As a promise to myself this year, I’ve been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and try to play more games in genres that I usually wouldn’t touch. This includes things like roguelites. When Atomic Owl was offered to me, it made me feel nostalgic, and I needed to find out why.
So, I sat down to play. Atomic Owl’s artstyle immediately ruffled some feathers with me, but in a good way. Its synthwave aesthetic and chiptune soundtrack brought me right back to the PS1-era of gaming, and made me eager to dig in. Here we take the wings of Hidalgo, a famed hero and Bladewing, who within the first two minutes witnesses his fellow Bladewings being brainwashed and finds himself left to die, tied to a tree. Probably not the most ideal Monday, if we’re honest.
We’re rescued by a talking blade (better than a singing one), and off we go to free the land and take down the dreaded Omega Wing. We’re taught very quickly that we have four different weapon modes we can swap between that change our damage and attack styles, as well as pick up temporary power-ups. The main thing however is called Meza — and we’re gonna be collecting a lot of it. This currency that enemies drop is going to be how we level up Hidalgo, and, as per the roguelite custom, you’re going to die.
This is usually the part of the review where I gush about controls and the like, but if I’m honest, this is where Atomic Owl falls to its lowest point for me. The combat and platforming feel very, very clunky. There feels like there is almost no ebb and flow to it at all.
Using each attack, it is not always clear where the hitbox will land. Holding right to keep moving while triggering Hidalgo to sprint forward, often to his death because it’s difficult to predict or control. The platforming itself also requires a level of precision that the controls can’t afford. It feels awkward to climb walls and dash forward, with even the simple jumps taking me a couple of attempts.
This is a shame, because the premise of the game is well set-up and the visuals and music are gorgeous – the controls just bring the entire experience down for me. I can feel the bones of an extremely solid side-scroller in here — but with the clunkiness of the controls and the lack of flow in combat, it’s not for me. You’ll probably be better than me at it, so if the idea of a new roguelite sounds good with amazing visuals, don’t let me stop you.
Atomic Owl is out now and available on all major platforms. Find it on Steam here;