Title: Songbird Symphony
Developer: Joysteak Studios
Publisher: PQube
Genre: Adventure, Music, Platformer
Price: $16.99
Also Available On: Steam
Songbird Symphony is just what its title suggests: a rhythm game involving a bird in search of harmony in life. Specifically, it follows the exploits of Birb as he searches for his real parents after learning that his isn’t really a peacock like the couple that raised him. An owl promises to help him in his quest, but only after he manages to compile music associated with the breeds of birds he meets along the way.
And therein lies the rub; Joysteak Studios’ initial foray in the business is likewise a platformer, with puzzles to solve and tasks to perform and complete via the formation of tunes from learned notes.
Songbird Symphony’s rhythm sections work like countless other games of similar nature, but with extreme variety; notes will come from any which way and exhibit movement with distinct patterns. Moreover, the speed with which they move through the screen can be exceedingly fast — sometimes too fast for comfort. That said, the game is on the forgiving side, and no death will occur; gamers simply need to keep playing until they get the green light to progress. Which, in light of the generous scoring system, figures to come sooner rather than later.
Songbird Symphony is far from perfect. The puzzles increase in complexity over time, and their completion sometimes requires the performance of other tasks that aren’t quite clearly connected. Moreover, character models are liberally recycled, giving off a been-there-and-done-that vibe on occasion. On the whole, though, it manages to separate itself from the dregs with its strong animation, colorful pixel-art visuals, and excellent audio tracks. Clocking in at around five hours all told, it looks to keep gamers occupied for a light afternoon of fun wrapped in a heartwarming story.
THE GOOD
- Boasts of extreme variety
- Forgiving
- Strong animation
- Colorful visuals and excellent audio tracks
THE BAD
- Puzzles becomes increasingly complex
- Character models are recycled
- Scoring system too generous
RATING: 8/10
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