Indie Hit Owlboy Set to Land Its Way Onto Consoles

Owlboy, the much-acclaimed platformer from D-Pad Studio, will hit consoles on February 13.

Through Twitter, the developers announced yesterday that Owlboy will be available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 digitally at first, with a physical edition “to be announced.

Are you ready? Owlboy's console release is right around the corner and we can't wait! February 13th! https://t.co/M1LTAvc7lv #NintendoSwitch #PS4 #XboxOne pic.twitter.com/uhGC3UoAFi

— D-Pad Studio (@DPadStudio) January 22, 2018

First released on Steam in November 2016, Owlboy is a Metroid-vania style platformer with some unique gameplay elements. Players control Otus, a young member of a owl/human hybrid race known simply as Owls. When his village is ransacked by pirates, Otus sets out on an adventure to save his people.

What makes Otus different from many platformer protagonists is his lack of offensive capabilities. He mostly just flies around. However, he finds many allies throughout his adventures who each carry a unique weapon. Players choose a companion to carry around, and most of the combat is accomplished in this way. This indirect arsenal system is something rarely seen in the genre.

Owlboy was in development for nine years, and its beautiful and detailed pixel art bears testament to the work the developers put in. Now that work will be on display across all the major console platforms, including on the go on the Switch.

The game received loads of critical and popular attention for its efforts. Even the famous YouTuber “videogamedunkey” praised Owlboy in his wrap-up of PAX 2016.

Owlboy joins an impressive list of indie platforming games coming to consoles in 2018, including Hollow Knight and the upcoming campaign expansion Shovel Knight: King of Cards. There is no official word on the game’s retail price as of yet. It is currently available on Steam for $24.99.

Whether you’re a Playstation diehard, on the go with Nintendo, or rocking that 4K with Xbox, Owlboy could be a great addition to any platformer fan’s library when it hits digital console stores next month.