[PAX East 2019] Hands-on with Falcon Age and its adorable murder birds

I want a falcon. I want one RIGHT NOW. After a hands-on with Falcon Age at PAX East this week, I realized that it’s a fantastic hobby that leads to a ton of satisfaction, fulfillment, and a special bond with a beautiful bird.

Also, it’s hella fun to murder rabbits.

Let me take a step back; murdering rabbits seems like an excessive way to describe the hunting aspect of the game, but it’s still accurate. Outer Loop’s Falcon Age, which asks us to take on the role of a falconer and her feathered friend, often requires that we undertake some the aggressive side of nature to gather resources, in this case animal meat. Gathering enough can let us craft recipes that make our cute birb stronger and faster (and more aggressive) to traverse more areas of the world map.

The six hour or so length of the game aims to pack a surprising amount of content, as we not only manage hunts but also farm, build up towns, and take out enemies and encampments, all with a full story tying it together. Doing all of this is as easy as pointing to an object in the distance and tapping an action button. We play as Ara, a young woman on a mission to help her people eradicate the land of the evil draining it of its life. Though the game takes place in a pseudo future-present Southwest, it really bases itself on themes of colonialism throughout Asia, and how that smashes industrialism with tradition and heritage. That is best emphasized in the visual style, which borrows its bright colors and flat surfaces from games like Firewatch to create an almost cartoon kind of aesthetic. Whether in VR or traditional TV, the game looks and feels refreshing, although the VR version definitely plays up some of the visible distances that the falcon can get out to.

Carrying out actions is fantastic in VR, but a little more awkward on a 2D screen; the viewpoint requires that we look around a lot, which is natural to do in an immersive setting when we have an animal right next to us, but takes an extra rotation of the right analog stick to refocus otherwise. The game is definitely made for VR, where it shines, but it’s still functional and fine in traditional 2D.

Sure, there are melee actions that we ourselves can perform with out electro whip weapon, but the falcon itself is absolutely the star of the game. “Feather physics” is a word that should and will get stuck in your head after playing it, and you’ll never want a bird to *not* be on your arm at all times. From little fist bumps to silly hats it can wear, to even flipping back and forth between a baby bird and an adult, the avian buddy has a ton of personality. Sending it out to attack a drone or robot, calling it back to pull out needles or heal it, or just interacting and cuddling, leads me to believe that there could be a bond make with a digital pet very quickly, to the point where whenever it gets hurt you can imagine the actual emotional pain you could feel yourself.

And there’s no better satisfaction than when our falcon attacks a robot, lifting it up by its legs and slamming it on the ground, just like it does with its rabbit prey, and waiting for you to come pick up the pieces.

Murder Birds, Incorporated.

Falcon Age arrives in April for the PSVR and PS4