The rhythm of nature is in danger! You are Áilu, a young Sámi whose ordinary reindeer herding day turns into an adventure. Learn the old ways of the Noaidis, Sámi Healers. Harness the powers of the Noaidi Drum and the Familiar Spirits to fight against a disorder spreading across the land!
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there is so little sámi representation in overall media so seeing this game hit the steam library was so cool. fun to explore and run around in the beautiful nature and hear the north sámi voice acting, would recommend.
Skabma - Snowfall is a platformer/exploration game with some light puzzling, collectables to collect, and a wonderful atmosphere that gives a great portrayal of Sámi culture. You play as Áilu, a young Sami reindeer herder on the journey to understand and prevent what's going wrong with nature. The game is beautiful, relaxing, and with a comfortable soundscape. The gameplay is relatively simple but also frustrating at times due to some platforming and control jank.
Graphics: 5/5
The graphics are beautiful. The game plays with its lighting well, switching between the soft ambience of aurora borealis, intense sunshine through the treetops, and gloomy caves adorned in glowing runes. The nature starts out beautiful and serene, and constantly shifts as the game progresses even when revisiting old areas of the game. The character outfits and environmental setpieces are also authentic and well designed!
Gameplay: 3/5
The gameplay is relatively simple but also the games weak point. A mix of walking simulator and platforming. Sadly, the platforming alternates between simple and annoying. Sometimes it's unclear if you're supposed to be able to make jumps. I also experienced a fair amount of frustration from the shared buttons for using abilities on yourself and environment objects. Sometimes you try dashing across a bit only for the skill to get auto-targeted on a random nearby object, causing you to fall to your own untimely death...
However, the game comes with some super welcome QoL features, like indications for new dialog, a beautiful map with points of interest marked down, and a super comprehensive replay system for going back and grabbing missed collectables!
Story: 4/5
The story is straightforward and relatively simple, but it fits the game well. Sámi stories are integrated but also revised to make for a compelling game rather than a historical document. The game also hides a fair amount of intriguing side stories behind some of the optional collectables, providing more content for one so inclined!
Characters: 5/5
The characters are great! Faces are surprisingly expressive and coupled with awesome voice acting, making cutscenes and dialogue feel impactful and emotional. The little chitchat dialogue the game provides is great too. This is the kind of game where I enjoy just walking around hearing what the characters babble about. Heck, even the trees are worth talking to!
Sound and music: 4/5
The music is awesome. Traditional Sámi music and joik is integrated well. The sound effects are also great. Oh and did I mention the whole game is voiced in Northern Sámi? Yes please!
Graphics: 5/5
The graphics are beautiful. The game plays with its lighting well, switching between the soft ambience of aurora borealis, intense sunshine through the treetops, and gloomy caves adorned in glowing runes. The nature starts out beautiful and serene, and constantly shifts as the game progresses even when revisiting old areas of the game. The character outfits and environmental setpieces are also authentic and well designed!
Gameplay: 3/5
The gameplay is relatively simple but also the games weak point. A mix of walking simulator and platforming. Sadly, the platforming alternates between simple and annoying. Sometimes it's unclear if you're supposed to be able to make jumps. I also experienced a fair amount of frustration from the shared buttons for using abilities on yourself and environment objects. Sometimes you try dashing across a bit only for the skill to get auto-targeted on a random nearby object, causing you to fall to your own untimely death...
However, the game comes with some super welcome QoL features, like indications for new dialog, a beautiful map with points of interest marked down, and a super comprehensive replay system for going back and grabbing missed collectables!
Story: 4/5
The story is straightforward and relatively simple, but it fits the game well. Sámi stories are integrated but also revised to make for a compelling game rather than a historical document. The game also hides a fair amount of intriguing side stories behind some of the optional collectables, providing more content for one so inclined!
Characters: 5/5
The characters are great! Faces are surprisingly expressive and coupled with awesome voice acting, making cutscenes and dialogue feel impactful and emotional. The little chitchat dialogue the game provides is great too. This is the kind of game where I enjoy just walking around hearing what the characters babble about. Heck, even the trees are worth talking to!
Sound and music: 4/5
The music is awesome. Traditional Sámi music and joik is integrated well. The sound effects are also great. Oh and did I mention the whole game is voiced in Northern Sámi? Yes please!