Otus and His Gunners: How Carrying Friends Works in Owlboy

Who Is Otus, and How Do the Gunners Work?

Otus is the mute owl hero of Owlboy, the story-driven platform adventure from D-Pad Studio, and the gunners are the friends he recruits to fight for him. The official Steam store page puts it simply: "Carry anything. Recruit Otus's friends as gunners to fight for you, each with unique abilities and stories." Otus does the flying; the friends he recruits do the fighting.

Otus: A Mute Owl Trying to Live Up to Owl-Hood

According to the store page, Otus is mute and "struggles living up to the expectations of owl-hood," a personal problem that spirals "from bad to worse with the sudden appearance of sky pirates." The game is officially described as a mix of flight and platforming, set in a world in the clouds that Otus can freely explore.

The store page does not spell out Otus's own combat options in detail. According to All The Tropes, Otus cannot use weapons himself, which is precisely why recruiting armed companions matters so much.

How the Gunner Companions Work

• You recruit them. The store page says to "Recruit Otus's friends as gunners to fight for you."
• They fight for you. The store page frames the gunners as the answer to "obstacles and greater enemies."
• Each one is different. The official description promises "unique abilities and stories" per gunner, so swapping companions changes how you play.
• They are framed as friends. The store page calls them Otus's friends, each with their own abilities and stories.

Geddy and Alphonse are named in D-Pad Studio's anniversary update post, which describes dropping them on enemies' heads to stun them. That post does not explicitly label either of them as a gunner, and the store page does not state a total number of gunners, so any full roster count should be treated as unofficial.

The Anniversary Update Changed How Gunners Handle

D-Pad Studio's anniversary update announcement added several options that directly affect gunner play:

• Drop Gunner On Dodge is now a toggle in the Options Menu. The announcement describes it as useful "for when you want some extra mobility in combat or platforming," meaning you trade keeping your gunner for extra movement.
• Head-drop stuns. The announcement says "Various enemies can now be stunned by dropping Geddy or Alphonse on their heads."
• Super Dash. The announcement describes it as holding the "Roll" button "for an addtional boost in your current direction when rolling."
• Throw direction. The announcement states that pickups are now thrown in the direction Otus is flying when the Throw button is pressed.
• Accessibility toggles. Auto-aim, screenshake, and flash effects can each be switched on or off in the Options Menu.

The same update also added cutscene skipping and fast-forwarding, plus Z, X, and C key bindings for Throw, Shoot, and Spin Attack.

What Is Not Officially Documented

Some details fans often ask about are simply not covered by the store page or the announcements. These include the exact number of gunners in the full game, the specific stats or damage values of each gunner's attack, and whether companions can be swapped freely at any moment. Those points would need to come from playtesting or other sources rather than official statements.