The Bird Of A Thousand Voices is a simple, free and striking platformer weaving Armenian folk legends and fairy tales

Part of transmedia project including an album and stage show

Image credit: Koren Matevosyan

Rather sheepishly, I must admit that my own experience with Armenian art begins and ends with System Of A Down. Cheers then, The Bird Of A Thousand Voices, for showing up in my inbox and giving me a second reference point next to Sugar. This one’s a simple though very striking platformer, inspired by folk legends and scored by composer Tigran Hamasyan. It’s part of a multimedia project based Armenian folk tale Hazaran Blbul (Firebird). It’s completely free, and you can find it here.

Tigran Hamasyan – The Bird of a Thousand Voices (Game Teaser)

Watch on YouTube
According to the creators, the game lets you “play as Prince Areg through mystical realms to awaken a celestial bird and restore harmony, blending ancient myth with enchanting music by Tigran Hamasyan, stunning visuals by illustrator Khoren Matevosyan and director Ruben Van Leer.”

“It was a huge task to create a style that would work across vinyl, books, and computer games,” says artist Koren Matevosyan of the project. “The style we chose represents a time period where you can’t tell if it’s the future or the past. If you look closely, you can find electronic elements, suggesting a time when the future becomes the past.”

“The game reimagines an ancient Armenian legend seeking to preserve and share Armenia’s rich cultural heritage, which is at risk of being forgotten, with younger generations,” said the nice email that arrived in our inbox.

If you’re up for more recent free games afterward, 50/50 is about cutting things perfectly in half, and Portal To The Cosmobeat is a QWOP-ish rhythm game.