D-Pad Studios have announced a new XNA title for Xbox community games - Project: Owlboy.

The game, tentively called Owlboy, is about Otus who is under training by his mentor Asio. With his wing cape, you can explore the flying islands and the people that inhabit them. Otus can't talk, so he can only commuticate with his emotions. The game will feature freeroaming areas as well as several dungeons.

The main focus in the game is on the ability to fly and using it to progress. You'll be able to carry and use objects as you fly and most of the time, you'll bring with you a gunner. The gunners are people that agree to help you and will all provide different forms of firepower. To get new gunners, you'll have to use your expressions and talents to win them over. The better the gunner, the trickyer he\she\it is to win over.

It's got a very nice 16-bit 2D game style to it. It's certainly a style I can support. Go to their website and check out their other screenshots. It should be out sometime in '09.

Source: D-Pad Studios - Introducing Owlboy