- Discover iconic landmarks
- Shout at other birds
- Eat breadcrumbs
Some games are just a little out there, and Pigeon: A Love Story feels like one I would never have completely understood if it were pitched at me. I am not sure if I would even actually have thought of the concept. The game itself is simple, relaxing even at times. You play as a bird, flying through the sky. You can coo out at other birds that you pass, to see if they'd be your mate. And... that's about it.
There are a few different cities throughout the world to explore (though they do cost an additional in-app purchase per city), with London being the first. As you fly around, you'll see the city from a sky view, unlocking iconic monuments as you travel. The birds in the sky are black until you've coo'ed at them, turning them red. Sometimes, they reply, giving you soft to harsh rejections. You can also collect breadcrumbs that will increase the range of your coo.
I find something a little sad and a little reflective about Pigeon: A Love Story. As you get more and more rejections: 'I'm focusing on myself', 'That's inappropriate', '...no.', you do continue to fly around. The percentage of the map increases, the number of iconic places you've seen increases, and you are really getting a good run at being rejected - thousands of times.
It is almost like broadening the places you've been and what you've seen will lead to better results when it comes to finding a mate. Maybe. Maybe you should be doing something other than just shouting into the void in hopes someone finds that good enough to date. I am not personally sure if there is a deeper message to Pigeon: A Love Story, but with thousands of birds to shout at, when you find the one, I am sure it is satisfying.
Pigeon: A Love Story review - "Rejection Simulation 2026"
Pigeon: A Love Story is a cosy, simple game where you fly around and shout at birds. It's fun in a lot of ways, but it does become a little strange and repetitive.
Jupiter Hadley
Jupiter is a prolific indie game journalist with a focus on smaller indie gems. She covers thousands of game jams and indie games on her YouTube channel, letting every game have a moment in the spotlight. She runs indiegamejams.com, a calendar of all of the game jams going on in the world, and judges many jams and events. You can find her on Twitter as @Jupiter_Hadley