Just finished Owlboy... I don't get the hype :/ Is there an indie bias on the media?

I do love Indies, some of them are my favourite games this gen but... I just can't get why is this game so universally praised by critics.

I know the game is out for a while now, but being on the Switch I thought it would be a cool thing to play now. By the end I just feel like it's OK. It has cool music, nice art style (nothing amazing like Hyper Light Drifter) and gameplay and story are underwhelming.

You guys that played the game care to share your thoughts? This is a game close to 90 on MC!!!

I enjoyed it, but I've certainly played a lot better Indie games. I'd probably give it a solid 7/10.

@hrt_rulz01: Yes, 7/10 is exactly my "opinion". I'm just really disappointed, was expecting a masterpiece.

Like you said, it has nice artstyle and music.

indies are just that, music and style, or better put, the look and feel of old classic games.

You missed the memo that says all indie games must get high scores. The uglier the graphics, the better the game. The more derivative a shit indie game is of a true classic from the past, the more points it scores.

Them's the rulez. Cool journos wanting to look specially cool by showing they love really shit games. No, I don't get it either.

@Ant_17: Sometimes I do feel that, some indie games are praised due to nostalgia. But I wouldn't said that valid to all Indies. Cuphead, Ori and Hyper Light Drifter are games that I genuinely consider great, among others.

And same could be said of big games but for other reasons. Many times the praise they get are not just based on their qualities as games.

Do not take reviews as gospel truth. They are just opinions written by falliable human beings.

It is up to you to decided whether this game is good or not. That fact that you disgreed with the majority of critics at Metacritic is more important than what they say.

Videogames have come so far just never got the love for 16 bit gaming and metroidvania games maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up on it and don’t have any nostalgia for it maybe that’s why.

@phbz: Nah, it's just nostalgia.

Which is weird since it's been over 10 years of 16bit themed indies and i'm waiting for the N64/PS1 polygons to start being popular.

Some cheese RE1 type game.

That's a very generalised statement.

Well, yeah...? It's a general look on indie games.

Indies are mostly pretentious trash.

I finished the game a while ago too, and yeah, I really wasn't amazed by it. It was a meh game with really nice visuals. I also found the ending to be incredibly weak.

Doesn't hold a candle to Shovel Knight, Steamworld Dig 2 or Celeste. Hollow Knight is way better than it too (of what I played so far)

Yeah, too general in my opinion... some indie games might fit that description. But certainly not all.

Respectfully disagree.

Funny. This gen indie games have been my favorite minus the few amazing Nintendo titles (zelda, mario, etc). Currently playing A night in the woods and loving it. AAA titles just aren’t taking risks like they used to so whenever I need something fresh and unique I’m blessed with all of these indie titles. Used to play them on pc but lately been loving playing indies on the Switch.

Looked like a regular indie game to me.

I haven't played Owl Boy, but Celeste and Hollow Knight are fantastic games.

There's a lot of shit indies out there where I think just finding one that is a cut above just okay feels like striking gold. It's how I sometimes feel going through all the trash on Netflix like trying to find a decent sci-fi or horror film and once I find something actually watchable feels like cause for celebration.

Yeah, people get all mellow about indie games. I don't get it.

At the risk of people thinking I'm some sort of hipster nerd (nerdster? hipsterd?) or elitist, I am going to say the following:

P.S.: I didn't really enjoy Owl Boy all that much, tbh.

Well, they also tend to do the fundamentals a lot better than alleged AAA-studios in many instances. I often find controls tighter, gameplay mechanics more solid, and even bug squashing and stability better in independent games than I do in big-studio games.

In fact, I'd generally say the opposite of what you say is true: while AAA studios are all about music, style, and "wow factor"--casting Hollywood actors, having the best looking game engines, and incorporating gimmicky but cool-looking game mechanics--independently-developed games tend to focus on gameplay and less on glitz.

I mean, you don't see independent games putting on commercials like Crackdown 3 :P Or casting Josh Duhamel for five minutes of dialogue.

