Atomic Owl

"Distinctive Identity and Wasted Potential" Atomic Owl offers an enjoyable platforming and action experience supported by great art style and excellent music, but it falters due to repetition, some technical issues, and limited Roguelite elements. Despite this, it remains a good experience for fans of classic platformers looking for fast-paced challenges and a different visual style.

Atomic Owl is retro 2D action done in a way that'll consistently keep you on edge with its cleverly challenging stage and boss designs. 🦉

A responsive action-platformer whose satisfying combat, memorable bosses, and excellent soundtrack help it soar above its straightforward structure.

Atomic Owl is a nostalgic experience that manages to tug at the heartstrings thanks to its excellent art direction and memorable soundtrack, but which ultimately reveals its limitations as soon as you scratch beneath the surface. The clunky controls, imprecise hitboxes and early structural repetitiveness prevent Hidalgo’s adventure from rising above mediocrity, transforming a potential gem into a decent action platformer that lacks the spark needed to leave a lasting impression.

In short, Atomic Owl is a game that stands out for its visual style, immersive sound, and smooth gameplay...

Atomic Owl is a nostalgic experience that manages to strike a chord with its aesthetic and well-crafted soundtrack, but it ends up showing its flaws as soon as you dig beneath the golden surface of its pixel art. The rough edges of the control system, the inaccurate hitboxes, and an early structural repetitiveness prevent Hidalgo's journey from rising above mediocrity, transforming a potential gem into a decent roguelite action platformer that lacks the necessary spark to remain etched in the memory. Despite a negligible entry price, the title seems to appeal almost exclusively to fans of the genre willing to overlook the obvious game design flaws in order to enjoy an atmosphere of yesteryear.

Atomic Owl is a beautifully drawn and well-orchestrated platformer that wavers between a punishing retro 2D sidescroller and a roguelike. If it had made a bolder stab at one of those genres, perhaps its gameplay would feel meaningful. For now, there are other roguelike platformers that are deserving of your time.

Fast-paced 2D pixel art synthwave roguelite hack and slash now on Switch

Atomic Owl isn't a broken game. It's a flawed game, in almost every way. At €12.99, it's positioned in a price range where the competition—even just within Eastasiasoft's own catalog—offers much more for the same price. It's a shame, because the basic idea had its own personality. The execution didn't quite live up to it.

Despite its excellent sound and visuals, Atomic Owl needs some gameplay fixes and polishing. The game mode that partially removes roguelite elements might be good for those who don't have the patience to accumulate skill points to make their hero stronger, but it lacks something to make the challenge more substantial, either in the traditional or simplified way.