On the eve of her prophesied awakening, Simurgh, the goddess of Lantern City, has been kidnapped by The Scientist, and it falls to you—a young girl named Zig who spends a lot of time on her phone—to figure out what's going on. That's the beginning of the story in 30 Birds, a gorgeous and unexpectedly funny exploration-adventure that's out today on Steam.
30 Birds initially caught my eye with its Persian-inspired art style and unusual mix of 2D and 3D visuals: Lantern City is literally a collection of giant lanterns floating in the cosmos, with gameplay unfolding across the surfaces of each. What held my interest, though, is its light, breezy, wonderfully funny writing and low-pressure gameplay. At first glance I expected something relatively serious and sombre, as befits an indie art game, but it's really more like, well, this:
