Featherfall
- January 17, 2020
- Sokpop Collective
- 3h median play time
Featherfall is a single-player role-playing game with beautiful graphics and a soundtrack by Aron. As a newly hatched bird, explore four areas in the clouds, battle seven bosses, and discover more than 30 items. If you encounter any graphical issues on Windows, download the necessary driver with this link: . For Mac OS X users experiencing issues, try moving the game to a different folder and running it again.
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style and atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Exploration is a highlight, with a massive world filled with secrets and varied enemy types.
- Despite its flaws, the game offers a fun and challenging combat experience that can be rewarding once mastered.
- The controls and combat feel sluggish and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The lack of a map and clear navigation makes it easy to get lost in the repetitive environments.
- Performance issues, including low frame rates and hitbox inconsistencies, detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- gameplay17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring enjoyable combat mechanics and unique boss designs, but often criticized for its lack of depth and reliance on RNG. While some players appreciate the polished dodge mechanics and the variety of builds, others find the overall experience limited and feel that certain mechanics, like shield blocking, can be inconsistent. The game offers fun moments and a captivating atmosphere, but many reviewers note that it feels cheaply made with repetitive elements and grinding.
“But it's also got some surprising polish - your dodge mechanic is based on your equipment types/load (properly obfuscated in true soulslike fashion), there's a few different builds you can make, there are mechanics around trading hits and strong attacks, and there are surprising 'oh shoot' moments if you attack certain areas or NPCs.”
“Gameplay can be good at times and the bosses are fun.”
“Very surprised it has so little reviews, it's a little gem of a game, love both the world and enemy design, fun and at times challenging gameplay, soundtrack and atmosphere fit the world very well, with a price this low it's only yet another reason to get this.”
“Bosses are generally easy but reliant on a lot of RNG, with some positioning feeling awkward due to a very finicky dodge mechanic.”
“There is just not enough depth and the gameplay is too limited.”
“The whole game feels cheaply made, with a few time-waster mechanics added to extend playtime (grinding for healing items, repetitive fights, damage-sponge bosses...).”
- graphics14 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and charming art style, reminiscent of PS1-era visuals filtered through an indie lens. While the aesthetic is described as beautiful and fun, some players note that the low-resolution design may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics.
“The art style is beautiful.”
“It's got a fun aesthetic and I really like it.”
“The art style is great, and the sound/music are quite good as well.”
“All of these games have a distinct low-resolution style that kind of recalls PS1-era graphics if they were filtered through indie PC gaming.”
“Love the art style, but the controls and movement are godawful.”
“It's got a unique art style and the combat is rewarding.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric qualities and ability to enhance the game's environments, particularly in darker settings. However, some users criticize the soundtrack for being dull or lacking in variety, suggesting it may not fully engage players throughout the experience. Despite these criticisms, the music is often highlighted as a key element that contributes to the game's charm and ambiance.
“I love this game, it has a good soundtrack and the combat is fun.”
“It's a bit simple, the design and the music come together to make some wonderful environments and atmosphere.”
“Very surprised it has so little reviews, it's a little gem of a game, love both the world and enemy design, fun and at times challenging gameplay, soundtrack and atmosphere fit the world very well, with a price this low it's only yet another reason to get this.”
“The only thing I don't like is that there are no music and sound settings.”
“The soundtrack is very dull and lacking; yet I suppose it serves its purpose in some locations.”
“It has an overall rather gloomy feeling to it, and the music and level designs reflect that with lots of dark and ruinous areas.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charm and immersive quality, effectively combining appealing design and music to create engaging environments. Reviewers note that it captures a range of emotions, from loneliness to challenge, enhancing the overall experience despite some gameplay flaws. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that adds significant value to the game.
“It's a bit simple, the design and the music come together to make some wonderful environments and atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere is on point--- this world is lonely and scary and the scenery captures these darker feelings.”
“Very surprised it has so little reviews, it's a little gem of a game, love both the world and enemy design, fun and at times challenging gameplay, soundtrack and atmosphere fit the world very well.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite the interesting premise, the atmosphere is dull and fails to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
“The game’s atmosphere is inconsistent, with some areas feeling lifeless and disconnected from the overall theme.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story, which was anticipated as an origin tale for a character from Dark Souls, is largely criticized for its absence, with players noting a lack of narrative depth and context. Many feel that the game fails to provide any meaningful story elements or lore, leaving it feeling empty. Additionally, the final boss encounter is described as frustratingly unfair, particularly for players who favor physical combat.
“The long-awaited origin story of that big, scary crow from Dark Souls.”
“There is no story.”
“It doesn't even have items that fill in the story.”
“(Minor spoiler? Not really any story lol) The final boss is pretty unfair to anyone who is very physical or didn't min-max a character. He will rapidly spam magic attacks that home in and are usually undodgeable.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some view it as a tedious necessity, particularly when farming for healing items and facing repetitive fights, others believe that if you can tolerate the grind, the game offers worthwhile content.
“Kind of a tedious slog.”
“The whole game feels cheaply made, with a few time-waster mechanics added to make the playtime longer (grinding for healing items, repetitive fights, damage-sponge bosses...).”
“This is not that bad, but I personally don't like farming for healing items.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits a range of stability issues, including bugs and glitches that can lead to unconventional gameplay experiences, such as out-of-map exploits. However, these quirks are often viewed as charming rather than detrimental, contributing to an overall fun experience without rendering the game unplayable.
“Similar to Call of Duty maps where you can find out-of-the-map glitches, and now you're up on a building shooting people while they can't get up to you.”
“It's kind of buggy (not even in an unplayable way at all though).”
“Kinda buggy but super charming game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability, with players enjoying the challenge of achieving speedrun milestones and experimenting with different routes, enhancing the overall fun experience.
“Has replay value and is a fun experience.”
“I also had a lot of fun coming up with a route to get the speedrun achievement for beating the game in under 15 minutes, a nice encouragement for some replay value.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, with users reporting poor performance, achieving only 30-40 FPS on relatively powerful hardware, including a Ryzen 5800X and RX 5600 XT. This has raised concerns given the game's lightweight appearance.
“The performance is awful for such a lightweight-looking game, averaging only 30-40 FPS on a Ryzen 5800X, RX 5600 XT, 32GB RAM, and SSD.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as dark and self-referential, with players likening its clumsy mechanics to a "dark souls simulator," suggesting a comedic take on the frustrations typically associated with challenging gameplay.
“It's hilarious how the game manages to poke fun at itself while keeping the gameplay engaging.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud throughout my playthrough.”
“I love the quirky characters and their ridiculous antics; they add a delightful layer of humor to the game.”