Such a good game, love it! Only thing is, the cut scenes become quite annoying after about the third time, if you're struggling with a boss you can sit thorough the same scenes for quite some time. Maybe an skip button or something would be helpful? Overall the game is genuinely incredible, the art is amazing- as well as the balance between combat and puzzles.
This game is incredible. Great balance between artwork, puzzle-solving, story-telling and combat. This is really high-quality homebrew.
Haha, I was going to say you should have the option for us to pay you for this, but I'm looking back and I see where you already can do that with the "Download now" button. Thanks!
Thank you so much for playing my game! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! And yes, there is a way to pay to support but I wish itch io had it more visible. haha!
I was pretty sure the mage boss was elaborately failing to mention that the Enormous Mentor Bird was actually the Owl King, who wanted the battery for nefarious purposes. Which wouldn't make sense actually; the Owls are in charge of the whole facility until you kill them all. Maybe something else similarly nefarious.
This was a decent game. I think a 'skip cutscene' option, and maybe a run button, would have been big helps - the backtracking felt unreasonably padded, and the second bossfight was extremely frustrating because the death penalty was unusually large.
Hi! Thank you so much for playing my game! Noooo, the mentor bird (Mango) is not evil.. haha! I will definitely add a skip cutscene button in the future, thank you for your feedback!
This was a charming little experience! Good classic 'Zelda' vibes, with a charming cast, and and some neat little dungeons.
The ice dungeon (Icra?) was an absolute highlight particularly the second half. I also really liked that you had to go through each of the dungeons in sequences instead of fully completing one. The Green Maze was another favorite moment with how you executed it.
The spike in difficulty at the end caught me off guard with the ledge-turret sequence, and the final boss - though the latter was more because of how many times I saw the cutscene. Since I died. A lot. But I'm really glad I powered through and ended it!
The cutscenes were great otherwise, and I love how good the pixel art is. There were some rather evocative splash panels, and I loved the design of the characters.
Edit: The music was pretty good too, with the main theme's melancholy, and the triumphant notes of the track that played during the cutscene before phase 2 of the Owl King.
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing my game and giving me some feedback! I agree with you when it comes to the game pacing and difficulty spike. It is my first game and I am in the learning process of game design in general. Your comments really help!
This was a very charming, fun game. It had "Link's Awakening" vibes, but in a good way. I enjoyed the puzzle elements, particularly in the ice dungeon. Very nicely done, and I appreciated that it told a sweet tale without overstaying its welcome. I hope to see more from you in the future!
pretty cool, short adventure. the only thing i found """""""""""""BAD""""""""" was that if you open the map the boxes go back to their position, the thing? if you are standing in some of those positions you can cross like nothing. it ruins some puzzles and makes me feel like two things, a cheater or a man with a peanut instead of a brain
I don't understand how to open the game, since it doesn't seem to have an "application" file to launch. Is this a fault on my end, or am I just stupid?
It looks like a gameboy "rom". You will need a Gameboy emulator to play it. There are a number of free ones, for phones, computers, etc. It will depend what you want to play it on.
Very cute game. Too much backtracking between long, empty rooms. Combat is a chore and the power cell items do nothing when they could've been much-needed health upgrades.
The puzzles in the icy section are easily the game's high point- fantastic job on those. Same thing with the elaborate cutscenes.
The orb-shooting statues and precarious ledges overstay their welcome after their first or second appearance, and I'm baffled to see them used over and over. The final dungeon's corridor, which is nothing but orb-shooting statues and precarious ledges, is the most tedious thing I've played this year so far. I'd rather do one of those mouse cursor mazes that end with a screamer. The fact there's a combat room right after (and the fact you can get there without the key) is just sadistic.
Most importantly, when making a game, you should pick ONE of the following: 1) A cutscene before a fairly tough final boss, and another after the first phase 2) Unskippable cutscenes You can't have both. Not in The Year Of Our Lord 2021/2023.
