The King's Bird

Last updated
The King's Bird
The King's Bird cover.jpg
Developer(s) Serenity Forge
Publisher(s) Graffiti Games
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseWindows
August 23, 2018
Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
February 12, 2019
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s)

The King's Bird is a platform game developed by American indie game studio Serenity Forge and published by Canadian indie game publisher Graffiti Games. [1] The game was released for Microsoft Windows on August 23, 2018 and presented at PAX East 2018 and the E3 Media Indie Exchange. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Gameplay

Players utilize momentum to dash and glide through challenges in a world of silhouettes. As the levels progress, they becoming increasingly challenging. [5] [6] The game emphasizes a minimalist, artistic presentation with bright colors and gameplay inspired by other games of the precision-platformer genre, such as Dustforce, Super Meat Boy and N+. [7]

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews, with an average of 67 on Metacritic for the PC version [8] and a 66 for the Switch version. [9] Tom McShea of GameSpot gave the game a 5/10, complementing "the great sense of freedom" found in the game's movement but criticizing excessive difficulty in later levels, saying "as the walls close tighter around you, that fun begins to dissipate". [10] Twinfinite's Andrew McMahon, who gave the game a 3.5/5, also criticizes the later levels, stating they require "pinpoint accuracy". However, he praised the aesthetic presentation saying "you’ll feel like you are floating through a real-life painting in each Kingdom." [14] Inés Barriocanal of IGN Spain gave the game a 7.5/10, saying it has a "really beautiful and vibrant environment" and "celestial music", though she says the controls are sometimes "not as accurate as I would like". The game received a 3.5/5 from Jordan Helm of Hardcore Gamer, who said the game has "sparse storytelling", but that it delivers "on its challenge and integration of physics" and this results in "a satisfying precision-platformer overall." [15] TrueAchievements ' Mark Delaney put the game on his list of "Favorite Indie and Under the Radar Games at PAX West 2018", saying that "The King's Bird is a perfect fit for speedrunners who like to achieve perfection." [16]

The Switch, PS4 and Xbox One versions were nominated for the Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game at the 9th Annual New York Game Awards. [17]

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References

  1. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2018-02-28). "Graffiti Games debuts as new game publisher with 3 titles for 2018". VentureBeat . Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  2. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (2018-06-27). "Smash Bros., Ghost of Tsushima And 27 Other Mostly-Interesting Games I Saw At E3". Kotaku . Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  3. ↑ Santa Maria, Alex (2018-06-22). "Coverage Club: Into The Mix (Hamsterdam, Beatdown City, Kings Bird)". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  4. ↑ Cunningham, James (2018-04-14). "PAX East 2018: Beautiful Hardcore Platforming for All in The King's Bird". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  5. ↑ Chalk, Andy (2018-08-13). "The King's Bird is a lovely platformer that combines jumping and gliding in a secret world". PC Gamer . Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  6. ↑ Lemne, Bengt (2018-04-27). "The King's Bird - an accessible precision platformer". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  7. ↑ Rad, Chloi (2015-08-14). "The King's Bird looks like one of the most graceful platformers yet - Kill Screen". Kill Screen . Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  8. 1 2 "The King's Bird for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  9. 1 2 "The King's Bird for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  10. 1 2 McShea, Tom (2018-08-23). "The King's Bird Review: A Rocky Flight". GameSpot . Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  11. ↑ mrderiv (2018-09-16). "The King's Bird - Un plateformer qui donne des ailes ?". Jeuxvideo.com . Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  12. ↑ Bailey, Eric (2019-02-12). "The King's Bird Review". Nintendo Life . Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  13. ↑ Abou-Nasr, Adam (2019-02-12). "The King's Bird (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  14. ↑ McMahon, Andrew (2018-09-03). "The King's Bird Review". Twinfinite. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  15. ↑ Helm, Jordan (2018-08-23). "Review: The King's Bird - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  16. ↑ Delaney, Mark (2018-09-09). "Our Favorite Indie and Under the Radar Games at PAX West 2018". TrueAchievements . Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  17. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (2020-01-02). "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved 2020-01-04.
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