Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard is an old-school point-and-click adventure game created by German independent developer WatchDaToast. The game draws heavy inspiration from LucasArts and Sierra classics, and strives to emulate their charm for modern audiences.
The game is centered around Finn, a young roebuck who returns home to his peaceful hometown of Velehill. Unfortunately, not everything is well: animals are being kidnapped, strange creatures are lurking in the shadows, and the local population is in a panic. As Finn searches for his missing family, he begins to uncover an ancient mystery, one which might put the entire kingdom in danger...
Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard was released on December 23, 2022 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. It is currently available on Steam and on itch.io.
Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard provides examples of:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Invoked by Finn when he asks Gwen for information.Finn: Gwen, listen. Machines invade the land, animals have disappeared, my family has been taken somewhere, AND my clubmoss sandwich fell on its coated side today. So I would REALLY appreciate any little bit of information.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: The magpies really, really like shiny things. Showing one of the magpie guards a pearl will cause him to drop whatever he's doing and fly over to Finn, allowing him to get the announcer's horn.
- Badass Normal: Finn, against all odds by the perils that present him, manages to overcome them using whatever stuff he has at his disposal and wit.
- Bad Boss: Jerrick. This can be seen by his treatment of his loyal henchman Yorick. Jerrick is not above calling him a fool, and in Chapter 3, even throws Yorick down an ancient entrance to make sure it is safe to go inside. This is also the last time we see Yorick in the game.
- Beetle Maniac: The raccoon in the grotto is obsessed with catching the glowing beetles that live there, enough so that he's willing to stay there for days on end in hopes of catching them. He's determined to stay there even when a huge, metal beast erupts from the grotto floor.
- Cruelty by Feet: Jerrick makes a point to kick Finn while beating him up, nearly crushing his throat with his boot.
- Deliberately Painful Clothing: Finn can find a hedgehog costume in the pub, which has spikes that hurt when he puts them on. He needs to wear it to enter the wolves' territory without being kidnapped, though he'll happily discard it afterwards.
- The Drunken Sailor: Bolek the ferryman has an incredible hangover when Finn wakes him up, and passes out as soon as the two are finished talking. One of the game's puzzles involves figuring out a way to force him out of his house so he'll sail Finn and Gwen to Owlsgard.
- Fantastic Racism: Velehill's wolf population has been forcibly confined to the "wolf district", where they've been forced to remain for centuries by the nation's various kings. They're also the scapegoats for the latest string of disappearances and chaos. Most of the local townsfolk admit they've never actually met a wolf, but they still believe the nasty stories about them that they heard from their ancestors.
- Guide Dang It!: In order to progress in the early game, you need to pick up the footprint in front of Finn's family's house to collect some dirt from it, then offer it to Doggomir. Though the game makes it obvious you'll need to offer Doggomir something to follow the scent of, the footprint is a fairly obscure choice.
- Guile Hero: Finn solves all his problems through the use of items and using the environment around him to his advantage.
- Have a Nice Death: The game provides a unique grim-yet-humorous death message whenever Finn meets an untimely end, much like classic Sierra games.
- Honest John's Dealership: The ferret in town, who tries to sell Finn some (fairly useful) junk. He goes as far as to try to sell Finn a tissue when he mentions his family's missing.
- Lost Technology: The ancient robots dwelling deep beneath the soil. By the time the events of the game roll around, the local animals don't even know of their existence.
- Mole Miner: The moles were the previous owners of the Mole Mines, though they abandoned it sometime prior to the game's events. One of the moles eventually provides Finn and Gwen with the means of crossing the ocean via an old boat the moles used to transport minerals from the mines.
- Moon Logic Puzzle: At one point, you need to widen a gap in some rocks so Gwen can squeeze through. Sadly, Finn can't just widen the gap with his shovel; instead, the player must catch a piranha in the swamps, use the piranha's sharp teeth to cut a drill off the flailing tendrils of a trapped robot, then drill a hole through the rocks. At least the cables in the mines provide a clue as to what you'll need.
- Notice This: Setting the game to "modern mode" causes certain obscure collectibles to noticeably sparkle, giving the player a more obvious cue that they should pick them up.
- Ominous Save Prompt: Whenever Finn enters an area where he's liable to die, a large floppy disk icon flashes on the screen with an appropriate sound cue, warning the player that they'd better save.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Gwen is much smaller than Finn, but she's extra-strong, enough so that she manages several physical feats Finn can't (like pushing a massive cauldron all by herself). She attributes this strength to fitness training and "protein shakes".
- Savage Wolves: The wolves of Velehill are rumored to be savage and deadly (with poor table manners, too!). While many of the stereotypes are untrue, centuries of isolation have made them very hostile to intruders.
- Single Malt Vision: The hung-over ferryman sees everything in double vision, initially making him believe that Finn and Gwen are two pairs of twins.
- Too Dumb to Live: Finn can be killed by the robot in the Mole Mines if he makes multiple attempts to approach it, after being given several dialogue prompts to back out of it.
- Trap Door: One of these is hidden under the carpet in the wolves' lair. It's a necessary part of the trap you need to set for Jerrick in order to safely grab the key.
- Token Good Teammate: Jarlena is this to the army of Wolves led by Jerrick.
- What the Hell, Player?: Exaggerated; Finn gives a whopping rant aimed at the player by proxy of Bolek if they decide to turn into the fog after just reaching the Isle of Misty Towers.
- World of Funny Animals: The kingdom of Velehill is entirely populated by a variety of anthropomorphic animals. They come in a variety of shapes: while most mammals are bipedal and act mostly like humans, birds are much closer to their real-life counterparts, and sheep are still quadrupedal.
