Ken Gao is magic to me, but don't play this unless To The Moon and Finding Paradise leave you wanting more of the same vibe.
La descripción en steam de "A bird story" nos dice todo lo que necesitamos saber antes de comprar la obra: corto experimental, animación interactiva de 1 hora y sin diálogos.
El sello de Freebird Games es inconfundible: estéticamente es muy sencillo pero bonito (y por encima de la mayoría de juegos basados en RPG Maker), melodías que acompañan a las mil maravillas y jugabilidad extremadamente escasa.
La historia que cuenta Kan Gao, no está mal, aunque donde destaca es cómo lo cuenta: el uso que hace de elementos visuales para narrar sin palabras.
Es por eso que no la recomendaría salvo a aquellos que ya hayan probado (y les haya gustado) este tipo de experiencias jugables. Quién quiera probar un juego de este estilo mejor que empiece con "To the moon".
Y aquellos que se hayan quedado con ganas de más que no olviden ir a la web de Freebird games y acercarse a "Do you remember my lullaby?".
El sello de Freebird Games es inconfundible: estéticamente es muy sencillo pero bonito (y por encima de la mayoría de juegos basados en RPG Maker), melodías que acompañan a las mil maravillas y jugabilidad extremadamente escasa.
La historia que cuenta Kan Gao, no está mal, aunque donde destaca es cómo lo cuenta: el uso que hace de elementos visuales para narrar sin palabras.
Es por eso que no la recomendaría salvo a aquellos que ya hayan probado (y les haya gustado) este tipo de experiencias jugables. Quién quiera probar un juego de este estilo mejor que empiece con "To the moon".
Y aquellos que se hayan quedado con ganas de más que no olviden ir a la web de Freebird games y acercarse a "Do you remember my lullaby?".
geil geschriebene Dialoge.. hätten dem Spiel geholfen..
very cute :)...
Acho que descrevo bem esse jogo ao dizer que ele é uma introdução a Finding Paradise. Mas diferente desse e de To the Moon, aqui não se tem uma participação ativa. Apenas curta o que é mostrado na tela, como um filme. Mas um filme antigo.
Veredito: curto, barato, direto e emocionante.
Eu sou um monstro sem coração. Eu não chorei com esse jogo. (mas quase)
Valeu cada centavo.
Eu sou um monstro sem coração. Eu não chorei com esse jogo. (mas quase)
Valeu cada centavo.
mtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmt bonitinho
A cute little prologue to the sequel to To the Moon.
Not since Virginia have I felt that I was wasting my time playing a video game from the very beginning as I did with A Bird Story. This title has been marketed as a major miniature release in the To the Moon franchise, acting as a transitionary point between the first and second entries. And yet, if I hadn’t been told that, there is no way that I would have known. A Bird Story isn’t quite a misfire, but nor is it experimental: it’s another substandard, overly-cinematic excuse for a video game that should be looked upon as an example of what NOT to do in indie game design.
You’re supposedly given the ability to move around like in TTM, but I’d say the game only unlocks that about 50% of the time. The other 50% you’re forced to watch mini-cutscenes of an abysmal narrative that I’ll tear into in a little bit.
99 percent of this movement is just basic UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT, though that 1% comes up in the form of gimmicks that are too short-lived to be impactful. TTM didn’t have much in the way of gameplay either, but at least the story was intriguing, and exploration was encouraged. That latter part isn’t available here because you’re essentially on rails: trying to go off the straightforward path will land you against a brick wall, forcing you to backtrack and go back the way the game wants you go.
Aesthetically, A Bird Story is a mixed bag. It reuses a lot of the assets from TTM and the RPG Maker engine, but TTM was a beautiful game, and so that was far from being a bad tactic. Unfortunately, the limited environs here (a schoolground, apartment complex, and forested area) are laced with copy/pasted models (same-sized shadow figures, same-exact trees, same-exact lamps) ad nauseam. The biggest problem, though, is this weird filter that is placed over most of the game: it’s like halfway between sepia and bleach bypass. I’m guessing it was Freebird’s attempt at conceiving a unique “old-timey” feel to their storyline, but I didn’t think it fit personally due to the timeline being relatively modern.
