Played this game with my ex
Loved the folklore background this was built upon
The song at the end made me feel things
Loved the folklore background this was built upon
The song at the end made me feel things
i love small puzzle games so pair that with swedish folklore and youve got a video game staple for me
A different, short adventure game with some depth dug into an obscure, Swedish mythology. You set out on your first Year Walk, which the purpose is to gain a vision into the future. You interact mostly with mythological creatures and have to solve certain puzzles to reach your goal. Although you are provided with an encyclopedia to get an insight into Year Walk, as well as the creatures involved to help you along, the adventure is riddled with some harrowing experiences due to the unpredictable natures for the players getting into this for the first time.
Having played through this, I admit having this game haunting in my subconscious while I slept and although I'm no big fan of horror games, this game has a fascinating lore in its fragile state of existence, based on the research data compiled by a Swedish teacher (and his journal which becomes increasingly unsettling upon reading it). Recommended for thinking players but also for fans of mystery/mythology who might need a bit of walkthrough on this.
Having played through this, I admit having this game haunting in my subconscious while I slept and although I'm no big fan of horror games, this game has a fascinating lore in its fragile state of existence, based on the research data compiled by a Swedish teacher (and his journal which becomes increasingly unsettling upon reading it). Recommended for thinking players but also for fans of mystery/mythology who might need a bit of walkthrough on this.
O_O
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked. A rather strange game, Year Walk is a horror-themed first-person adventure game with fairly light puzzles, based around Nordic folklore. The game's excellent when it comes to creating an appropriately creepy atmosphere, through its graphics, sound and the various encounters that you'll proceed through, but I didn't particularly enjoy the gameplay, with the puzzles often not conveyed particularly clearly. I can see how this would appeal quite strongly to some, especially horror fans, but not really a game for me.
Love the atmosphere and art of this game. The actual gameplay wasn't really my favorite. Felt like a lot of just tapping stuff until something happened. Simogo really had a stranglehold on "good" mobile games for a minute.
It's a very spooky and evocative game with a lot of polish, but it just didnn't grab me. While I love the production values, I just couldn't get really into scrolling around the world and solving little puzzles.
Gave me Marble Hornets vibes in the very end.
Only got got by one of the jump scares.
In contrast to some other reviews, I think the post-game is a huge improvement on the game itself. The world-building and lore is what kept me clicking and learning more.
Only got got by one of the jump scares.
In contrast to some other reviews, I think the post-game is a huge improvement on the game itself. The world-building and lore is what kept me clicking and learning more.
I played this on release, complete with the companion app, saw it all, full completion. I would be surprised if it aged very well, but it was incredibly impressive at the time, and struck a great blend of horror (despite its platform of tiny iPhone 3 screens) and point and click puzzles. It stuck with me for years after finishing it, I told a lot of people to check it out. Worth your time.
There is a German word that has always intrigued me: "Waldeinsamkeit," which roughly translates to "the feeling of solitude experienced in a forest." Even though Year Walk is Swedish and not German, I think this concept suits it perfectly. Unfortunately, being more of a mountain person at heart, I struggled to appreciate getting lost in this charming setting. The iPad version (to my knowledge?) lacks a map system, making the game more cumbersome.
Beyond that, the game falls into that precious category for me, which is "folkloric horror," alongside Mundaun, another game dear to my heart. The puzzles here are really well-crafted and balanced, although I found the final part slightly less interesting. It's worth noting that the game has a "good/bad ending" system that I find a bit ridiculous (was it really necessary, honestly?).
Lots of charm but underexploited.
Beyond that, the game falls into that precious category for me, which is "folkloric horror," alongside Mundaun, another game dear to my heart. The puzzles here are really well-crafted and balanced, although I found the final part slightly less interesting. It's worth noting that the game has a "good/bad ending" system that I find a bit ridiculous (was it really necessary, honestly?).
Lots of charm but underexploited.
Evocative, creepy, somber game with a great sense of presentation and format (essential qualities if you want to make more than just a "good" 2D game) Cute postgame segment as well.
This review contains spoilers
It's got a lot of interesting folklore and it looks very nice with the use of parallax scrolling and that limited color pallete, but the game doesn't have faith in its own puzzles and has a hint system that doesn't cost anything because of how obtuse some of the solutions are (there's an arbitrary fourth wall break regarding something physical that shows up in the in-game encyclopedia for example. I don't understand how that thematically ties into the fact that what appears there was victim of infanticide). There's not any depht in it, the folkloric aspect ends up feeling like a touristic presentation, and the horror sometimes uses jumpscares at random...