True, you will find some "artsy" independent games out there that attempt to be something more than what they should be (and tbh I dislike most of those games, but once in a while you get a good one like Hellblade), but for the most part [in my experience] independent games tend to be less flashy, more gameplay.

I understand where your sentiment is coming from, someone who was not a gamer and just saw glimpses of indie games as a generalization might think that, it just seems really wrong is all.

It looks like Elite: Dangerous in a virtual reality headset?

Or do you mean like Grim Dawn?

What about Warhammer: Vermintide 1/2?

Sorry you'll need to be more specific; there are so many awesome independent games out there that all look incredibly unique from each other.

Same.

I'll buy all the big-name games because they're still fun (sort of...I'm starting to feel like they're all blurring together), but the games I keep playing are all independent.

Haven't played it, but it looks pretty good. Maybe not 9/10 good though. Indie games are often better than AAA games right now, imo. Currently playing Hollow Knight and it's the best game I've played in a while.

I really enjoyed it... but I felt like it kinda ended too soon story wise.... oh well I give it a 8.

Well if you didn't like it that much then that must be proof of media indie bias. It couldn't possibly be anything else!

Yup I agree. Indies have more my attention this gen.

Celeste and Hollow Knight are brilliantly designed games. A lot more than just great atmosphere.

Not sure about that 'bias'.

I haven't played Owlboy yet, but some of the best games i have ever played are current gen indie games.

Love AAA gaming too, but for me indies were the best thing that happened to this industry in decades. The amount of diversity we have this gen thanks to them is just insane.

It's the hipsters just trying to be cool and failing is all. lol :P

@mrbojangles25: I have to agree with that. @Ant_17 opinion here is too generic and it's not entirely fitting of the output we see from independent developers. It's not wholly reflective of the reception these games receive. It best represents a glance rather than a thorough understanding; Like someone's opinion from the outside looking in. It's basically not true.

The first suggestion is that independent games are only well received due to their nostalgic qualities but there are games that contradict this sentiment. For instance, Yooka-Laylee which is a game that was inspired by the N64 era of 3D platformers was not as well received as titles like Owl Boy or Inside. The rebuttal of course is that this is exclusive only to indie games that use pixel art. Well, still we find contradictions. First of all, it is worth noting that Owl Boy would not have been possible technically on an SNES but we also look at games Fox n Forests (SNES inspired) and Pocket Rumble (Neo Geo Pocket inspired) that received more mixed reception than the praise Owl Boy did.

And what about independent games that are well received but do not have nostalgic tendencies. The aforementioned Inside has no ties to the 16-bit era and his more in common with modern independent titles such as Journey. Or West of Loathing who's art direction is lifted from internet doodles one might sooner associate with Newgrounds than video games at all. The Banner Saga, Yoku's Island Express, The Witness, Cities: Skylines; The list goes on. There are no shortage of well received games that do not fit the description of being nostalgia driven games.

In fact, Owl Boy for all its beautiful aesthetics doesn't even resemble SNES games that much. Very few 2D platforming games during this era had as much narrative as Owl Boy has for better or worse...

I would assert that it's not nostalgia alone that helps these inspired indie games thrive but a keen understanding and talented execution of their concepts. They're well received because they achieve something they set out to do well. Why even retro inspired games like Shovel Knight have numerous modern tendencies and concepts.

This just seems like a general "I hate 2D games" thread, Don't know what indie has to do with it.

I'll never understand the hate for indie games. AAA are still everywhete and they look better than ever, but thanks to indies 2d gaming is not dead anymore. And of course, no one is forced to buy them.

It's pretty arrogant to be against the existence of something others may love, just because it's not your cup of tea. The community really is the cancer of this amazing industry...

@jumpaction: Inside, and its developer, are influenced by a 16bit era game (my personal favourite game of all time), called Another World.

