Everyone is saying this was a calming game, but I felt so stressed because I couldn't see the connection between the text and how to progress forward: sometimes he simlpy got into the wrong type of taxi, or suddenly decided to stop telling his story, and there was no hint between what choices would actually talk about the key elements
The art style and the narrative were solid, and I really love the concept, but the way of putting together the puzzle was a little obtuse, and there was no real indication that I was heading in the right (or wrong) direction The end of the game referred to the character as a Yokai, but he mentions that he was a human that died, so surely that's a Yurei (ghost)? (Forgive me if I'm wrong)
I enjoyed the nod to Italo Calvino, and the writing was generally quite easy-going (but sometimes came off a little melodramatic) Seen as it says this is a demo, I'm interested to see what you guys do with the game from here. Keep doing cool stuff!
Thank you for making this game and sharing it, it helped me calmed down while I was anxious, and the last message made me warm. I'm happy they're okay now.
OOOH MY GOD. I had to make an account just to express how much this game made me feel at the end. I never had anything in my life that made sent shivers down my spine like this game did to me. I love it sooo much and I highly recommend it for everyone to play it. Thank you for the amazing experience. You my friend have inspired me to try to express myself via games and stories like this.
A spectacular example that video games are another form of art! I will be showing this game to friends and family regardless of whether they are normally interested in video games or not. Thank you!
I can't stop thinking about this, it definitely got into my head. It runs so smoothly from one ride to another that you could end up playing it forever. The mood is really something.
This
is a poetic and beautifully melancholic game. I fell in love
with this polygon like graphics first but the story was also
amazingly told in such a short period of time. Since I’m from
Japan, I had some ideas and could make connections with the story.
However, I finished the game with spiritual impressions. I’m
looking forward to play this kind of indie game again. Thanks for
putting wonderful effort in developing this kind of game.
this game is absolutely gorgeous- in writing, visuals, and music. it's feels like an experiment in tone, and it hits the mark for everything for me. a contemplative experience, worth your time and attention if for nothing more than to slow down for a sec. great job guys!
This was an eerie and yet relaxing sort of game that made me feel as though I were a phantom. It's somber atmosphere was calming and unsettling all at the same time. The story was simple but wonderfully executed. Lovely game♡♡
beautiful- didn't quite grasp the narrative puzzle on the first play through. But I did it on a stream and often deeper semantic meaning are lost with divided attention. It's a gorgeous game, with great dialogue. I'm looking forward to my second playthrough :D
I thought that the game was beautifully done, and really enjoyed it once I realize that it was a puzzle game. It's very peaceful and relaxing and I recommend it. I played this for my Indie Game Showcase and am leaving the highlight of the game play here.
This is beautiful. Calm and peaceful vibe, compelling bittersweet story. I like "narrative puzzles" where the puzzle is figuring out the story instead of using tools, etc, and that concept is portrayed very nicely here. I replayed it tonight (rainy night with cars passing our home) because the story stayed with me. Thank you for giving us this "ghost" and his tale!
I love your game. I love the conversations between the passenger and taxi drivers. Sit in the car crossing the midnight city. Really great vibe.
But there's a little problem in the kanji title. It uses the kanji "烏", the japanese pronunciation of this word is 'u' or 'karasu', means "crow" specifically, and it also has the meaning of "black". It's different from "鳥"(dori), bird. They are different words, though they look quite similar. So I just wonder there is a mistake in the kanji title I think?
Regarding the title, the English version is not the literal translation of the Japanese one (or viceversa). They are different sentences but have the same meaning, "旅烏" and "bird of passage" are both a romantic/poetic way to say "wanderer".
I really liked this game - it's kind of beautiful; the only thing is the music, especially the track that kept playing in the taxi, really didn't do it for me. It's very repetitive, loud, unsubtle and annoying, and since you spend a lot of time in the taxi, it is a problem.
Otherwise, lovely. Surprisingly, it took me a really short time to finish - just two loops, and it was done. Guess my experience in visual novels + philology degree must be paying off :-)
first off: This was an amazing and unique experience and I can't thank you enough for that! Especially today when theres so many games that are alike..but yours truly stood out! The Atmosphere, the rain, the graphics, the music and the conversations were amazing and truly gave off this consoling solitude vibe. I love that everything was so chill and you really have to be patient to get to the end but it doesn't bother at all, instead it lets you sink in, into that story, and to just be. Truly amazing game, hope we'll see more of your games in the future!
