Owlboy
METACRITIC SCORE 88

Owlboy is a platform/action-adventure video game created by Norwegian developer D-Pad Studio. Explore a vibrantly crafted pixel world in this flying adventure platformer. Being a mute, Otus struggles living up to the expectations of owl-hood. Things spiral from bad to worse with the sudden appearance of sky pirates. What follows is a journey through monster infested ruins, with unexpected encounters, and burdens no one should have to bear.

From Wikipedia: "Owlboy is set in the land of the sky; the islands of the world below have been separated by a catastrophic event. The player controls a boy named Odus, who is a member of an owl–human hybrid race called the Owls. When Otus' village is attacked by a band of pirates, he sets out on a journey to save it from them."

Release date: 2016

Engine: FNA

Setup: IndieRunner

Runtime: mono

Hints: GOG.com version not working as of 2023-05-07 (outdated - 1.3.x), but Steam version works (1.4.x)

Developer: D-Pad Studio

Status: Launches - use Steam version, not GOG (2023-05-07)