30 Birds Review Summary

Unique art style and world: The game features a unique and beautiful art style inspired by Persian culture, complemented by quirky humor, witty dialogues, and a captivating story. The world is filled with charm, surprises, and memorable characters, creating a cohesive and engaging experience.

Excellent and fitting music: Reviewers consistently praise the game's music and sound design, noting that the soundtracks and background music samples are well-done and match the game's theme and vibe. The music is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, with many finding it enjoyable, captivating, and perfectly fitting the universe.

Fun and clever puzzles: The game incorporates a variety of fun and clever puzzles and mini-games that are not overly difficult, providing a good balance and keeping the adventure fresh. These elements contribute to the game's original and innovative gameplay.

Well-developed, funny characters: The game features well-developed, funny, and sweet characters with distinct personalities and engaging writing. The interactions between characters, such as Zig and Simurgh, are particularly enjoyable.

Unique lantern rotation mechanic: The rotating lantern mechanic creates a unique and magical effect, enhancing exploration of the hand-drawn floating world. Reviewers found walking around the lanterns satisfying and appreciated the ability to see side areas floating in space.

Unclear puzzle logic/signposting: Puzzles suffer from unclear logic, lack of in-game hints, and insufficient signposting, making them feel disconnected and sometimes frustrating. Players also noted the absence of instruction reminders during puzzles, which compounds the issue.

Uninspired, repetitive mini-games: Mini-games are uninspired and poorly executed, with some feeling forced or not working well with the controller. The soundtrack's repetitive loops also detract from the experience.

Difficult/broken achievements: Many achievements are either very difficult or broken, making full game completion challenging or impossible. This negatively impacts the player's sense of accomplishment.

Inconsistent controller mapping: Inconsistent controller mapping and the inability to paint using the controller hinder gameplay. These control issues create frustration and impede player progress.

Unplayable in Chinese: The game is unplayable in Chinese due to getting stuck at the beginning. This is a critical bug that prevents players from experiencing the game in their preferred language.

Befriend birds through quests: The core gameplay loop revolves around exploration, interacting with bird characters, and completing tasks to befriend them. Players collect items, fulfill quests received via a phone, and discover hidden collectibles within the game world, making exploration rewarding.

Simple, musical puzzle gameplay: The game features light, rhythm-based puzzle-solving that is generally simple and contributes to a relaxed experience. While the puzzles are not overly challenging, some players may find them unclear at times, but the musical gameplay is original.

Story based on Persian legends: The game's narrative is rooted in Persian legends and the poem "The Conference of the Birds," focusing on the kidnapping of Simurgh. The player's objective is to rescue Simurgh by befriending birds living in lantern cities.

Puzzles use teleportation/loops: Some puzzles utilize teleportation mechanics to move the player between different locations within the levels. Additionally, certain puzzles incorporate infinite loops created by the turning mechanic, adding a layer of complexity.

Mix of ancient/modern/magical elements: The game world blends ancient, modern, and magical elements, creating a unique and potentially intriguing setting for players to explore.

Excellent Steam Deck performance: The game is highly optimized for the Steam Deck, running smoothly and providing a positive experience on the handheld device. This is a significant advantage for players who prefer gaming on the go.

Well-executed Persian-inspired art: The game's art style, blending 2D and 3D elements inspired by Persian miniature painting, is generally well-received. Some minor flaws, potentially bugs, were noted, but the overall artistic direction is a positive aspect.

Minor physics/boundary issues: The reviewer encountered a physics bug that allowed them to launch an object into space, but they were still able to return to the play area. This suggests some minor issues with object interactions and level boundaries.

Unique, beautiful, and relaxing experience: The game is highly recommended for its unique, memorable, and beautiful experience, especially for players who enjoy narrative adventures, leisurely exploration, and original stories. Reviewers emphasize its artistic value and relaxing qualities, suggesting players should take their time to fully appreciate the game's world.

Bug fixes are needed: Some reviewers are stepping away from the game until the bugs are fixed. This suggests that the game has some technical issues that need to be addressed.

Future works are highly anticipated: Reviewers express hope that the developer will continue to refine and evolve their designs and concepts in future projects. This suggests a positive reception to the game's core ideas, with anticipation for further improvements and innovations from the development team.

Good for casual relaxation: The game is suitable for casual relaxation. This suggests that the game is easy to pick up and play, and that it does not require a lot of time or effort to enjoy.

Inspired by 'Conference of Birds': The game draws inspiration from Feridüddin Attar's 'The Conference of the Birds,' reflected in its title '30 Birds.' Understanding this source material may provide additional context or appreciation for the game's themes and narrative elements.

Multiple control schemes supported: The game offers flexible control options, supporting keyboard, mouse, and controller inputs. This allows players to choose their preferred method for interacting with the game, potentially enhancing accessibility and comfort.

Features Japanese translation: The game includes a complete Japanese translation. This broadens the game's accessibility to a Japanese-speaking audience, indicating attention to localization.

Non-graphic death present: The game contains some instances of death, but it is not depicted graphically. This may be relevant for players sensitive to violent content or parents considering the game for children.

Supporting the developers: The reviewer purchased the game at full price to support the developers, who were involved in the game Sizeable. This point reflects the reviewer's personal support for the developers, but does not provide specific feedback about the game itself.