Ostrich Island
- October 25, 2014
- MeDungeon
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Get on itch.io Store"Ostrich Island is a unique adventure/exploration/RPG game where you play as an ostrich. After a volcano eruption, help the ostrich escape and reunite with its family while exploring tropical paradises, stormy islands, underwater worlds, and dark caves. Discover secret achievements, collectibles, and bonuses, wear hats, take photos, catch butterflies, breed and feed chicken companions, and even invite a friend to join the adventure. The recently added workshop allows players to create and share their own ostrich skins and islands with the community."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and absurd experience that can be surprisingly enjoyable, especially when played with friends.
- It features a charming aesthetic with fun collectables and customization options, reminiscent of classic platformers.
- Many players find it to be a lighthearted escape that provides joy and laughter, making it a good choice for casual gaming.
- The controls are often clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The game suffers from repetitive level design and lacks depth, making it feel monotonous over time.
- Technical issues such as lag, crashes, and poor graphical performance detract from the overall enjoyment.
- gameplay34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is described as straightforward and simple, with some users finding it clunky and repetitive, particularly in certain levels. While it lacks depth and high production values, it offers a fun, humorous atmosphere and can be enjoyable, especially in cooperative play. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some appreciating its charm and nostalgic feel, while others criticize its execution and monotony.
“Very decent platformer with interesting gameplay elements and an overall humorous atmosphere.”
“It's a reasonable price for hours of gameplay (especially fun with a friend) and it even has Steam trading cards so you can get a bit of that price back!”
“While the movement mechanics are very awkward sometimes, it's rather bug-free and smooth otherwise and certainly a fun, silly little game you should pick up if you're looking for that classic half-baked PS1 feel.”
“Ostrich Island is so clunky and clumsy that the gameplay experience is agonizing.”
“Gameplay is very repetitive, runs quite slow for some reason, the tunnel levels are incredibly monotonous.”
“I really wanted to like it but the gameplay just wasn't there for me.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising them as among the best in the industry, while others criticize them for being unpolished and underwhelming. Issues such as poor graphical performance, imprecise controls, and a lack of visual appeal in certain levels detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, some players still find enjoyment in the game, indicating that the graphics, while not stellar, do not completely ruin the gameplay.
“Graphics are up there with the greatest looking games in the game industry.”
“From the graphics to the gameplay, the soundtrack to the achievements, I am loving it.”
“Good graphics, good controls, good sounds.”
“I wanted to like this game, but the unpolished nature of it, from the graphics to the controls to the interface, is just a massive deal breaker.”
“Primary issues are: the graphical performance is poor, the player can fall through the terrain, the controls are wonky, and the color palette in the later 'cavern levels' is a horrid black-on-black.”
“Unfortunately for me, the 3D graphics give me motion sickness, and I couldn't find a way to change any of the settings that usually help.”
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by its thrilling twists and eccentricity, drawing comparisons to legendary storytelling seen in works like Fargo. While some users note a lack of depth in the narrative and graphics, the overall experience remains enjoyable, emphasizing themes of resilience and unpredictability in life.
“Legendary storytelling.”
“After another dark comedy/crime film Fargo, the Coen brothers wrote an amazing and eccentric comedy story.”
“The graphics aren't great, there's no real story, the gameplay is simple, and yet... I find myself positively enjoying this game.”
“The story of this game is filled with thrills and twists, so if you have a heart condition, avoid this game.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as nice and atmospheric, contributing to a relaxing experience that enhances the overall enjoyment of gameplay. While it may not be groundbreaking, it effectively complements the game's aesthetic and lore, adding to the player's sense of immersion. Overall, the soundtrack is appreciated for its ability to create a pleasant atmosphere without overstaying its welcome.
“The music itself is nice and atmospheric, the in-game lore is not needed but well appreciated with the ostrich character having relatives and family members well known for certain traits, and the sluggish movement with the very shortly linear stage layouts helps the game and not make it overstay its welcome.”
“From the graphics to the gameplay, the soundtrack to the achievements, I am loving it.”
“It's not too long (depending on how you play), the graphics won't wow you, the music's not terrible and there's actually a certain joy to collecting things.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its nice and atmospheric music, complemented by a humorous tone and engaging in-game lore involving the ostrich character's family. The sluggish movement and linear stage layouts contribute to a balanced experience, ensuring the game remains enjoyable without overstaying its welcome. Overall, it creates a charming and entertaining platforming environment.
“The music itself is nice and atmospheric, and the in-game lore is not needed but well appreciated, with the ostrich character having relatives and family members well known for certain traits. The sluggish movement and the very short linear stage layouts help the game and prevent it from overstaying its welcome.”
“Very decent platformer with interesting gameplay elements and an overall humorous atmosphere.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily driven by the amusing animation of the ostrich, which players find entertaining and engaging, especially in multiplayer mode. Overall, the experience is described as fun and hilarious, particularly when enjoyed with friends.
“So fun and hilarious when you play with a friend.”
“The animation of the ostrich is funny and interesting at first.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is criticized for its buggy connections, where players often become stuck on one screen, necessitating a reset to resolve the issue. Despite these connectivity problems, the overall gameplay experience remains enjoyable.
“The main problem I found was that connections seemed buggy, with partners becoming stuck on one player's screen until the game was reset.”
“Buggy platformer jumping, silly hats, running around, hiding your head in the sand... it's the perfect game.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that character development is primarily focused on character design, suggesting that while the visual aspects of the characters are appealing, there may be a lack of depth in their narrative growth or personal arcs. Overall, the emphasis seems to be more on aesthetics rather than substantial character evolution.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for poor graphical performance, frequent terrain glitches where players can fall through, unresponsive controls, and a visually unappealing color palette in the cavern levels.
“The graphical performance is poor, the player can fall through the terrain, the controls are wonky, and the color palette in the later cavern levels is a horrid black-on-black.”
“The graphical performance is poor, the player can fall through the terrain, the controls are wonky, and the color palette in the later cavern levels is a horrid black-on-black.”
