I have a fond spot in my heart for the Crash Bandicoot platform/running games from my PlayStation days. That fondness probably affects my feelings for the new Ostrich Island for the Mac, which is available for $4.99 at Stream.
It’s a running/search adventure in which you’re an ostrich who failed to evacuate the archipelago on which he lives as the other residents did because he had his head in the sand. Your goal is to help him escape and rejoin his family.
Naturally, to do this you have to overcome multiple obstacles as you roam about some gorgeous islands. You’ll dash and kick your way through environments such as tropical paradises, a dark underground chamber, and even underwater. You can play solo or with a friend. Both the single and multiplayer versions offer plenty of “old school” gaming fun.
As you venture through the various environments, you (hopefully) gain experience points and receive new skills. You can “level up” and gain new abilities that you can use at your own leisure. There are two different difficulty modes. The game also sports a mode where water constantly rises, making survival more difficult.
Ostrich Island is easy to learn, but hard to master. It’s a family friendly adventure with gorgeous graphics (that, by the way, look great on an iMac with 5K Retina display).
My one gripe with Ostrich Island is that, as far as I can tell, there’s no easy way to use a gamepad with it. That would have truly enhanced the “arcade” feel of this entertaining platformer.