Reviewer bias is something very prevalent in gaming, more than in other mediums, imo. And it's an interesting subject. I mentioned Indies, but same is valid allover. For instance, after playing Uncharted 4, I was kind of blown away how to justify so many 10/10 other then being because it was Uncharted and it looked good. Same regarding Halo 5, for example.

Just because you don't agree with reviews doesn't mean reviewer are biased, it would be weird if every review happened to perfectly align with yours or my opinions of a game.

I can't get over that price point. Even the $17 sale price seemed like too much.

@phbz: Of course media biases are very frequent but the assertion that 16-bit or pixel art is any indication of Owl Boy's success or any indie game for that matter is inaccurate, I would say. That's fair regarding Inside. I'm obviously not familiar with the game's background but a number of the reviews, including for example IGN's of Inside didn't even allude to Another World at all which is sort of telling then that perhaps inspiration is one thing but execution is another.

It's absolutely worth examining every facet of a game and putting ourselves into the minds of numerous different gamers but unless this is a no true Scotman fallacy, the idea of the critics are always enamored by a bias relating to 16-bit inspired indie-games is a falsehood. They either don't allude to the inspirations (in the case of Inside) or outright receive the games less favorably (Fox N Forests). So with that, we are forced to looked to something else to explain why some may like Owlboy independent of its aesthetic alone.

Uncharted, for instance isn't just a pretty face, it's also an extremely polished game with superb voice-acting and a keen understanding of knowing when to pull back on the narrative to focus on gameplay.

@boycie: Of course, that's why I wanted to know what others think. And until now pretty much everyone shares my opinion that the game is OK, not great. Which is interesting considering the MC scores.

Without naming names... I could say the exact same thing about many of the AAA games released this gen. But the general response would be "well the industry disagrees with you." To that I say go pound sand.

... instead I just bite my tongue and let people enjoy what they like.

@enzyme36: That's what sucks, it's close to impossible to have a game related discussion without getting out of control.

I agree with what you're saying. To say that an indie game only gets praised because of aesthetics and nostalgia, is almost the same as saying that a AAA can get praised for its aesthetics and brand recognition.

I'm inclined to disagree

In capturing what games from the 16-bit era were like, Owlboy does this and then some. In fact I would go so far to say if Owlboy were released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo, it would surely be recognized as a classic today.

@phbz: Exactly... criticizing popular games in system wars is a lost cause. All it does is conjure up the meme squad.

Lol yeah what hypocrisy. The same people who are saying that are the same ones that follow AAA games because they're popular and have movie aesthetics.

Moral of the story: shut the **** up you pretentious **** and play the games you like to play.

Pretty much. A dev can shit out anything with 8bit or 16bit pixels and its guranteed an 8.

I wouldn't mind that :)

Yes there’s a media bias because you don’t like a particular game.

100% true.

When trash like “gone home” gets a 10/10, you know the industry is pushing agendas instead of games.

Game looks fantastic, hopefully it,gets a sale soon and I'll snag it right up. I also really want Wonder Boy III in Monster Land, its one of my favorite 8 bit games and the remake looks fantastic.

well it sure aint no Empyrion - Galactic Survival!....ha!

A quality indie game is hollow knight. Owlboy was on production for so long so it kinda gets a free pass by many. Apart from the details visuals and charming animations, everything else is very, very mediocre.

Is there an indie bias on the media?

I've been saying this for quite a while now. Indies are seen like the "poor guy who pushes against the evil AAA games made by the evil AAA developers/publishers" no matter how really great they are. Indies are overrated as hell imo and I've played some the most praised ones btw.

Some forum dwellers like to complaint about the AAA industry state nowadays saying AAA games are more "style over substance"... well, thats exactly how I feel about most indies. Pretty artsyle (if you consider retro "pretty") and cool music but the gameplay in itself often leaves a lot to be desired (with some exceptions)

@Vatusus: Indies are like any other class of games (AAA to budget titles) they have some amazing ones and some crap ones and everything else in between.

Not arguing against that, only that reviewers seem to be more forgiving when it comes to scoring indies