Overbowed
- May 30, 2024
- Klardonics Digital, Ltd
Get on Steam"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.
Reviews
- Overbowed offers a charming retro aesthetic reminiscent of Game Boy games, with excellent music and a delightful exploration experience.
- The charm mechanic allows for creative gameplay, enabling players to combine different abilities for varied effects, which enhances the overall enjoyment.
- The game features a rewarding progression system, where players can overcome initial challenges and unlock new areas, making exploration feel satisfying.
- The game suffers from a lack of quality-of-life features, such as a map marking system and fast travel options, making navigation cumbersome.
- The initial difficulty spike can be frustrating, with some bosses being disproportionately hard for early-game encounters, potentially discouraging players.
- The map design is basic and does not provide enough guidance, leading to confusion and tedious backtracking as players search for hidden paths and collectibles.
- graphics8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming Game Boy aesthetic, effectively capturing the retro look and feel that evokes nostalgia. The shifting color palette adds variety, while the overall art style and level design contribute to a solid metroidvania experience. However, the 30fps limit, while authentic to the aesthetic, may lead to some input issues.
“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.”
“I enjoyed the retro music and visuals.”
“The Game Boy aesthetic reminds you of the games you loved as a kid.”
“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, but the graphics may feel outdated to some players.”
- music7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its excellence, with many reviewers highlighting its retro feel and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, capturing nostalgic vibes reminiscent of childhood road trips, while also featuring standout tracks that elevate boss encounters. Overall, the music is considered a significant and enjoyable aspect of the game.
“Excellent music and atmosphere.”
“Bosses and music are absolute bangers.”
“Fun gameplay and phenomenal music.”
“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.'”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is engaging and varied, featuring a well-designed charm mechanic that encourages exploration and creativity. As a competent metroidvania, it offers diverse biomes and solid mechanics, complemented by smooth movement and effective shooting. Overall, players find the experience enjoyable and bug-free, enhanced by phenomenal music.
“This not only keeps gameplay varied, but it also rewards creativity.”
“The charm mechanic is fun, has a tight scope while still giving you plenty of reasons to explore.”
“The core movement is pretty good and the shooting mechanic works well.”
“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.”
“The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the excellent music that enhances the overall experience.
“The music and atmosphere are excellent.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive and captivating.”
“The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie atmosphere.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The story progression is hindered by the requirement to defeat specific bosses, such as the bone/arena and lightning/ghost ship bosses, which some players found frustrating and a significant flaw in the game's design.
“I don't mind extra content being hidden behind challenges, but needing to do that multiple times (the bone/arena boss and the lightning/ghost ship boss) for main story progression, and almost nowhere else in the game, was a flaw that got me stuck for some time.”
“The story felt disjointed and lacked coherence, making it hard to stay engaged with the characters and their motivations.”
“I was really disappointed with the plot twists; they felt forced and predictable, which took away from the overall experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to excessive backtracking and poorly designed fast travel options that become available only late in the game, making exploration feel unnecessarily prolonged.
“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 positioned uselessly, making them inaccessible until you're almost done with the game.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, with repetitive tasks that offer little reward and make the gameplay drag on longer than necessary.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming, turning what could be an enjoyable experience into a tedious slog.”
