Crow Story

It's a free platforming game that you can beat in (less than) an hour, so I can't speak too harshly of it. It's fine, but not great. There's no *juice* for one - sound and visual effects are minimal and low-impact, so the platforming lacks that responsive, precise feel that the puzzles are clearly geared toward. Music is repetitive, without any special high or low points, so it also feels flat and disconnected from gameplay. Story is practically nonexistent. The visuals are serviceable but bland. Rewarding skins for faster times is neat, but aside from perfectionism idk why you would replay it - I found a few places on my 1st run that I don't think I was intended to go, but there are no places to explore or secrets to find afaik.
I play few platformers, but the core traversal seems like it needs some work. The light "shadow" below you really helps orient yourself above platforms, and the circle on your back is an obvious indicator for your double jump, both of which help. Movement feels kinda slow and jumps kinda small, but the Dive is what kills it for me: First, it replaces your current momentum; if you're flung through the air at high speed and dive to get more distance, it actually *slows you down*. Cancelling vertical momentum with a dive is required(?) on one puzzle so it's clearly intentional, but it's never used again and feels counter-intuitive otherwise. Second, you're completely inactionable after diving - little air control, no jumping, and if you hit a wall you bonk your little bird head and can't do anything until you shake it off. Diving just does not feel good to do.
I still enjoyed some of Crow Story: It has just the right amount of challenge and doesn't overstay its welcome - it gets all the mileage it can out of a few simple mechanics and ends right when it should. Act 2 changes to night and uses more challenging remixes of the levels from Act 1, which is a cool idea both for gameplay, progression, and visuals. The platforming boss fight at the end is also pretty cool, and a neat way of solving a common gaming pitfall of bosses having completely different mechanics to the rest of the game.
Overall I recommend it as a free game, but I'd expect more out of a paid release.

For people who really, really love and really, really get technical mario platforming. The art is pleasant, the music is calming, the cutscenes are cool, and the level design.....will enrage you until you're forced to become a better platform player. Like, I think I might be a slightly better Mario 64 player after playing this game....even if I really didn't intend to be. I almost didn't beat the last half of the game because the level design really wants you to understand the physics of the game REALLY well.
For a quick (probably ~1 hour or less) free platforming game, it's pretty good. I can also tell this game was the stepping stone for the dev's next game, Pilfer.

I mean, it's alright...
It feels like the developer's first serious project. It does the bare minimum to get a positive review, and I'd call the gameplay good enough. Movement feels weirdly slippery, despite it being a precision platformer. But it's good enough. The level design is okay, I suppose. The graphics are actually pretty neat, I like the retro style, but this game just doesn't feel like it's for me.
IF ONLY THERE WAS A GAME MADE A FEW YEARS LATER BY THE SAME DEVELOPER THAT IMPROVED PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING.
Yeah, this game is decent, but you should go play Pilfer instead. 6/10

a fun little platformer that's a short experience with a great soundtrack.

Cute little 3d platformer that you can finish in an hour or so. Runs beautifully on steam deck.

A really nice 3D platformer. One of the best parts of the game has to be the soundtrack, which increases in complexity as you complete each level, which helps set excellent atmosphere. The actual platforming is really good, with some creative challenges to overcome.

More like Celeste than Super Mario Galaxy. Feels excellent and has surprising movement depth.