Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.A bird devoured by a green cloud while skulking around a diorama of a confectioner’s shop; a silhouette of a coyote delivering a subconscious communiqué; a pastel-hued tram blazing through the night sky. These are the opening moments of 30 Birds — a whirlwind of colour and whimsy distilled into an adventure narrative by Belgian developers Ram Ram Games and Business Goose.You play Zig, a private investigator contacted by an informant with rumours concerning a dangerous criminal you’ve been tracking. You hop on the tram to meet them in Lantern City at the time of The Awakening, a musical festival where the goddess and sorceress Simurgh is set to return from her sleep. She was the one who drew lanterns on to the sky above the city before disappearing into a 50-year dream.But something goes wrong with Simurgh’s return, and it’s up to you to find the titular 30 birds who can save her. Which means scouring Lantern City for an eccentric cast of toucans, pigeons, crows and all manner of other winged creatures who you’ll slowly collate in your contacts book.Lantern City itself is a mishmash of Persian street scene, Japanese kamishibai theatre, densely drawn diorama and Technicolor fever dream, all rendered in a lush 2D collage. Each area is a vast lantern, its occupants a charming crowd of humans, birds and oversized talking aubergines. Every scene is a work of art, brought to life by soft lighting and gentle animations — tufts of pipe smoke, rugs flapping in the breeze, the fleeting notes of the city’s many musicians.Much of the challenge of 30 Birds is simply navigating the lanterns: approach the edge of one side and you’ll move on to its next face, creating a map where only a quarter is visible at any one time. Each contains a warren of hidden paths and nooks that make the world feel much larger than it actually is.The rather motley gameplay consists partly of puzzles and partly of dialogue-driven activities — giving advice to callers on a dating-themed radio show, for example. There’s also the occasional musical minigame, courtesy of a soundtrack that can best be described as ethereal dub or cosmic ska — a collision of shimmering synths and big basslines undermined only by some slightly generic background sound effects. Generic should have no place in a game so oddball and off the wall — one where the magic carpet is the default mode of transport, where the gangsters are fashionistas, and where coins are flattened out with rolling pins and slotted into disc drives for data storage.30 Birds is a game carried by its world as much as by your role in it. Zig, though lively, curious and sympathetic, is never quite given enough personality to propel the plot in the way that the birds do. The various dialogue options are all cleverly composed and help create a sense of agency, but also dilute Zig’s identity. As a kind of interactive picture book, however — one brimming with imagination and constantly seeking to surprise — 30 Birds is page-perfect.★★★★☆Available now on PC and Nintendo Switch