So yeah I'm not beating this game. Pretty fun romp until the last 10% and a lot of care was put into this (you didn't have to make fully functional maps, but you did and that's fantastic). Overall, that love still shines through.
(P.S. The turrets in the second mage-bird showdown can still shoot and kill you while the boss plays their defeat animation, which locks the player into place. Probably the only bug I've found though, which is good!)
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing and for the extensive feedback! That really helps me to improve! I agree with most of the things you said and will try to address these when I can! It is my first game so I have much to learn in terms of game and level design! Thank you! That really helps!
i had go to the middle lever, i had gotten the first and third but not that one, i loved this game so much but i dont understand how to do it, i got by useing the shift where i would reste the game by pressing it
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing and I am sorry if some parts are confusing or drag too much, it is my first game so I have much to learn about game design. If that helps there are some people on You tube that posted full gameplays, maybe that can help you to get unstuck!
It is an amazing game and especially knowing this is you first. you have great potential and I intend to try this again. Thank you so much because this game is what got me into playing smaller known games :)
Really enjoyed this game! There is one bug I found. The room with the broken lever retains a question mark on the map even after the lever is fixed, but there seems to be nothing else inside the room.
The room with the narrow path and the statues at the very end is extremely difficult. Everything in the game until that point has been somewhat easy, but that room is awful. I've even gotten struck by a fireball after falling off the path, which did damage AND knocked me back when I got sent back to the start of the room, so I took 3 from falling off the path at the wrong time.
Hi! Thank you for playing my game! I understand that, it is my first game and I have made some mistakes with difficulty pacing and learning curve. I will try to fix that in future versions, thank you so much for your feedback!
Finished it. took me 4 days . Quite good, you might want to upload it to playstore, it could do really good. Like the feeling of solving seemingly unsolvable puzzles in an area by going to another. Isn't the easiest thing to do but quite gratifying.
Love the feel of this, although it would be nice if the music changed in different areas, since the music started to feel old, but other than that, great art, puzzles, mechanics, and everything else. Great game!
Let me be honest, I didnt trust the owl/parrot thing at al. Since the end, I expected the final boss to actually be the parrot guy. guess I was wrong :-)
Loved this! Oracle of Seasons was my Game Boy (Color) era Zelda game, and this definitely gave me similar vibes, including moments of uncertainty and very mild frustration (looking at you, bottomless pits) that I found ultimately delightful. They made the victories that much sweeter.
I thought this was overall extremely well done. I loved the last boss fight. I think seeing comments that some people got stuck helped me know not to cling to any one dungeon too tightly, so I found playing through it all smooth sailing. That was definitely a subversion of the usual Zelda formula, so I understand how people felt stuck.
Thanks for making this charming and satisfying Zelda-like! I'd love to see more of Bird Hero's adventures!
Thank you so much for playing! Yeah! I feel That I need to include some sort of hint to break the Zelda mindset and make people go for other dungeons. The end of the ice dungeon is a particularly tricky part when people tend to get stuck.
I reeeally loved the game. It’s so cleverly made. It really reminded me of Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga — and it’s my favorite game of all times! The way you see unsolvable elements in a puzzle or areas that you can’t reach, and then you upgrade your sword and realize that it can be done — it's such a nice feeling.
I was struggling in the ice level with the cracked rock, and saw people suggesting adding a dialog box that hints you towards upgrading your sword. The hint is definitely needed, but it would be a lot cooler to not use the game’s interface for it. For example, the animal in the same room could hint on the solution by saying “man, some things just can’t be moved” or something like that.
The only thing I didn’t like was the falling mechanic. When you have to go from one dungeon to another and fall at the end to do it aaall over again it‘s frustrating.
Thank you so much. I feel so humble to hear people comparing my game to classic legendary Nintendo games. It warms my heart!
I loved your suggestion about the cracked ice block. I may go with it for a next update. I noticed that lots of people get stuck in the part.
