Thank you Applava for sending us this game to review!

Applava has been making mobile games for several years and Blazing Beaks is their first PC and Switch entry. Although I haven’t played their previous titles, I am enjoying this fowl based one. Upon launching Blazing Beaks you’ll be prompted to choose between the Story and Tournament modes. There is also a log option which will show you the stats for all of your previous attempts. Information about the artifacts, bosses, and enemies encountered are also recorded for your convenience.

The Tournament mode has all of the different game modes available for local and co-op play. There’s Deathmatch (last beak standing, wins), One Gun (each player is given one random gun), Drop hearts (players drop hearts when hurt and others can collect them), Skull Keeper (A player must find and hold onto the skull for the longest time to win, other players will gradually lose hp), and Hunting (Each player is equipped with a spear that has to be reclaimed after throwing it). A random mode is also available to keep the gameplay a surprise.

Co-op is also possible in the story mode. The default/Normal mode has randomly generated levels available to play in three difficulties (Easy, Normal, Hard). The Seeded mode lets you play the same levels over and over again, but most of the unlockables are not available. If you’re online, you can partake in the daily challenge to see who can get the furthest on the same seed with only one try/life.

To keep with the title’s theme, each of the characters has a beak and different starting abilities. In the beginning you have five characters with others that can be unlocked as you progress in the Story mode. The characters have between 2 and 5 health points to start with but that can be increased during the game. The starting weapons vary as well and include pistols, snowball cannons, laser guns, and more.

Once a character is chosen, they will be deployed and will have to eliminate all of the enemies on a level before the exit unlocks to advance to the next one. Some enemies will drop hearts to replenish health, or gold coins to upgrade weapons at the store. The relic system is what sets Blazing Beaks apart from other rogue-likes. Collected cursed items can be traded in at the store for beneficial ones. The hard part is surviving with the negative attributes until locating the store.

The store entrances are indicated by a lantern hanging out in front of them. The boss levels have a unique entrance as well. Some doors are locked and can only be unlocked if you have a key handy. Defeating bosses will usually leave behind keys and other valuable loot. Steam achievements are also earned for defeating them.

Bosses are not the only way to take damage in this game. There are spikes that come up from the ground along with enemies that are invisible until they are ready to attack. Some enemies explode or leave behind harmful pools of acid upon their demise. Your character is not the only one with the capability to shoot projectiles so you’ll need to watch out for incoming projectiles.

The retro visuals make this game small and run really well on machines with onboard graphics chips. The pixel art is cute and each area and enemy is unique and adequately detailed.

Although it’s not super memorable, there is a soundtrack available on Steam for $4.99. There is a game + soundtrack bundle available too. The quacks and squawking sound effects are fitting and cute.

I’ve played this game with a keyboard/mouse and with a controller. I highly recommend the latter.

If you enjoy bird-like creatures and platypuses, I highly recommend checking Blazing Beaks out. The gameplay is fresh and fun and makes you want to try again “one more time”. It’s a great game to play with family and friends, but there’s plenty to do by yourself as well.