A bit more difficult to judge. Some great musicians that I love are involved, but I don't think you'll hear their best work here. Even if you did, the mess of a game would stop you noticing... This is really the worst example of "game as art" I've ever seen. So to everyone, involved, please stop - you suck at this. We'll see you on stage again soon, until then maybe stick to the studio?