Swordbird Song
Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension

Indie dev Felipe Reinicke has just released the finished version of his GB Studio project Swordbird Song: The Iron Owl Tower, and it's giving us all kinds of Zelda: Link's Awakening vibes.

Playable in your browser or on a proper Game Boy system using a flash cart, Swordbird Song clearly uses Link's Awakening as its inspiration. It's a short, compact action RPG which doesn't outstay its welcome, and manages to really nail that Zelda feeling, despite its development team essentially being a single person.

The controls will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played the Game Boy Zelda game previously and involves entering the lair of the 'Iron Owls' to defeat the tyrannical Owl King, who has enslaved the island.

Reinicke has been working on the game for a while and is now confident it's ready for full distribution. You can download a copy here for free, but Reinicke is happy to accept donations if you feel generous.

[source freinicke.itch.io]