Or that is what the game wants to you think. Oddly, once you finish its very ethereal plot-twist ending where your girlfriend appears dead apparently by you, it gives you clues for an alternate option which involves finding a way to log into a computer and you find out that instead of someone searching for the folklore you were actually playing as someone in the past that is warned by someone in our present to commit suicide so as to not have a psychotic breakdown later, and all the details of the protagonist's story are revealed to the player. I don't know how the protagonist being from the 1800s knew how to use the computer but ok.
It's a bit weird to rate. On the one hand, it averts the time travelling cliché of the protagonist getting what he wants with no consequence since it involves his own sacrifice, which is a bit hard to come by in these types of story
However, on the other hand it locks the interesting details of the main character's psyche and his current situation after you complete the story, which means you are normally just playing a regular point and click adventure only focused on gameplay and atmosphere (which can be quite botched as I mentioned above) and then dumps everything on you from the point of view of someone you never meet and with elements you didn't investigate by yourself. It would be like if in the PS2 horror game "Siren" you could only access the archives that explains the story after you reach the fake ending and if it wasn't you in organic contact with the environment that allowed you to gather the clues but some random hundreds of notes that show up from nowhere.
There is a game for DOS called "Bioforge" that did something similar to this, where you find an "encyclopedia" in a computer to understand the environment and who lets you know all the details of who you are at the end since you have amnesia. But in there you have to do moral choices which are interestingly what you end up comparing to your real backstory and makes you actually feel like you became a changed man, so it ties into the themes of fighting against the remnants of a religious organization. Here in Year Walk you are interacting with spirits and all of a sudden it turns out you will be a murderer.
It's a very strange and unnatural structural decision which would have made me drop the title by lack of interest if it wasn't because I was playing it by the recommendation of a friend. Thanks Felipe by the way, it was an interesting experience even if I am not too convinced by the whole work
Or that is what the game wants to you think. Oddly, once you finish its very ethereal plot-twist ending where your girlfriend appears dead apparently by you, it gives you clues for an alternate option which involves finding a way to log into a computer and you find out that instead of someone searching for the folklore you were actually playing as someone in the past that is warned by someone in our present to commit suicide so as to not have a psychotic breakdown later, and all the details of the protagonist's story are revealed to the player. I don't know how the protagonist being from the 1800s knew how to use the computer but ok.
It's a bit weird to rate. On the one hand, it averts the time travelling cliché of the protagonist getting what he wants with no consequence since it involves his own sacrifice, which is a bit hard to come by in these types of story
However, on the other hand it locks the interesting details of the main character's psyche and his current situation after you complete the story, which means you are normally just playing a regular point and click adventure only focused on gameplay and atmosphere (which can be quite botched as I mentioned above) and then dumps everything on you from the point of view of someone you never meet and with elements you didn't investigate by yourself. It would be like if in the PS2 horror game "Siren" you could only access the archives that explains the story after you reach the fake ending and if it wasn't you in organic contact with the environment that allowed you to gather the clues but some random hundreds of notes that show up from nowhere.
There is a game for DOS called "Bioforge" that did something similar to this, where you find an "encyclopedia" in a computer to understand the environment and who lets you know all the details of who you are at the end since you have amnesia. But in there you have to do moral choices which are interestingly what you end up comparing to your real backstory and makes you actually feel like you became a changed man, so it ties into the themes of fighting against the remnants of a religious organization. Here in Year Walk you are interacting with spirits and all of a sudden it turns out you will be a murderer.
It's a very strange and unnatural structural decision which would have made me drop the title by lack of interest if it wasn't because I was playing it by the recommendation of a friend. Thanks Felipe by the way, it was an interesting experience even if I am not too convinced by the whole work
Não gostei, mas não é ruim.
O jogo é curto, pouco mais de uma hora. Segundo algumas coisas que li tem fator replay, pois a história continua na segunda jogatina, mas eu não tive vontade de jogar tudo de novo. O game traz um visual muito original, uma arte linda! E é totalmente focado em puzzles. Não são coisas absurdamente difíceis e nem muito fáceis — foi o que me fez continuar querendo jogar, pois era divertido quebrar a cabeça. A história é um pouco vaga, mas tem muito sobre a cultura local do país que o jogo foi feito. O jogo é baseado em uma antiga tradição sueca chamada "Årsgång", tem até um glossário cheio de textos sobre os mitos, monstros, cultura, lendas sobre essa tradição. Parece bacana, mas não me interessei o suficiente para ler.
É um jogo de aventura/terror. Tenta te dar uns jumpscares, mas não rolou comigo. A ambientação é bonita, tem certa imersão e vale a pena dar uma conferida se gosta de jogos indies com uma pegada de horror trazendo narrativas misteriosas/confusas. Eu falei sobre a arte, né? Pois, é. Fiquei encantando.
As conquistas parecem estar quebradas, ao menos eu não consegui desbloquear nenhuma.