I get your frustrations with the bottomless pits too. I saw a guy playing the game on twitch and it was painful to see him trying that dungeon over and over again. Hahah. I need to rework that part.
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Comments
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This is a wonderful game. Really enjoyed my time with it.
Will there still be a German version?
It looks gorgeous ! I feel nostalgic 😊
Such a good game, love it! Only thing is, the cut scenes become quite annoying after about the third time, if you're struggling with a boss you can sit thorough the same scenes for quite some time. Maybe an skip button or something would be helpful? Overall the game is genuinely incredible, the art is amazing- as well as the balance between combat and puzzles.
Thank you so much! I am happy that you enjoyed playing! You've made my day with these kind words!
This game is incredible. Great balance between artwork, puzzle-solving, story-telling and combat. This is really high-quality homebrew.
Haha, I was going to say you should have the option for us to pay you for this, but I'm looking back and I see where you already can do that with the "Download now" button. Thanks!
Thank you so much for playing my game! Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! And yes, there is a way to pay to support but I wish itch io had it more visible. haha!
very nicely done!
Hey! Thank you so much for playing and making this awesome video! Nice gloves btw! Very clean!
the pixel art is top notch! <3
Awesome game (played on the Analogue Pocket)
Took around 2 hours to complete and the last boss was a bit frustrating..
Thank you so much for playing!
The snowdin motif caught me off gaurdlol
Great game, really captures the feel of OG zelda
Thank you so much for playing!
Came back to pay for the game after completing it. Lovely game I played using a flash cart on my gbc.
Aaaw. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your support!
good
Thanks!
I was pretty sure the mage boss was elaborately failing to mention that the Enormous Mentor Bird was actually the Owl King, who wanted the battery for nefarious purposes. Which wouldn't make sense actually; the Owls are in charge of the whole facility until you kill them all. Maybe something else similarly nefarious.
This was a decent game. I think a 'skip cutscene' option, and maybe a run button, would have been big helps - the backtracking felt unreasonably padded, and the second bossfight was extremely frustrating because the death penalty was unusually large.
Hi! Thank you so much for playing my game! Noooo, the mentor bird (Mango) is not evil.. haha! I will definitely add a skip cutscene button in the future, thank you for your feedback!
This was a charming little experience! Good classic 'Zelda' vibes, with a charming cast, and and some neat little dungeons.
The ice dungeon (Icra?) was an absolute highlight particularly the second half. I also really liked that you had to go through each of the dungeons in sequences instead of fully completing one. The Green Maze was another favorite moment with how you executed it.
The spike in difficulty at the end caught me off guard with the ledge-turret sequence, and the final boss - though the latter was more because of how many times I saw the cutscene. Since I died. A lot. But I'm really glad I powered through and ended it!
The cutscenes were great otherwise, and I love how good the pixel art is. There were some rather evocative splash panels, and I loved the design of the characters.
Edit: The music was pretty good too, with the main theme's melancholy, and the triumphant notes of the track that played during the cutscene before phase 2 of the Owl King.
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing my game and giving me some feedback! I agree with you when it comes to the game pacing and difficulty spike. It is my first game and I am in the learning process of game design in general. Your comments really help!
This was a very charming, fun game. It had "Link's Awakening" vibes, but in a good way. I enjoyed the puzzle elements, particularly in the ice dungeon. Very nicely done, and I appreciated that it told a sweet tale without overstaying its welcome. I hope to see more from you in the future!
Thank you so much! Very happy to hear that!
Pretty cool for a Zelda alternative!
Thank you so much for playing!
pretty cool, short adventure. the only thing i found """""""""""""BAD""""""""" was that if you open the map the boxes go back to their position, the thing? if you are standing in some of those positions you can cross like nothing. it ruins some puzzles and makes me feel like two things, a cheater or a man with a peanut instead of a brain
Hi! Thanks for playing! It is definitely a bug that needs fixing! I will patch this when I can. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Some people actually said that this bug is good for sppedrunning the game so I feel bad for patching them. haha
sacrifices must be done
ignorance not always leads to happiness.
lol
I don't understand how to open the game, since it doesn't seem to have an "application" file to launch. Is this a fault on my end, or am I just stupid?
