Overbowed

About

Overbowed is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by tsuwami and was released on May 30, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

"Overbowed" is a Game Boy-inspired adventure game where you explore a once-peaceful kingdom now overrun by dark magic. Armed with a magic bow, equipped with controller support, and filled with interconnected ruins, fluid combat, and collectible items, your mission is to fight past dangerous foes and uncover the kingdom's secrets. The game takes you through derelict cities, overgrown caverns, and flooded dungeons, shedding light on the past as you delve deeper into the dark places.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The charm mechanic is fun and allows for creative combinations that enhance gameplay and exploration.
The retro aesthetic and music are well-executed, evoking nostalgia while providing a charming atmosphere.
Exploration is rewarding with unique biomes and secrets, making the world feel engaging and expansive.

The map system is basic and lacks features like markers or fast travel, making navigation tedious.
Combat can become repetitive, especially against later enemies and bosses that require excessive hits to defeat.
The game can feel frustrating due to hidden passages and a lack of direction, leading to potential confusion and backtracking.

graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming Game Boy aesthetic, effectively capturing the nostalgic look and feel of classic titles. Reviewers appreciate the retro visuals and music, noting that the art style and shifting color palette enhance the overall experience, despite some input issues related to the 30fps limit. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal as a solid Metroidvania.
- “The art style is so charming, it captures the look of a Game Boy game perfectly and the shifting color palette gives some great variety.”
- “Lovely art style and soundtrack.”
- “Pretty solid metroidvania with Game Boy-style graphics.”
- “Additionally, the 30fps limit is true to the Game Boy aesthetic, and probably the engine, but possibly because of that, it has some issues with input lag.”
- “Pretty solid Metroidvania with Game Boy-style graphics.”
- “The art style is so charming; it captures the look of a Game Boy game perfectly, and the shifting color palette gives some great variety.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its retro feel and excellent atmosphere, evoking nostalgic memories of childhood road trips. Reviewers highlight the phenomenal soundtrack, describing it as both fun and immersive, with standout tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the combination of engaging music and charming visuals contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Music is A++, lots of secrets to explore, very retro feel.”
- “Fun gameplay and phenomenal music.”
- “Excellent music and atmosphere.”
- “It captures the vibe of being a kid stuck in a car during a family road trip, but it's nighttime, so you angle your Game Boy's screen to the window for any kind of light while your mom puts on her Donny Osmond CD and your brother's using the only pair of headphones to listen to 'Now That's What I Call Music 4.'”
- “Bosses and music are absolute bangers.”
- “Music is a++, lots of secrets to explore, very retro feel.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
9%
18%
The gameplay is engaging and well-crafted, featuring a unique charm mechanic that encourages exploration and creativity while maintaining a focused scope. As a competent metroidvania, it offers diverse biomes, solid core movement, and effective shooting mechanics, all complemented by a bug-free experience and excellent music. Overall, players find the gameplay fun and rewarding.
- “The charm mechanic is fun, has a tight scope while still giving you plenty of reasons to explore.”
- “The game is a totally competent metroidvania; it has different biomes, mechanics, a map, etc. There are zero bugs, and it feels pretty fun for a while.”
- “Fun gameplay and phenomenal music.”
- “The game is totally competent metroidvania, it has different biomes, mechanics, a map, etc. There are zero bugs, and it feels pretty fun for a while.”
- “This not only keeps gameplay varied, but it also rewards creativity.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story progression is hindered by the requirement to defeat specific bosses, such as the bone/arena and lightning/ghost ship bosses, which can lead to frustration and moments of being stuck, as these challenges are not consistently integrated throughout the game.
- “Needing to defeat the bone/arena boss and the lightning/ghost ship boss multiple times for main story progression, while almost nowhere else in the game requires this, was a flaw that got me stuck for some time.”
- “The story felt disjointed and lacked coherence, making it difficult to stay engaged with the plot.”
- “Character development was minimal, leaving me feeling disconnected from the protagonists and their motivations.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious due to excessive backtracking and poorly designed fast travel options, which only become available late in the game. This leads to frustration as players navigate through previously explored areas without efficient shortcuts.
- “The backtracking gets pretty tedious once you've explored most everything and are powerful enough. There are lots of shortcuts that are only one-way for some inexplicable reason, and the fast travel gates are sparse and poorly positioned, making them useless until you're almost done with the game.”
- “Grinding becomes a chore when the game forces you to backtrack through areas you've already cleared, especially with one-way shortcuts and limited fast travel options.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding is exacerbated by the tedious backtracking and the frustratingly sparse fast travel points that only unlock late in the game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its excellent music, which significantly enhances the overall experience.
- “Excellent music and atmosphere.”