30 Birds
For a game that embodies the chummy clutter of cities,
30 Birds
still manages to capture a sense of space. For example, a small courtyard will take mere seconds to cross but helps to air out a dense patch of NPCs
Developer
RamRam Games, Business Goose Studios
Publisher
Arte France
Format
PC (tested), Switch
Release
Out now
We begin on the night train bound for Lantern City. As openings go, this is a piece of poetry so dense with magic that it’s hard not to fall under 30 Birds’ spell immediately. What then unfolds is a bright clutter of ideas and influences, which should hardly come as a surprise in this debut from a Belgian studio that takes its visual cues from Persian art and magical realist novels. It plays out across a series of 2D environments pasted onto the rotating edges of 3D floating lanterns. To engage with a game such as this is to immerse yourself in something that feels like a cross between an interactive indie comic and the mind-bending dangers of staring too long at imaginary figures in the wallpaper.