Vikings on Trampolines is a 4-player multiplayer action game. The brawler, which is also playable solo, is all about getting your enemies off of their trampolines, as the name suggests. The entire game can apparently be played using one hand, and also features an Adventure mode that will see players playing together to save the kingdom by taking on several bosses, enemies, and more.

A release date for Vikings on Trampolines hasn’t yet been revealed. The game has only been announced for PC. We’ll be seeing more of it at Gamescom Opening Night Live later this month, so stay tuned for those details in the coming days.

While it remains to be seen what new adventure awaits, the short GIF seemingly indicates another 2D title. Hopefully, we’ll learn more in the coming weeks as Gamescom approaches so stay tuned for additional details.

Owlboy is available for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It tells the story of the mute Otus who is training to be an owl. Residing in Vellie, a floating settlement, Otus’s world is turned upside-down when pirates attack and take hostages. Working with his friend Geddy and other allies, Otus embarks on a journey to save his fellow villagers and learn more about the history of the owls.

It's time! D-Pad Studio will be revealing it's NEW GAME at Gamescom #gamescom2022 (AUG 24-28).
Stay tuned! ✨ pic.twitter.com/IEISRibnoa

— D-Pad | Savant – Ascent REMIX | OUT NOW (@DPadStudio) July 29, 2022

There is a drive to achieve perfection in every aspect of the game, from its striking retro visual aesthetic that is surprisingly full of detail, to its immaculate, consistently entertaining Metroidvania-style exploration, to even its narrative, which managed to keep me immersed from start to finish. Every aspect of the game bleeds into the other, adding to its authenticity and building upon its central mechanics to deliver a single cohesive and memorable experience.

"There is a drive to achieve perfection in every aspect of the game, from its striking retro visual aesthetic that is surprisingly full of detail, to its immaculate, consistently entertaining Metroidvania-style exploration, to even its narrative, which managed to keep me immersed from start to finish."

In Owlboy, you play as Otus, an owl who is ostracized in his community on account of his muteness, and just cannot seem to earn the approval of his Elders. Trouble soon strikes in the form of sky pirates though, throwing Otus into the middle of an endearing and strongly written coming-of-age tale. Surrounding Otus is a pretty big cast of supporting characters who come in the form of both, friend and enemy. Many of them, especially the ones who Otus spends the bulk of his time with throughout the game, are excellently written, lending the story an added layer of charm.

Another thing that helps in favour of these characters is the game’s animations, which are surprisingly detailed and emotive. It’s surprising, considering that Owlboy is a 2D pixel art game, but somehow its characters manage to convey a vast range of reactions and emotions through incredible animations. Each of these characters, though, are just as much a strength to Owlboy’s core gameplay as they are to the narrative. As the player, you will only ever be controlling Otus, who doesn’t have a whole lot of moves in his arsenal. He can fly, he can dash, and he can spin, but that’s about it.

This is where Otus’ friends, who join him along the journey and serve as his constant companions, come into the play. Otus flies around carrying one of his friends at a time, each of whom has a different ability or skill they can use, while the player has the ability to swap between them as and when they please. Though you only start the game with Geddy, Otus’ self-proclaimed best friend who can shoot at enemies and obstacles, characters constantly keep joining Otus, providing new abilities and introducing new mechanics almost constantly.

"It’s surprising, considering that Owlboy is a 2D pixel art game, but somehow its characters manage to convey a vast range of reactions and emotions through incredible animations."

Which, as you can imagine, means the Owlboy manages to keep from ever getting stale, with a constant string of new mechanics being thrown into the mix with regularity. This mechanic of swapping in and out of characters to utilize their unique abilities also ends up feeling like an even better defined trait of the game thanks to how excellently it is made use of in various other ways. Some areas may require you to use a specific character’s abilities, while another’s might be the only thing that can clear an obstacle in another area. This lends the dungeon design and entire brand of exploration in Owlboy a very Metroidvaniae-esque feel.