Another graphical issue is the poor depiction of verticality. This is an inherent issue with 2D sprite games, and TTM suffered from it occasionally as well. But here, I felt that the problem was a lot more prevalent in the three places, with barriers not being distinguishable enough from regular pathways. That being said, one thing A Bird Story does remarkably effectively is combine the three places in fused sets that occur as a result of memories/dates getting combined in-story; you’ll see the schoolgrounds leading into forests, apartment doors opening into rainy exteriors, and so forth. Freebird also continues to demonstrate their ability to create unique facial expressions out of small sprite countenances, (though the smiling closed/curved eyelines was overused).
Sadly, I do have to end on a bitter note in this department, and that is regarding the constant use of white and black flashes. I get that this was done to depict time-skips and fast-forwards, but I couldn’t help but feel that, half the time, it was also done because the devs didn’t want to commit a huge budget to the project and so wanted to avoid animating sequences. But I fully concede that that is pure conjecture on my part. Either way, they were overused. Shortcuts were also taken like the lack of shadowmapping and no splashes (characters, in general, look like they’re floating on the land).
I was not a fan of the score. Gao did it himself again, yet the first half of the game incorporates these weird warble experimentations that distract rather than contribute to the scenes playing before you (the use of muted instruments, for example, or French Horns that hit notes so high they near-burst speakers). The second half is more restrained and standard, and yet that’s a bad thing because it both doesn’t stand out AND doesn’t contribute to the images at large. Flying around in your paper airplane, for example, should’ve elicited the same awe as John William’s track in ET during the bike scene.
The SFX is also barren. The exact same chirp is rehashed for your avian companion, and other things like footsteps and ambient noises are nonexistent. No dialogue means no voice acting (not that TTM had any, a big fault on its part).
Finally, we arrive at the story, and it’s such a misfire. You remember that episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where Cody adopts a baby eagle? Imagine that turned completely serious and stretched out for an entire hour+ and you have A Bird Story. It’s actually worse than that: take that premise and combine it with a cliché tale of a loser kid with estranged parents becoming extroverted via a newfound friendship and you have A Bird Story.
Forgive me, but at this point I’m just tired of this archetypal narrative. We’ve seen it done with humans and animals alike a bazillion times, and Freebird doesn’t do anything different here. Thankfully, it doesn’t go into tearjerker territory, however there are blatant attempts at being heart-tugging and I just found it annoying. It’s quite possible to tell a moving story about a relationship using just imagery and music (Up and BvS’s openings are prime standards of this), but Freebird botched things here by over-relying on hackneyed tropes and story beats. The magical realism aspects aren’t bad, but it doesn’t amount to anything substantial or memorable courtesy of the aforestated weak OST and gameplay. Alongside, there are these odd momentary throwbacks to classic games/shows (Zelda, Spongebob, Mario, Scooby-Doo), and the comedic tones associated with them feel out-of-place with the drama elsewhere.
So yeah, it goes without saying that I wasn’t a fan of A Bird Story. Every single facet of it bore a noticeable problem, with its core narrative, in particular, being flawed. I have to play Finding Paradise to see just how integral it is to understanding that game, but I have a good feeling that it won’t be. It took me a little over an hour to beat the game, making the $4.00 asking price too much. Regardless, even if it was one dollar, the fact that I felt a one-hour game dragged says enough.
You’re supposedly given the ability to move around like in TTM, but I’d say the game only unlocks that about 50% of the time. The other 50% you’re forced to watch mini-cutscenes of an abysmal narrative that I’ll tear into in a little bit.
