A Non-Aery Game That’s One Of The Best Aery Games
The Aery series and EpiXR Games take a brief detour into new territory with Owlen and the Spirits of the Past. It doesn’t take much scrutiny to work out what’s happening: the Aery branding and parrot have been ditched in favour of a new title and a purple owl. The prolific series is swooping in for a new, younger audience.
If you’re familiar with the series, not a huge amount has changed. Owlen and the Spirits of the Past is a relaxing glide through environments. To control the owl, you only really need the analogue stick, although the A button speeds things up if the glacial pace is a little too frosty. The aim is to collect feather after feather in sequence, working up to a portal that ends the level.
It’s not going to quicken the pulse, but that’s the point. This is a meditative game that serenely calms. The feathers are easy to spot, the owl barely moves faster than a paper aeroplane, and attractive – if slightly polygonal – backdrops move past as you soar. The expectation is that you switch off and let the various aspects of Owlen and the Spirits of the Past wash over you. For younger, more frantic players, it might work as a soothing game before bedtime.
Owlen And The Slightly Bigger Budget
I can’t help feeling that Owlen and the Spirits of the Past has been given more wiggle-room to try new things by EpiXR Games. There’s a new soundtrack, which the Aery games have managed only once before. That music is more lullaby-like, which fits the game’s aims, and slightly less catchy as a result. But hearing something new, just this once, is an undeniable plus.
The levels aren’t reheated in the microwave, either. Sure, the general themes are familiar, but the layouts are new. New players won’t care, but Aery fans will be overwhelmed with glee. The levels themselves show what the EpiXR designers can do if you let them: there’s an underground level in particular that is ace. You tumble, Millennium Falcon-style, into a huge cavern and swoop through looking for an exit. It’s the best Aery-adjacent level that we’ve seen EpiXR make.
Story-wise, Owlen and the Spirits of the Past is a mixed bag. In each level, Owlen is tasked by avatars of nature to reclaim the land. The good news is that the story doesn’t elbow its way into the player’s attention. The avatars only chat two or three times per level, and rarely outstay their welcome. The bad news is that they rarely have anything of value to say, the robovoice narration is painfully bad, and – most bizarrely of all – the 3D models of these avatars loom over the level as giants. It’s bizarre because the models are rudimentary and don’t look good when expanded to Galactus size. The world just looks like it’s being attacked by a tower of DUPLO.
Attack Of The 50ft Circles
Continuing the theme of bizarre additions, EpiXR have chosen to add large circular targets to the floor. There’s always a feather in these circles, so you will never fail to pass through them. Breach the circle’s perimeter and the world regrows: trees rise up from the ground, oases grow in the desert, and rivers flow again.
Why are they bizarre? Well, passing through the circles causes some hilarious visual effects. The fact that the regrowing happens behind you is the least of the problems. It feels like someone passed out and pushed all of the visual-effect sliders up to MAX. The screen shakes, and a bright red explosion centres on the player, making the screen almost unwatchable. It’s like you’re The Rock walking away from an explosion. It doesn’t fit the theme of Owlen at all, and is mostly confusing. Did we just fail? On the first level we almost pissed ourselves: did we just explode the world?
We should note that, aside from being a hilarious quirk, it’s also a pain in the arse. Feathers are often in or around these circles, and suddenly having Owlen appear to shake you violently while shouting in your face is a) counter to the relaxing vibe and b) a nuisance when you’re trying to lock on to a feather. Honestly, I can’t recall a more misguided game mechanic in recent memory.
Smooth Sailing (Finally)
While it’s odd to the extreme, we still feel a warmth towards Owlen and the Spirits of the Past. It’s bug-free, which is a relief. EpiXR aren’t necessarily the most watertight of development houses, certainly on launch of their games, but we didn’t come across a single issue in Owlen and the Spirits of the Past. Sure, the draw-distance and pop-in is alarming in places, but in terms of game-breakers, Owlen and the Spirits of the Past is veritably polished.
Aery fans might feel a little hard done-by. Owlen and the Spirits of the Past is laden with everything that they’ve been crying out for: new levels, a new soundtrack, a lack of bugs and a story that doesn’t make them want to shower in bleach. It’s even had a punt at trying something new in the form of its circular gates. Sure, they don’t work or add much, but they represent a desire to experiment in a series that has shown none of that desire in years.
That won’t mean anything to the new audience for Owlen and the Spirits of the Past, though. For those players, imagine Owlen and the Spirits of the Past as a slightly more interactive screensaver. The screen glides through attractive landscapes, and you deviate slightly to pick up feathers. Most of the kids we know will find that too dull and repetitive, but a few might value dropping down into first gear.
The Best Aery Game Without the Aery Name
Owlen and the Spirits of the Past is in the odd position of being the best Aery game in ages, yet it doesn’t have ‘Aery’ in the title. It’s also an appropriate gateway for new players, particularly if they’re younger. Just apply blinkers and avoid looking at the pop-in, musty story and over-eager visual effects.
Important Links
Owlen and the Spirits of the Past Soars Onto Xbox Series X|S – https://www.thexboxhub.com/owlen-and-the-spirits-of-the-past-soars-onto-xbox-series-xs/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/owlen-and-the-spirits-of-the-past/9MZRKH5RKXFQ/0010
