Black Bird
This is the tale of a young girl who dies one day on a street corner and is reborn as the ominous Black Bird. Become the calamity, ‘Black Bird’, and destroy the kingdom. Experience the phantom opera in wonderland!
SCREENSHOTS
HISTORY
Black Bird is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Onion Games. The game was directed by Yoshiro Kimura and released for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and MacOS on October 18, 2018. A PlayStation 4 version followed on December 16, 2021.
The game, about a young girl who is reborn as a monster, utilizes a dark fairy tale aesthetic with moody pixel art, and a dynamic soundtrack that synchronizes with gameplay.
Gameplay
Black Bird is a looping side-scrolling shooter where players control a young girl who, after being ignored by a crowd while dying, is resurrected as a monstrous and destructive crow-like creature. The player must navigate four distinct stages, destroying specified targets to trigger boss encounters.
The game utilizes a "combo" system where players increase their score and power by chain-killing enemies in quick succession. Defeated enemies drop gems that shrink over time; collecting them before they dissipate grants power to evolve the bird. There are also power-ups for health, more bombs or faster movement hidden in pots guarded by NPCs. "True Mode", unlocked after players complete the game, features an altered story, new secrets, and an increased level of difficulty. There are eight distinct endings based on the player's cumulative score.
Development
The game was developed by Tokyo-based indie game studio Onion Games, led by former Rule of Rose and Little King's Story developer Yoshiro Kimura.
In April 2020, Onion Games partnered with Limited Run Games to release a physical "Collector's Edition" for the Nintendo Switch. This release included an artbook and an official soundtrack.
Reception
Black Bird received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
Critics noted the game's unique art direction and audio-visual synchronization. Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life described the game as a "unique little shooter that only gets better as you play it", though noted its short length as a downside considering its price. Ric Cowley of Pocket Gamer called it a "gorgeous, utterly bizarre mixture of grim worlds and weird characters", suggesting everyone should play it, though he criticized some aspects of its difficulty as unfair.
The game won several awards at the 2018 BitSummit indie game festival, including the "Vermilion Gate Award" (Grand Prix) and the "Excellence in Audio Award." It also received the "Best of Art" award at the 2016 Indie Stream Awards during development.
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
TRAILERS
STORES best right now: PlayStation Store −50%
Prices are cached from each storefront and may be out of date. Last checked 24 Sept 2026.
PRICE HISTORY
Every price change we know of, per shop. Flat means the price held; PC shops reach back through IsThereAnyDeal's archive, console shops start when this site started watching.
Nintendo eShop low: $13.29 (23 Sep 2026) , PlayStation Store low: $9.49 (24 Sep 2026) , Steam low: $9.49 (25 Jun 2026)
REVIEWS
Published elsewhere, collected here. Every score is the outlet's own, on the outlet's own scale. Follow the link for the full review.
“Black Bird is an excellent shoot ’em up and a landmark release for Onion Games. As this is their first release on proper gaming platforms, it makes sense they went all out and produced an exceptional game within a shiny package. It really is a fun time, and can get legit challenging.”
“Black Bird is one of the most interesting games I've played in a long time with loads of surprises all over the place.”
“Black Bird is an enjoyable 2D shoot 'em up that shines on Nintendo Switch.”
“There's really nothing left I can write to get across just how much I enjoy Black Bird. In fact, looking at the word count for what is a relatively short game, I've probably written too much. A more succinct version of this review would simply state “Onion Games has done it again.” For fans of the developer, that's pretty much all I'd have to say to convince them it's worth it. For anybody who hasn't had the good fortune of experiencing the studio's previous offerings, well, there are over 1,000 words above to tell you whether or not Black Bird is worth a shot.”
“I really liked the 8-bit sepia-toned pixelated art style mixed in with some bright colors here and there. The game's visuals are top-notch with a lot of attention to detail. Same goes for the game's music which is a weird, quirky and eccentric soundtrack that perfectly complements the experience.”
“Black Bird has a distinctly creepy fairytale feel about it, with a dark story and the kind of retro explosions that will appeal to any lifelong gamer.”
“Black Bird is one of those rare games that come along and just completely surprises you in every way. It's fun, completely bonkers in a good way, has a quirky musical score, great design, and is only let down in my view by the slightly high price being asked for. If you can stomach that then give some support to Onion games because this is worthy of being in any Shoot 'em up fans collection.”
“Black Bird is a wonderful, sad, strange, funny, cute and bizarre shooter that can't quite make its gameplay match the quality of everything else.”
“Black Bird is a unique little shooter that only gets better as you play it more and uncover its secrets. Its vintage-style art direction is charmingly melancholy, and its strange soundtrack only adds an extra layer of quirkiness to proceedings. It's very much a score challenge game, though, meaning players expecting a wealth of things to see and do may be left feeling underwhelmed by its meagre four stages - especially when you consider the rather high price tag. This is very much a case of quality over quantity, and as long as you're up for repeat playthroughs, you're in for a wonderfully biz”
“I wish there was more to it, or at the very least that it was a little more forgiving. The style of Black Bird is masterful as the mixture of the peculiar soundtrack, dour pixel art, and elegantly simple gameplay makes for a fun yet fleeting experience. It's just over too soon for everyone except shoot-'em-up savants.”
“Aside from its distinct graphics and hilarious music, Black Bird is basically a copy of Sega's classic shooter Fantasy Zone.”
“Black Bird's irreverent take on shoot-'em-up is fun while it lasts, but there's not enough content to sustain repeat playthroughs.”
Reviews are the work of the outlets named. Titles, scores and quoted excerpts are reproduced for identification and criticism; each links to the original.