99 percent of this movement is just basic UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT, though that 1% comes up in the form of gimmicks that are too short-lived to be impactful. TTM didn’t have much in the way of gameplay either, but at least the story was intriguing, and exploration was encouraged. That latter part isn’t available here because you’re essentially on rails: trying to go off the straightforward path will land you against a brick wall, forcing you to backtrack and go back the way the game wants you go.
Aesthetically, A Bird Story is a mixed bag. It reuses a lot of the assets from TTM and the RPG Maker engine, but TTM was a beautiful game, and so that was far from being a bad tactic. Unfortunately, the limited environs here (a schoolground, apartment complex, and forested area) are laced with copy/pasted models (same-sized shadow figures, same-exact trees, same-exact lamps) ad nauseam. The biggest problem, though, is this weird filter that is placed over most of the game: it’s like halfway between sepia and bleach bypass. I’m guessing it was Freebird’s attempt at conceiving a unique “old-timey” feel to their storyline, but I didn’t think it fit personally due to the timeline being relatively modern.
Another graphical issue is the poor depiction of verticality. This is an inherent issue with 2D sprite games, and TTM suffered from it occasionally as well. But here, I felt that the problem was a lot more prevalent in the three places, with barriers not being distinguishable enough from regular pathways. That being said, one thing A Bird Story does remarkably effectively is combine the three places in fused sets that occur as a result of memories/dates getting combined in-story; you’ll see the schoolgrounds leading into forests, apartment doors opening into rainy exteriors, and so forth. Freebird also continues to demonstrate their ability to create unique facial expressions out of small sprite countenances, (though the smiling closed/curved eyelines was overused).
Sadly, I do have to end on a bitter note in this department, and that is regarding the constant use of white and black flashes. I get that this was done to depict time-skips and fast-forwards, but I couldn’t help but feel that, half the time, it was also done because the devs didn’t want to commit a huge budget to the project and so wanted to avoid animating sequences. But I fully concede that that is pure conjecture on my part. Either way, they were overused. Shortcuts were also taken like the lack of shadowmapping and no splashes (characters, in general, look like they’re floating on the land).
I was not a fan of the score. Gao did it himself again, yet the first half of the game incorporates these weird warble experimentations that distract rather than contribute to the scenes playing before you (the use of muted instruments, for example, or French Horns that hit notes so high they near-burst speakers). The second half is more restrained and standard, and yet that’s a bad thing because it both doesn’t stand out AND doesn’t contribute to the images at large. Flying around in your paper airplane, for example, should’ve elicited the same awe as John William’s track in ET during the bike scene.
The SFX is also barren. The exact same chirp is rehashed for your avian companion, and other things like footsteps and ambient noises are nonexistent. No dialogue means no voice acting (not that TTM had any, a big fault on its part).
Finally, we arrive at the story, and it’s such a misfire. You remember that episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody where Cody adopts a baby eagle? Imagine that turned completely serious and stretched out for an entire hour+ and you have A Bird Story. It’s actually worse than that: take that premise and combine it with a cliché tale of a loser kid with estranged parents becoming extroverted via a newfound friendship and you have A Bird Story.
Forgive me, but at this point I’m just tired of this archetypal narrative. We’ve seen it done with humans and animals alike a bazillion times, and Freebird doesn’t do anything different here. Thankfully, it doesn’t go into tearjerker territory, however there are blatant attempts at being heart-tugging and I just found it annoying. It’s quite possible to tell a moving story about a relationship using just imagery and music (Up and BvS’s openings are prime standards of this), but Freebird botched things here by over-relying on hackneyed tropes and story beats. The magical realism aspects aren’t bad, but it doesn’t amount to anything substantial or memorable courtesy of the aforestated weak OST and gameplay. Alongside, there are these odd momentary throwbacks to classic games/shows (Zelda, Spongebob, Mario, Scooby-Doo), and the comedic tones associated with them feel out-of-place with the drama elsewhere.