It looks like a gameboy "rom". You will need a Gameboy emulator to play it. There are a number of free ones, for phones, computers, etc. It will depend what you want to play it on.
Hi! It is a gameboy ROM so you need a gameboy emulator to play the file. Thanks!
Very cute game. Too much backtracking between long, empty rooms. Combat is a chore and the power cell items do nothing when they could've been much-needed health upgrades.
The puzzles in the icy section are easily the game's high point- fantastic job on those. Same thing with the elaborate cutscenes.
The orb-shooting statues and precarious ledges overstay their welcome after their first or second appearance, and I'm baffled to see them used over and over. The final dungeon's corridor, which is nothing but orb-shooting statues and precarious ledges, is the most tedious thing I've played this year so far. I'd rather do one of those mouse cursor mazes that end with a screamer. The fact there's a combat room right after (and the fact you can get there without the key) is just sadistic.
Most importantly, when making a game, you should pick ONE of the following:
1) A cutscene before a fairly tough final boss, and another after the first phase
2) Unskippable cutscenes
You can't have both. Not in The Year Of Our Lord 2021/2023.
So yeah I'm not beating this game. Pretty fun romp until the last 10% and a lot of care was put into this (you didn't have to make fully functional maps, but you did and that's fantastic). Overall, that love still shines through.
(P.S. The turrets in the second mage-bird showdown can still shoot and kill you while the boss plays their defeat animation, which locks the player into place. Probably the only bug I've found though, which is good!)
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing and for the extensive feedback! That really helps me to improve! I agree with most of the things you said and will try to address these when I can! It is my first game so I have much to learn in terms of game and level design! Thank you! That really helps!
This was a very intricate and great game! Loved all the puzzles and how everything tied together.
I had an enjoyable time playing it!
Hi! Thank you so much for playing and for posting the video! It really helps the development to see other people playing!
(DO NOT ANSWER, I FIGURED IT OUT MYSELF.)
How do I get rid of cracked blocks like this one?
you gotta do the other rooms first to get a sword upgrade that would help
Yeah, I already figured that out earlier...
Pros: Classic Zelda-style gameplay. Good difficulty progression. Cool art style.
Cons: Slow-paced. Way too much backtracking.
Thank you so much for playing and for the feedback. The pace and backtracking is definitely an issue that I will address on the future,
i have played this but i never got that far
i had go to the middle lever, i had gotten the first and third but not that one, i loved this game so much but i dont understand how to do it, i got by useing the shift where i would reste the game by pressing it
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing and I am sorry if some parts are confusing or drag too much, it is my first game so I have much to learn about game design. If that helps there are some people on You tube that posted full gameplays, maybe that can help you to get unstuck!
It is an amazing game and especially knowing this is you first. you have great potential and I intend to try this again. Thank you so much because this game is what got me into playing smaller known games :)
I would really like to own a hard copy of this game. Is there, or will there be a physical copy?
Hi! Thank you for playing! It should happen in a near future!
Really enjoyed this game! There is one bug I found. The room with the broken lever retains a question mark on the map even after the lever is fixed, but there seems to be nothing else inside the room.
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing! Noted! I will fix this bug on a future patch!
The room with the narrow path and the statues at the very end is extremely difficult. Everything in the game until that point has been somewhat easy, but that room is awful. I've even gotten struck by a fireball after falling off the path, which did damage AND knocked me back when I got sent back to the start of the room, so I took 3 from falling off the path at the wrong time.
Hi! Thank you for playing my game! I understand that, it is my first game and I have made some mistakes with difficulty pacing and learning curve. I will try to fix that in future versions, thank you so much for your feedback!
nice game, i enjoyed it very much.
