Fowl Damage (PC) | Review
Game Title: Fowl Damage
Publisher: Red Nexus Games Inc.
Developer: May Gardens, Red Nexus Games Inc.
Release: Sep 13, 2024
ESRB Rating: Unrated
Platform: PC
Genre: Puzzle Platformer
Fowl Damage is an atmospheric platformer that casts the player as egg. The puzzling aspect is born of a simple innovative twist: the player’s jump is high enough that the landing will cause them to splat onto the ground. Cleverly placed terrain, elevators, ramps, and a variety of other mechanisms allow the player to carefully control their fall distance resulting in a wonderful puzzling element.
A Mysterious World
Our hero, the egg, awakens in a futuristic and derelict factory. With no narrator, signs, or archives, the world of Fowl Damage is conveyed entirely through traversal. Those seeking a story to sink their teeth into won’t find it here, but the crates of giant frozen eggs, mystical portals, arcane blocks, and intersection of nature and industry tickle the imagination leading to wild speculation. Most environments are alien employing darker colors and sharp geometric shapes; the lack of overarching narrative instead gives the feel of peering beyond the veil into a distant world creating a distance between the player and the world—in the best of ways.
No Shortage of Eggs
Players can expect to crack hundreds of eggs in the 3-5 hours it takes to play through the game. These seeking to uncover every secret and collectible may well reach into the thousands. Fortunately, Fowl Damage is structured into a series of short rooms with the player respawning from their last entrance upon death. With respawns being near instant and infinite lives, death is almost never frustrating and very little time is spent retreading the same ground. The various biomes in the game are each centered around a gimmick including from bubbles allowing for a short jump and bends which can convert fall damage into lateral speed. New elements are introduced steadily and implicitly tutorialized through simple puzzles resulting in a low learning curve. The platforming rarely relies on quick actions and instead prioritizes precision. While the main path offers a fair challenge, the difficulty can quickly rank up in secret areas or when chasing after collectibles.
Exploration Welcome
The world of Fowl Damage is branching and littered with secrets. In earlier stages most alternative paths were limited to a room or two, but in later biomes the line between the main path and optional content blurs considerably and the thrill of adventure truly sets in. It’s on these other paths that players will find collectible feathers. To secure a feather, the player must touch it with their egg and then escape once more from the room without dying—and the path home is often the most treacherous. Hidden in the deepest reaches of each level are the elusive green feathers and portals to special challenge areas which reward them. The green feathers require out of the box thinking and push the mechanics of the game and its biomes to the limit. The hunt for feathers quickly became the highlight of my time with Fowl Damage. While the pause menu will display the player’s progress in collecting feathers for each area and allows for quick warping, the game does not offer a map of any kind and hunting down a stray feather or two can be frustrating.
Final Thoughts
Fowl Damage offers a short and satisfying jaunt through an alien world brought to life by vivid pixel art and calm ambient music. More puzzle game than platformer, players who choose not to engage in the hunt for collectibles hidden behind the game’s most devious puzzles may find the game short and lacking, but puzzle enthusiasts are sure to be met with a game they can truly sink their teeth into. The segmentation of puzzles into short rooms offers plentiful respawn points and keeps the challenging game from feeling frustrating. I give Fowl Damage a 4 out of 5.