So yeah, it goes without saying that I wasn’t a fan of A Bird Story. Every single facet of it bore a noticeable problem, with its core narrative, in particular, being flawed. I have to play Finding Paradise to see just how integral it is to understanding that game, but I have a good feeling that it won’t be. It took me a little over an hour to beat the game, making the $4.00 asking price too much. Regardless, even if it was one dollar, the fact that I felt a one-hour game dragged says enough.
A cute prologue to Finding Paradise about a boy growing attached to a bird. It’s pleasant, if not very memorable on its own.
It might be simple, but it's simply perfect.
This was sweet, there's not a whole lot to it, but given that it's something of a prologue to the 'actual' game Finding Paradise it did well enough at hooking me in.
The music is nice as expected, and the level design was really interesting. There's not text or dialogue, and there doesn't need to be. Not much to say really, I hope Finding Paradise is satisfying lol
The music is nice as expected, and the level design was really interesting. There's not text or dialogue, and there doesn't need to be. Not much to say really, I hope Finding Paradise is satisfying lol
This game is from the same creator of "To the Moon". I would advise anyone that has played and enjoyed To the Moon to lower expectations since A Bird Story is not on the same level.
This game is much shorter and even manages (somehow) to have less gameplay than To the Moon. With that being said, it portrays a very charming story that is conveyed only through the gameplay and animations in a very effective way.
This game is much shorter and even manages (somehow) to have less gameplay than To the Moon. With that being said, it portrays a very charming story that is conveyed only through the gameplay and animations in a very effective way.
pretty good, really interpretive in places
Even with no dialogue this shit's so GOOD
A charming prequel to Finding Paradise which truly conveys the power of games as a storytelling medium. Without using a single word, it crafts a touching story.
Ótimo "tease" de um ótimo jogo.
Much like To The Moon, it’s very narrative based with even less interaction as a whole. Despite the similarities both in the narrative and how it plays, it’s the method of storytelling that is different. A Bird Story has ZERO dialogue. Everything plays out almost like a silent movie with certain instructions being given using arrows and prompts from the controls. When the game needs to direct you to a certain item, a speech bubble with a picture of what is needed or where you need to go will pop up. I can see many people disliking this approach, but the story still comes across very well.
A Bird Story won’t keep you busy for long. Clocking in at under an hour and a half, it’s a quick experience of emotion. It balances many of those emotions quite well though. The moments of whimsy don’t outweigh the humor and charm and there’s a touch of sadness in there as well. Being able to convey all of these without the use of voice or text, especially in a video game, is an achievement that the team at Freebird Games should be applauded for.
The actual plot is relatively simple and benign. A Bird Story is about a boy who seemingly has no friends. He is unhappy and lonely until he befriends an injured bird. The game is simply their friendship together while coming to terms with inevitable decisions he has to make. It isn’t groundbreaking in any fashion, but it is a sweet story that has me wondering how this feeds into Finding Paradise as the ending teases you for that game.
If you want a game to make you feel something emotionally, A Bird Story will do just that. There isn’t much to it as a whole, but its “show, don’t tell” approach works remarkably well and has me eager to see what the follow-up has in store for the main character.
A Bird Story won’t keep you busy for long. Clocking in at under an hour and a half, it’s a quick experience of emotion. It balances many of those emotions quite well though. The moments of whimsy don’t outweigh the humor and charm and there’s a touch of sadness in there as well. Being able to convey all of these without the use of voice or text, especially in a video game, is an achievement that the team at Freebird Games should be applauded for.
The actual plot is relatively simple and benign. A Bird Story is about a boy who seemingly has no friends. He is unhappy and lonely until he befriends an injured bird. The game is simply their friendship together while coming to terms with inevitable decisions he has to make. It isn’t groundbreaking in any fashion, but it is a sweet story that has me wondering how this feeds into Finding Paradise as the ending teases you for that game.
If you want a game to make you feel something emotionally, A Bird Story will do just that. There isn’t much to it as a whole, but its “show, don’t tell” approach works remarkably well and has me eager to see what the follow-up has in store for the main character.
A short, cute and charming story about a young boy and a bird. It's kinda emotional but that's it, it's servisable.