Didn't finish it. Got bored of getting one nugget of new information in between the tedious repetition and then having to sit through another loop because the options are so vague and confusing. I'm guessing at this point the big reveal is that the eyeball dude is the spirit of a gingko tree, but it got too tedious to find out.
Suggestions:
- Track what the player has already said and mark those options. The initial prompt and what he actually says afterwards are often barely related and it's easy to get stuck in tedious repetition, unsure of what you said before.
- Haha, silent taxi. The same every time. No. If there is some reason to keep bringing it back other than as a gag, I missed it. If there is progress to be made here, I don't see it, and if it's useful for later, then only bring it back when it has potential to lead to a new outcome.
- Music mixing: the brief transition into another song every time he gets out of the car is really disruptive and doesn't seem to add much. Would be much better with a continuous soundtrack, perhaps even adjusting to your own progress.
- Text wrapping: the first word on each line briefly appears on the previous one, before being wrapped onto the next. Progressive-text-reveal-effect mistakes 101.
Good effort, decent art style, but too many usability mistakes for comfort.
I loved this. I loved learning the story in the telling of it, loved how the liminal space of a taxi ride fit this story. It was good, and peaceful, and ended well.
(Small note: at one point, the text was coming up in front of a tree with yellow leaves, and the orange taxi-driver's words were very difficult to read. I think if you added a transparent grey background behind the text, they would be clearer.)
Hi! First I LOVED the background music, it gets you into the mood straight away! it's been said before but the storytelling was really brilliant ! Keep it up, 8/10 !
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Such a great surreal story, thank you for the interesting experience :)
Everyone is saying this was a calming game, but I felt so stressed because I couldn't see the connection between the text and how to progress forward: sometimes he simlpy got into the wrong type of taxi, or suddenly decided to stop telling his story, and there was no hint between what choices would actually talk about the key elements
The art style and the narrative were solid, and I really love the concept, but the way of putting together the puzzle was a little obtuse, and there was no real indication that I was heading in the right (or wrong) direction
The end of the game referred to the character as a Yokai, but he mentions that he was a human that died, so surely that's a Yurei (ghost)? (Forgive me if I'm wrong)
I enjoyed the nod to Italo Calvino, and the writing was generally quite easy-going (but sometimes came off a little melodramatic)
Seen as it says this is a demo, I'm interested to see what you guys do with the game from here. Keep doing cool stuff!
-Made a Video. (Old Video)
Thank you for making this game and sharing it, it helped me calmed down while I was anxious, and the last message made me warm. I'm happy they're okay now.
OOOH MY GOD. I had to make an account just to express how much this game made me feel at the end. I never had anything in my life that made sent shivers down my spine like this game did to me. I love it sooo much and I highly recommend it for everyone to play it. Thank you for the amazing experience. You my friend have inspired me to try to express myself via games and stories like this.
This game is amazing. It really made me feel calm and the visuals are so amazing as well!!
Really good game!
Didn't realize it was a puzzle game until halfway through lol. Very great game with very satisfying graphics, dialogue, and ending.
That was awesome i really got some emotions when he got to the tree, that was absolutely something really good
amazing shader, sound, and cinematic view!
A spectacular example that video games are another form of art! I will be showing this game to friends and family regardless of whether they are normally interested in video games or not. Thank you!
I can't stop thinking about this, it definitely got into my head. It runs so smoothly from one ride to another that you could end up playing it forever. The mood is really something.
Sick
This is a poetic and beautifully melancholic game. I fell in love with this polygon like graphics first but the story was also amazingly told in such a short period of time. Since I’m from Japan, I had some ideas and could make connections with the story. However, I finished the game with spiritual impressions. I’m looking forward to play this kind of indie game again. Thanks for putting wonderful effort in developing this kind of game.
Bird of Passage #1 Played in Japanese 日本語実況
SUCH a beautiful game!
this game is absolutely gorgeous- in writing, visuals, and music. it's feels like an experiment in tone, and it hits the mark for everything for me. a contemplative experience, worth your time and attention if for nothing more than to slow down for a sec. great job guys!
Great game! It took me a minute to figure it out and get the ending, but I loved it!
Such a beautiful ending.
The game is very simple but it made me cry a bit. Recommend.
Didn't recognise it was a puzzle game until i read the comments. Still a very enjoyable experience nonetheless.
thx RagnarRox for recommending this in his video.
