The Rabbit and the Owl Demo

Whether you enjoy platformers or not, it’s quite clear that it’s a very popular genre at the moment, not to mention the fact that developers can still innovate it with new gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately, many try to stick to a script and end up releasing clones or boring games, which is why the public is pretty wary of indie productions nowadays, at least until they give them a spin.

The Rabbit and the Owl is a puzzle-platformer in which you have to use two characters at once in order to solve the levels and make it to the exit in one piece. Alternatively, you can enjoy it in co-op with a friend, which is obviously faster and easier, in a way. On the other hand, the challenge of having to coordinate two characters at the same time is very engaging, especially since it really puts your mind to work.

The story takes place in a faded land that was once full of color and life, yet now has nothing but faint signs of light and civilization. You control two spirits, one of a rabbit and one of an owl, spirits that must work together in order to reach portals and survive. Hence, they can materialize objects into each other’s worlds, or more exactly cubes that can be used as extra platforms to reach higher ground. Obviously, they cannot cross into each other's world or interact in any other way.

Every now and again you’ll have to tackle sections that do not seem to have a solution, yet there’s always a switch that changes the layout of the level and allows you to advance. It may not be obvious at first, but the level design is pretty ingenious. On top of that, you can also push and pull blocks created by the other character in order to make your way over difficult leaps.

As you might expect, the graphics are two-dimensional, which means that they are not exactly high-end. However, that shouldn’t affect the gameplay at all if you remain focused on the gameplay, especially since most of them require quite a bit of thinking. On the other hand, it’s always nice to have something to look at, so maybe the full version is going to feature upgraded artwork as well.

In the end, The Rabbit and the Owl has a few great ideas that should attract a large number of gamers and provide them with a good time. However, it needs some work before the full game is released, because right now it looks and feels a bit rough in certain regards, such as the controls and the graphics.