In about 16 minutes of hands-on time with Bad Magpie, I torched flowers, added much more chaos to the mess humans left behind with a sonic bird call, and thoroughly disgruntled some innocent mice. Bad Magpie is immediately charming, and from what I played, has great puzzles to go along with its chaos.
Bad Magpie follows a magpie that is been left behind by her flock after an injury leaves it unable to fly. The magpie comes across an attractive fallen star that also has a love for shiny trinkets. Alone and searching for company, the magpie decides to gather trinkets for the star to try to win it over. Within the demo, I used to be tasked with getting a red badge for the star. After I got here across it in a dark school playground, it was swiftly scooped up by what looked like a dragon within the sand. It wanted 20 shiny things (glass-like crystals) in exchange for the badge. Thus, my short adventure began.
Shiny things are in every single place. Some sit on the walkway, others are hidden in trees or in a spot that made me ask “how do I get there?” The space I played in Bad Magpie was loaded with these sorts of puzzles. Even in the primary couple of minutes, I used to be teased with a shiny thing on top of a automotive hood that did not quite have direct access. Pecking the automotive’s windows didn’t work, nor did hitting it with a stick. Bad Magpie encourages chaos – which is sensible with the sport’s title. The answer to this quick puzzle was to peck a tree to get a stick, then light it on fire with a close-by rock. Finally, char the automotive door’s window with the flame. Once it cracked as a consequence of the fireplace’s heat, a possibility opened for me to peck my way through and collect my reward.
Actions because the magpie are limited; you’ll be able to squawk, peck, jump, and move quickly. The dev team at Milktooth manages to do quite a bit with those few inputs through the use of item and motion mixtures, just like the aforementioned lighting sticks on fire to open pathways. I saw far more of this once I made it to the abandoned school playground, which serves because the demo’s actual playground. Here, I discovered fireworks, soda cans, fruit, a maraca, and many other items to interact with. I feel like I only found a small combination of interactions, too.
Crucial item in the realm was a megaphone. With it equipped, the magpie’s cry went from cute to supersonic. I used it to interrupt glass and other obstacles to search out much more shiny things… and irritate mice, after all. It isn’t clear why yet, nevertheless it looks as if humans aren’t around, or no less than have not been within the schoolyard for a bit. As an alternative, mice and other creatures just like the long dragon function magpie’s company and targets for mischief.
Ultimately it looks as if you could possibly do the bare minimum collecting to progress in the total game each time it’s out, but I frankly, didn’t need to put the controller down even after I hit the 20 required shiny things. Ten more still lingered within the demo. A lot of the reward of Bad Magpie comes from experiencing the small scenes that played out in consequence of meddling. A lot of the shinies within the schoolyard were hidden in items, which were hinted at by sparkling around a goal. This included boxes, trees, bottles, and even a sand castle three mice were constructing. My favorite response got here from disrupting two mice smooching on the ledge of a boarded up window. Unfortunately for them, a shiny thing hung above them. I set off a close-by alarm to cause them to leap out of their romantic moment, which caused the shiny thing to fall. They turned red in anger, the the guts bubble that floated above them broke. Sorry guys, it couldn’t be helped!
Bad Magpie can also be just beautiful. The style Milktooth selected has an exquisite texture and I like that though it’s cute, there is a moodiness to it. The sound design complements the style too. The magpie’s claws make a satisfying pitter patter because it hops along the bottom, and the pecking sound changes depending in your goal.
I noticed my peers had mostly left and took it as an indication for me to stop at having collected 27 out of a possible 30 shiny crystals within the demo. Missing those final few will haunt me until I can begin my collection once more each time Bad Magpie is out.
Miranda Sanchez is the manager editor of guides at IGN and a member of Unlocked. She’s an enormous fan of stationery, reading, and knitting. You may sometimes find her on Bluesky and Instagram.