This was an eerie and yet relaxing sort of game that made me feel as though I were a phantom. It's somber atmosphere was calming and unsettling all at the same time. The story was simple but wonderfully executed. Lovely game♡♡
beautiful- didn't quite grasp the narrative puzzle on the first play through. But I did it on a stream and often deeper semantic meaning are lost with divided attention. It's a gorgeous game, with great dialogue. I'm looking forward to my second playthrough :D
I thought that the game was beautifully done, and really enjoyed it once I realize that it was a puzzle game. It's very peaceful and relaxing and I recommend it. I played this for my Indie Game Showcase and am leaving the highlight of the game play here.
beautiful story, lovely graphics and a mesmerizing game.
This is beautiful. Calm and peaceful vibe, compelling bittersweet story. I like "narrative puzzles" where the puzzle is figuring out the story instead of using tools, etc, and that concept is portrayed very nicely here. I replayed it tonight (rainy night with cars passing our home) because the story stayed with me. Thank you for giving us this "ghost" and his tale!
I love your game. I love the conversations between the passenger and taxi drivers. Sit in the car crossing the midnight city. Really great vibe.
But there's a little problem in the kanji title. It uses the kanji "烏", the japanese pronunciation of this word is 'u' or 'karasu', means "crow" specifically, and it also has the meaning of "black". It's different from "鳥"(dori), bird. They are different words, though they look quite similar. So I just wonder there is a mistake in the kanji title I think?
Hi! sorry for the late reply.
Thank you, we are happy that you love the game :)
Regarding the title, the English version is not the literal translation of the Japanese one (or viceversa). They are different sentences but have the same meaning, "旅烏" and "bird of passage" are both a romantic/poetic way to say "wanderer".
I really liked this game - it's kind of beautiful; the only thing is the music, especially the track that kept playing in the taxi, really didn't do it for me. It's very repetitive, loud, unsubtle and annoying, and since you spend a lot of time in the taxi, it is a problem.
Otherwise, lovely. Surprisingly, it took me a really short time to finish - just two loops, and it was done. Guess my experience in visual novels + philology degree must be paying off :-)
Hey there,
first off: This was an amazing and unique experience and I can't thank you enough for that! Especially today when theres so many games that are alike..but yours truly stood out! The Atmosphere, the rain, the graphics, the music and the conversations were amazing and truly gave off this consoling solitude vibe. I love that everything was so chill and you really have to be patient to get to the end but it doesn't bother at all, instead it lets you sink in, into that story, and to just be. Truly amazing game, hope we'll see more of your games in the future!
Didn't finish it. Got bored of getting one nugget of new information in between the tedious repetition and then having to sit through another loop because the options are so vague and confusing. I'm guessing at this point the big reveal is that the eyeball dude is the spirit of a gingko tree, but it got too tedious to find out.
Suggestions:
- Track what the player has already said and mark those options. The initial prompt and what he actually says afterwards are often barely related and it's easy to get stuck in tedious repetition, unsure of what you said before.
- Haha, silent taxi. The same every time. No. If there is some reason to keep bringing it back other than as a gag, I missed it. If there is progress to be made here, I don't see it, and if it's useful for later, then only bring it back when it has potential to lead to a new outcome.
- Music mixing: the brief transition into another song every time he gets out of the car is really disruptive and doesn't seem to add much. Would be much better with a continuous soundtrack, perhaps even adjusting to your own progress.
- Text wrapping: the first word on each line briefly appears on the previous one, before being wrapped onto the next. Progressive-text-reveal-effect mistakes 101.
Good effort, decent art style, but too many usability mistakes for comfort.
I agree ! It was taking too long to find new informations and I got bored, a nice game in general but it got long at some point.
This was a great game! Very atmospheric with a stellar soundtrack. It took me a little while to get the ending, but I'm very glad I did.
Vote soundtrack download 1/10
It's just gorgeous
<3
<3
Wow. That was amazing. The story was brilliant, and the background music fitted in so well. Amazing job.
I loved this. I loved learning the story in the telling of it, loved how the liminal space of a taxi ride fit this story. It was good, and peaceful, and ended well.
(Small note: at one point, the text was coming up in front of a tree with yellow leaves, and the orange taxi-driver's words were very difficult to read. I think if you added a transparent grey background behind the text, they would be clearer.)
Hi! First I LOVED the background music, it gets you into the mood straight away! it's been said before but the storytelling was really brilliant ! Keep it up, 8/10 !
Have you considered participating in our Game developers World Championship ? The competition is totally free and with winning prizes ! Our mission is to support and reward the Indie game developer community.
If you are interested in joining in please check out our website for more details:
https://thegdwc.com/
i liked this lots. atmospheric, thoughtful, nice.