Dave Critiques - A Bird Story: The game equivalent of a silent movie?

Transcript

It’s difficult to discuss A Bird Story without discussing To the Moon, the previous game from developers Freebird. While To the Moon was a much longer narrative (taking hours to complete while A Bird Story takes a around one), both share the DNA of Kan Gao as designer and composer (and I hope I’ve pronounced his name correctly). There is an emotional weight, especially near the end of both as the curtain is revealed and the core of what these stories are truly about is laid bare for the player.

While To the Moon was very heavy-handed with its ultimate reveal, A Bird Story deals with its emotional baggage in a more subtle way. This could be due to that A Bird Story is the game equivalent of a silent movie in that there is no text or dialogue, and everything is conveyed through visuals, music, and mechanics; at least what little game mechanics there are.

To the Moon was criticized for not having much gameplay. A lot of narrative focused games from the last half of the 2010s onward have had this levelled at them. As games experiment more with how to effectively tell a story in their medium, our classification of what a game can and should be has needed expansion. Many of these games have been snidely referred to as ‘walking simulators’ (Gone Home, and Dear Esther are two examples), and despite the derision of such a term, it is an apt description of the gameplay for both To the Moon and A Bird Story. Both have the player walking through locations, and while To the Moon has the player talking to characters and solving memory puzzles of quite a simplistic nature, A Bird Story has the player mainly moving through locations with small diversions such as jumping in puddles or fetching food and water for your feathered friend.

It is these small moments where A Bird Story excels. Taking you back to your childhood and splashing around in the rain, letting your imagination take over, or even the fear of adults as authority figures. These moments are spaced out across time that can feel strained (within its short length), and this has a lot to do with the lack of control.

A Bird Story reminds you via an on-screen prompt when it is time to play the game. This is needed as there were a few instances early on where I thought I would be controlling the main character and it turned out that it was not yet time to do so. It is such an admission that gives fodder to the detractors of such narrative based games.

There is still an overwhelming desire to play the games in front of us. Part of this is contributed to the power of games to allow us to inhabit worlds and universes completely different to our own. A Bird Story’s universe is an appealing one of a young boy obsessed with flight, who saves and befriends a small bird, growing attached to this new playmate. When it comes time to release the bird back into the wild, at the behest of a teacher and veterinarian, the boy rebels, not wanting to lose the connection he has made with this winged creature.

As you might imagine, the themes of friendship and loneliness permeate throughout your time with A Bird Story, and such feelings play exceptionally strong near the end when things look their worst for the boy and his bird (with the ‘all is lost’ moment clearly defined). On the other end of the emotional spectrum is a feeling of joy, wonder, and freedom. This is at its strongest during a fantasy sequence where the boy is helping the bird find its lost partner by flying around the world and searching nests. The most impactful sequences such as this one are those in which the player has control (the jumping through puddles standing out in my mind as well, although that might be my childhood growing up in Washington talking). Kudos to an attempt to create a meaningful and emotional narrative through sight, sound, and gameplay, but it does feel like these three elements were not as balanced as they could have been.

Finally, as a fan of To the Moon, there were two nods to the previous game within A Bird Story. I will not point them out as they are fairly obvious, but the second one in particular made me excited for the next game out of the studio, as they seem to have become enamoured with a very specific signature style.

The more time spent with A Bird Story, the more fond one seems to become. It could be because of its short length, but I think that when it comes to its visuals, the musical compositions (which are phenomenal and attributed to the director), and the storytelling, Freebird Games have found a formula that has resonated with an audience. The lack of control from the player is lamentable, and while for many it can detract, it is certainly not a deterrent. Just be prepared for some strong reactions if you own or have ever owned a pet.