At first, it seems like just another day at the beach for just another seagull. Then you open your tiny yellow beak and sing the song of fire, the one that will burn the world.
No one will be spared your fury: not the people running for their lives, not the cars exploding into fireballs, not the pretty little beach umbrellas and lawn furniture obliterated by your flames.
Everything has to burn.
Also, maybe you will ride a bike, inspiring the fear of men—and the cold envy of your fellow birds.
Such is your will and your whim in Meeuw—which Google tells me is Dutch for seagull—the latest amusement from experimental game developer Tom van den Boogaart. Originally created for the Ludum Dare 33 game jam, whose theme was "you are the monster," Meeuw is free to download for Windows and Mac users.
Aside from burning things and bike riding, the only other thing I can figure out how to do is collect a series of inanimate carbon rods scattered around the beach. Each time you touch one it makes a musical sound and disappears, though I'm not sure what, if anything, that means. Although I attempted to collect them all I can't be sure that I actually did or if some other seagull achievement remains unlocked.
The directions also mention that the game uses the arrow keys, Z, X, C and "maybe more," so who knows what other secrets might lie beneath the sand.
