Atomic Owl Review (PC)

Atomic Owl draws us in with its stunning pixel art, gets us interested in the combat flow and goings on, then promptly smacks us about the face when we inevitably first die; “do it again, but better” it seemingly says. Alright then, I think I will. And before I knew it, hours had passed, main character Hidalgo had been upgraded, and I was at the final boss. Atomic Owl is simply a good time, with fun combat and a harsh but also somehow fair roguelite loop that encourages repeated tries even after death.

We play as the aforementioned Hidalgo after he and his friends are attacked by Omega Wing, leaving Hidalgo tied helplessly to a tree and his cohorts brainwashed into joining Omega Wing’s side. When Hildalgo’s reanimated sword comes to life and rescues him, we set out on a journey to save the crew and defeat Omega Wing. 

Playing Atomic Owl is fairly straightforward. Hidalgo can rump and jump, and use one of four weapons to defeat the recently released Tengu swarm. He starts off fairly weak thanks to the previous battle, and his health bar will not last all that long at first glance. Collecting Meza –  green orbs around the levels – allows him to level up, gaining more health at each turn. We also collect a blue orb for currency that is used at base camp to upgrade abilities further. The kicker being, everytime we visit the camp we must start our journey to Omega Wing again. 

We can choose to do this at any time, but are forced into camp at each death. Resting at the bonfire lets us upgrade, before we jump back in and start fresh, albeit with new powers or more health. Unlike some other roguelites, Atomic Owl keeps this aspect pretty simple though. There are only a handful of upgrades, and I managed to get to the end of the game with only a few of these unlocked. All in all, getting to the end of Atomic Owl is only a matter of six or seven hours, and I very much appreciated this more focussed approach.

Each new run comes not only with upgrades, but knowledge of what’s to come. The first time I got to my first boss (and former friend) Goliam I was pasted into the ground in seconds. Upon further tries I made quick work of him. Thankfully, this repetition is fun throughout, with previously tricky foes quickly dealt with on our way to the final showdown.

Enemies may randomly drop temporary upgrades too, from triple jumps to flame damage or projectile deflection. These are lost on death and the random nature can mean some runs are that bit trickier; the triple jump was a huge help on one run, and not having the next one was very noticeable. But get a few good ones (we can hold up to eight) and the Tengu drop like flies and the bosses can be far more easily managed.

What also eases the repetition is just how fantastic the audio/visual work on Atomic Owl is. The soundtrack is incredible chiptune/lo-fi/electronic goodness, and paired with some stunning pixel art bursting with colour, it’s a game I’ve not minded seeing the same areas over and over again. There are times where it’s a bit too busy and some of the enemies or projectiles are hard to keep track of, but on the whole this is a fantastically presented game.

Hidalgo can switch between four weapons at any time; his sword that charges a summon attack as long as we remain undamaged; a heavy cleaver; a long whip; and a throwable axe which is good for long distance damage. He also has a throwable Yutameta, a sort of boomerang that recharges and can ricochet off of enemies in range. Each of these are suited to different enemies, and switching between them is essential throughout. I must say I didn’t find a great deal of use for the whip though – it left Hidalgo too exposed to projectiles while not doing enough damage to compensate. The rest of the weapons were frequently cycled through, and got me out of a bind more than once. 

Combat with these is chunky, albeit a little vague at times. Smacking enemies deals random damage it seems, and one Tengu might go down in one hit of the cleaver, whereas the same enemies again might take three or four hits. We can dodge but otherwise there’s no defence available, so often – especially early on – it’s easy to take as much damage as we give out. And again, the visual style can occasionally obscure incoming enemies or projectiles. We are infrequently locked in a room and have to defeat a certain number of enemies to move on. An early one of these saw floating enemies almost camouflaged on my first few tries. For the most part though, the platforming and fighting is good fun and with upgrades and knowledge of what’s to come, the core loop of Atomic Owl is very addictive indeed.

Conclusion

Some stunning pixel art and music compliment a fun action platforming roguelite title. The aesthetics can occasionally mask enemies, but gaining upgrades and knowledge of what’s to come remains rewarding for its brief runtime.

This game was tested and reviewed on PC (via Steam). All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.