Similarly, boss battles in Owlboy are also brilliant. Every dungeon in the game ends with a boss battle, and the design for each of these is incredible, always requiring the player to switch between their skills to figure out which one they need to use for the situation at hand. Boss fights aside, there are plenty of other memorable set-piece moments in Owlboy as well. The game is peppered intermittently with intense, thrilling chase scenes that have you constantly switching between characters during chases as you overcome enemies and obstacles. Though not all that common, these sections area easily among the game’s highlights.

The biggest victory Owlboy achieves on the gameplay front is how incredibly varied it is. From boss fights to exploration, from platforming to puzzles, from chase sequences to stealth sections, Owlboy is never afraid to switch things up, and is constantly and delightfully surprising. Incredibly enough, the game goes out of its way to make sure that its narrative and the parts that you’re actually playing are never at odds with each other. Almost everything is contextualized very well within the boundaries of the story. The narrative itself also constantly moves at a brisk pace, and thanks to sharp writing and a few unexpected surprises along the way, manages to hold attention for the entire 10 hour playthrough.

"The biggest victory Owlboy achieves on the gameplay front is how incredibly varied it is. From boss fights to exploration, from platforming to puzzles, from chase sequences to stealth sections, Owlboy is never afraid to switch things up, and is constantly and delightfully surprising."

The thing that is most commonly associated with Owlboy, though, is its visuals, and its easy to see why. Indie games with a pixel art style are not hard to come by these days, but while most of them only use such visuals more for nostalgia than for actual artistic reasons, the visual palette in Owlboy is vivid and beautiful and crammed full of details. While in close quarter environments and interiors the camera closes in to focus on the pixels in the pixel art, in the larger, more open areas, the game pulls away for a more sweeping view that shows the art style and the visuals in all their splendour. From the clouds to the trees to the cliffs, everything in Owlboy looks gorgeous.

Owlboy is a game that excels in multiple areas. It’s gameplay loop is constantly entertaining and always keeps the player engaged with a consistent stream fresh new mechanics and gameplay variety; it’s narrative is excellent written and extremely engaging, thanks to an excellent cast of characters; it’s visuals are beautiful and thoroughly detailed at the same time. It’s not, of course, without its flaws- for instance, there some a few bugs in here, one of which forced me to restart the game on one occasion. As a whole, though, it’s surprising to see just how well made and how accomplished Owlboy is in so many ways.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.

D-Pad Studio’s critically acclaimed Owlboy is finally coming to consoles on February 13th. The developer announced on Twitter that the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions would be available in just a few weeks via respective digital store fronts. A physical edition is expected “to be announced”.

Owlboy follows the story of Otus, an Owl belonging to a revered race, as he journeys through the skies of a splintered floating continent. When a band of sky pirates attack his hometown and threaten the world, it’s up to Otus and his friends to stop them. Of course, things are never so simple and they’re quickly caught up in a plot that involves the world’s history, the truth about the Owls and much more.

Currently available on Steam, Owlboy received our award for the Best Platformer of 2016 along with nominations for Best Story and Best Indie Game. If you haven’t played it yet and appreciate old-school Metroidvania-style platformers with a lot of heart, then it’s definitely worth checking out.

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 | Savant – Ascent REMIX | OUT NOW (@DPadStudio) January 22, 2018

Another lovable indie platformer that’s finally available on Steam? That’s right except D-Pad Studio’s Owlboy is more than just a very good looking platformer that does a few things differently – it’s pretty much a labour of love. Check out the launch trailer below.

Owlboy sees you playing as Otus, a member of the Owls who must save his village from pirates. Otus travels through a magical world in the skies, meeting various characters. Interestingly, Otus himself is in charge of the flying but can pick up various NPCs to perform different functions like shooting enemies. Owlboy has essentially been in development since 2007 but it looks none the worse for wear despite the long cycle.

Owlboy can be purchased on Steam for PC here and it’s garnered a good amount of critical acclaim already. What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

The official Owlboy Demo launch trailer. The demo is launching on 20th August. Please visit http://www.dpadstudio.com for more details about this charming 2D platformer.