Thank you so much!
Will there be gamepad support and will you put on steam? Game looks cool
It’s an outright Game Boy rom that runs on an actual Game Boy. It already supports a gamepad - the gameboy’s controls.
Hi! Thank for playing my game! The game has gamepad support but unfortunately I can't add any mapping options. No plans for a Steam release.
Hey! This game is dope! I write a blog about indie games and would love to interview you!
Hey! Yes! Let's talk! Please reach out to me on twitter, instagram or discord! @freinicke
That was real nice. Only complaint I have is the hurtbox of our hero is a bit big which makes fights feel a bit awkward.
Thanks for playing! I get that, it is something that I plan to fix in the future.
Cool game i love the art
Thank you!
Wait, the plot twist is that there is no plot twist? lol. Jokes aside, it's an amazingly cute and fun game mate, love it!
Thanks for playing! It's the plot twist of the plot twist,
"its dangerous to get alone... take this ."
TA DA DA DAAAAAH!
Finished it. took me 4 days . Quite good, you might want to upload it to playstore, it could do really good. Like the feeling of solving seemingly unsolvable puzzles in an area by going to another. Isn't the easiest thing to do but quite gratifying.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoy! Sometimes I feel if the puzzles were too hard. It is hard to find the balance.
Love the feel of this, although it would be nice if the music changed in different areas, since the music started to feel old, but other than that, great art, puzzles, mechanics, and everything else. Great game!
Thank you so much! Maybe in a future update I will add some more music variations!
Cute graphics. Loved it.
Thank you!!
Let me be honest, I didnt trust the owl/parrot thing at al. Since the end, I expected the final boss to actually be the parrot guy. guess I was wrong :-)
Hahaha! I’ve never though that the old toucan would give that evil vibe. She is a nice person. Eeer... Bird. Thanks for playing!
Loved this! Oracle of Seasons was my Game Boy (Color) era Zelda game, and this definitely gave me similar vibes, including moments of uncertainty and very mild frustration (looking at you, bottomless pits) that I found ultimately delightful. They made the victories that much sweeter.
I thought this was overall extremely well done. I loved the last boss fight. I think seeing comments that some people got stuck helped me know not to cling to any one dungeon too tightly, so I found playing through it all smooth sailing. That was definitely a subversion of the usual Zelda formula, so I understand how people felt stuck.
Thanks for making this charming and satisfying Zelda-like! I'd love to see more of Bird Hero's adventures!
Thank you so much for playing! Yeah! I feel That I need to include some sort of hint to break the Zelda mindset and make people go for other dungeons. The end of the ice dungeon is a particularly tricky part when people tend to get stuck.
Gonna play this on my DSi. So excited. The art looks cute.
Thank you! I hope you have fun!!
I reeeally loved the game. It’s so cleverly made. It really reminded me of Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga — and it’s my favorite game of all times! The way you see unsolvable elements in a puzzle or areas that you can’t reach, and then you upgrade your sword and realize that it can be done — it's such a nice feeling.
I was struggling in the ice level with the cracked rock, and saw people suggesting adding a dialog box that hints you towards upgrading your sword. The hint is definitely needed, but it would be a lot cooler to not use the game’s interface for it. For example, the animal in the same room could hint on the solution by saying “man, some things just can’t be moved” or something like that.
The only thing I didn’t like was the falling mechanic. When you have to go from one dungeon to another and fall at the end to do it aaall over again it‘s frustrating.
Thank you for this wonderful experience!
Thank you so much. I feel so humble to hear people comparing my game to classic legendary Nintendo games. It warms my heart!
I loved your suggestion about the cracked ice block. I may go with it for a next update. I noticed that lots of people get stuck in the part.
I get your frustrations with the bottomless pits too. I saw a guy playing the game on twitch and it was painful to see him trying that dungeon over and over again. Hahah. I need to rework that part.