O jogo é curto, pouco mais de uma hora. Segundo algumas coisas que li tem fator replay, pois a história continua na segunda jogatina, mas eu não tive vontade de jogar tudo de novo. O game traz um visual muito original, uma arte linda! E é totalmente focado em puzzles. Não são coisas absurdamente difíceis e nem muito fáceis — foi o que me fez continuar querendo jogar, pois era divertido quebrar a cabeça. A história é um pouco vaga, mas tem muito sobre a cultura local do país que o jogo foi feito. O jogo é baseado em uma antiga tradição sueca chamada "Årsgång", tem até um glossário cheio de textos sobre os mitos, monstros, cultura, lendas sobre essa tradição. Parece bacana, mas não me interessei o suficiente para ler.
É um jogo de aventura/terror. Tenta te dar uns jumpscares, mas não rolou comigo. A ambientação é bonita, tem certa imersão e vale a pena dar uma conferida se gosta de jogos indies com uma pegada de horror trazendo narrativas misteriosas/confusas. Eu falei sobre a arte, né? Pois, é. Fiquei encantando.
As conquistas parecem estar quebradas, ao menos eu não consegui desbloquear nenhuma.
An immersive experience that transcends the typical gaming boundaries.
Before I get into my review of Year Walk, as a disclaimer, there are no specific spoilers in my review. I think it’s important that everyone experiences this game with fresh eyes so that they can truly appreciate it. However, the only guaranteed way that I can promise nothing below spoils anything is to advise that you play the game first, and then read my review.
Year Walk, both mysterious and enlightening, allowed me to encounter a wide array of emotions that many games fail to do: excitement, fear, intrigue, sadness, hope, satisfaction, and understanding. And all packed into a short, yet complex and thought-provoking, iPhone game. In many ways I have trouble classifying this as just a video game, but rather think of it as a combination of game, exploration, and mystery. The interactive experience transcends the usual boundaries of typical games, with the true ending only coming to light once the player has fully dissected all of the rich layers that encompass this poetic story of self-discovery, love, and sacrifice.
As with any stellar game, book, or movie, Year Walk left a lingering impression in my mind, like a stamp composed of the cocktail of sensations I had felt. My thoughts remain curiously fixated on the characters, creatures, and settings, with a desire to know more, but a satisfaction with what I had learned and revealed.
Before I get into my review of Year Walk, as a disclaimer, there are no specific spoilers in my review. I think it’s important that everyone experiences this game with fresh eyes so that they can truly appreciate it. However, the only guaranteed way that I can promise nothing below spoils anything is to advise that you play the game first, and then read my review.
Year Walk, both mysterious and enlightening, allowed me to encounter a wide array of emotions that many games fail to do: excitement, fear, intrigue, sadness, hope, satisfaction, and understanding. And all packed into a short, yet complex and thought-provoking, iPhone game. In many ways I have trouble classifying this as just a video game, but rather think of it as a combination of game, exploration, and mystery. The interactive experience transcends the usual boundaries of typical games, with the true ending only coming to light once the player has fully dissected all of the rich layers that encompass this poetic story of self-discovery, love, and sacrifice.
As with any stellar game, book, or movie, Year Walk left a lingering impression in my mind, like a stamp composed of the cocktail of sensations I had felt. My thoughts remain curiously fixated on the characters, creatures, and settings, with a desire to know more, but a satisfaction with what I had learned and revealed.
The early 2010s saw a slew of indie games developed for mobile devices that tried to explore new avenues of interactive storytelling - like Superbrothers, Monument Valley, Reigns, and Year Walk.
At the time, I think these titles garnered a little more praise than they would have in a different context. Mobile gaming had given us toys like Angry Birds, but these new works felt like capital A "Art" on a device you carried with you everywhere.
What I'm trying to get at is this: I can see why people loved Year Walk when it came out. For a 2013 iOS game, it is creative and bold. But on its own merits, removed from context? It's just okay.
At the time, I think these titles garnered a little more praise than they would have in a different context. Mobile gaming had given us toys like Angry Birds, but these new works felt like capital A "Art" on a device you carried with you everywhere.
What I'm trying to get at is this: I can see why people loved Year Walk when it came out. For a 2013 iOS game, it is creative and bold. But on its own merits, removed from context? It's just okay.
This thing is creepy, twisted and surreal.
It manages to create a great atmosphere with very simple graphics.
It manages to create a great atmosphere with very simple graphics.
Pretty scary, pretty short, pretty good. If you like horror games, give this a shot.
Only real complaint is that everything that happens after the first credits honestly just makes the game worse.
Only real complaint is that everything that happens after the first credits honestly just makes the game worse.
It was ok. Had some worthwhile original ideas. But I’m not sure I could recommend it.