If you came here after To the Moon don't expect something similar in quality, if you are checking on what game by Freebird Games to play just play To the Moon.
If you came here after To the Moon don't expect something similar in quality, if you are checking on what game by Freebird Games to play just play To the Moon.
Importante para Finding Paradise,e é curtin
It reminded me of what it was like to be a kid again
A wholesome short story by the ever so great Kan Gao. A good experience for those experienced with Freebird and/or the To the Moon series.
It may have only lasted an hourish but it was a positive use of my time and always good to support such a creative developer.
It may have only lasted an hourish but it was a positive use of my time and always good to support such a creative developer.
Amo o mundo que a Freebird Games criou, sempre desce a lágrima no final de cada jogo dessa sequência
Jogo muito bom, mas bem curto
Meu Deus, que sonífero. Mesmo durando só uma horinha, tive que dar uma pausa na metade para tomar uma água e pegar um ar porque eu estava caindo de sono. Tem alguma coisa muito errada que não está certa num jogo de uma hora não consegue prender sua atenção pela mísera hora que dura.
Honestly mandatory for loving Finding Paradise more.
This review contains spoilers
Could've been longer, but incredibly imaginative and a great edition to the To the Moon series.
Tal y como me pasó con To the moon, la sensiblería pseudo obligada de esta compañía, no va conmigo.
En este caso el sufrimiento duró poco. Una horita de un pixel art precioso y una banda sonora decente, en la que nos cuentan la historia de un niño solitario, con su pajarito. Y repito nos cuentan, porque más de 50 minutos de esa hora que dura, estarás mirando la pantalla sin hacer prácticamente NADA.
Su creador lo ha definido como una experiencia visual. Y en eso, lamentablemente se queda. A penas es un juego, no es un walking simulator o una experiencia narrativa como The Longest Road on Earth. Es una “peli” pixelada en la que en un par de ocasiones haces algo o interaccionas con el juego.
Por otra parte, su historia es bonita, el niño pasa la mayor parte del día solo, sus padres trabajan muchas horas y el niño a penas tiene amigos en el cole. Es soñador y aventurero, y su pasión es volar.
Un día salva a un pajarito de ser la comida de un perro, pero el pajarito tiene un ala rota y el niño se convierte en su enfermera 24h y su amigo.
Como va todos lados con el pajarito, el niño se vuelve muy popular en el cole, todos los conocen y quieren jugar con él. Hasta que llega “el girito” de la historia, y las cosas empiezan a complicarse y a ser predecibles.
Como digo, una peli de tarde, pixelada y que de juego no tiene nada. Una pena.
En este caso el sufrimiento duró poco. Una horita de un pixel art precioso y una banda sonora decente, en la que nos cuentan la historia de un niño solitario, con su pajarito. Y repito nos cuentan, porque más de 50 minutos de esa hora que dura, estarás mirando la pantalla sin hacer prácticamente NADA.
Su creador lo ha definido como una experiencia visual. Y en eso, lamentablemente se queda. A penas es un juego, no es un walking simulator o una experiencia narrativa como The Longest Road on Earth. Es una “peli” pixelada en la que en un par de ocasiones haces algo o interaccionas con el juego.
Por otra parte, su historia es bonita, el niño pasa la mayor parte del día solo, sus padres trabajan muchas horas y el niño a penas tiene amigos en el cole. Es soñador y aventurero, y su pasión es volar.
Un día salva a un pajarito de ser la comida de un perro, pero el pajarito tiene un ala rota y el niño se convierte en su enfermera 24h y su amigo.
Como va todos lados con el pajarito, el niño se vuelve muy popular en el cole, todos los conocen y quieren jugar con él. Hasta que llega “el girito” de la historia, y las cosas empiezan a complicarse y a ser predecibles.
Como digo, una peli de tarde, pixelada y que de juego no tiene nada. Una pena.
Cute prequel to Finding Paradise!
Overrated.