• Summary:

Year Walk is an atmospheric cryptic exploration and puzzle game with elements of horror, with a setting inspired by Scandinavian folklore.

I purchased this game but and I did not play it because I wasn’t sure about it, I originally dismissed it, but I was completely wrong. This truly is a unique puzzle/exploration game, with a setting like no other, with horror elements executed with masterful perfection, a satisfying story, brilliantly-designed puzzles like I’ve never seen. Most elements of this game are really unique, it is a game which has taken risks and chosen its own path completely in almost every respect. Though I think my favourite part was the Scandinavian folklore: first reading and learning about these haunting fairy tales and then, like an imaginative child, I close the book and wander the beautiful, eerie forest both dreading and hoping to see the manifestations of these unsettling beings.

It's very reasonably priced on Steam for $6. Some may say that’s too much for a 2 hour game, but I think the profound quality of the experience justifies it (quality over quantity). Plus there are many hours of replay content in NG+ with collectibles, achievements and secret areas/puzzles that becomes accessible.

I highly recommend this game, especially if you like great puzzles, classy sophisticated horror, immersive exploration and an interest in creepy Scandinavian folklore.

• Detailed Review:

Immediately as you begin playing Year Walk you’re stuck by an intensity that flows from the game. The developer has clearly put a lot of effort into creating this unique feeling, which is composed of haunting quiet sounds of the forest, a peculiar stillness, the lack of UI, and the dark, contrasting imagery which appears like a collage of bits of paper, cloth, wood and other textures, in addition to many beautifully hand drawn objects or characters. In the game you are exploring the woods in the dead of the night. The control system is unique to this game: you use WASD to travel between various points in the forest, and at each location you’re presented with a very long/wide panorama, allowing you to pan the view across the landscape. This is a snow-covered forest and it’s easy to get lost so thankfully you can also access a map. Much of the game involves simply exploring this forest, panning around and looking for objects of interest or clues, which can be further investigated by clicking with the mouse. It might sound like Myst or similar, but it couldn’t be more different; it almost feels closer to a dungeon crawler but with puzzles instead of enemies.

You can tell that so much thought, effort and detail has been poured into the art, atmosphere, music and sound design of this game and as such it’s a joy to simply explore the forest even when you’re not necessarily solving a puzzle or doing anything in particular. I often found myself getting lost and immersed, listening to the occasional lone birdsong, the quiet breeze and the crunch of my footsteps. Somehow it really draws you right into this mysterious, possibly ancient world of Scandinavian folklore. These old fairy tales, old rhymes and fables from the past are almost always a mixture of delight and the macabre. In my childhood I remember Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, they were sweet and joyful with an undercurrent of something more sinister. Similarly you explore this beautiful old forest and you’re out in nature but you can tell something is wrong, you can sense an approaching darkness when suddenly everything falls silent and you hear only your own breath and perhaps a twig snapping underfoot somewhere behind you. It’s what I really love about this game: nothing of the imagery is truly gory, bloody or horrific and there aren’t any jumpscares or particularly frightening beasts. And yet it scares the shit out of me more than most games in the way it gets under your skin: you become wary and spooked by the unseen foes, the hints and traces, the sense that you are being watched.

One of my favourite elements of this game is the in-game booklet/novella which is a must-read for players and provides a perfect primer for Scandinavian folklore, of which I knew almost nothing. It gives a short account of the setting, the concept of the “Year Walk” (the walk through the woods upon which you have embarked), and it gives a light summary of about six different specific folktales. The booklet is a short read but it really adds to the experience, you begin to grasp the imagery, the motifs, the characters and the significance of certain events. The booklet looks beautiful, like old well-worn paper with illustrations. The stories also help in solving some of the puzzles.

The puzzles themselves are nothing short of excellent. The difficulty curve is spot-on, starting off easy and gradually raising the bar. Not once do you encounter pixel-hunting or Moon logic, it’s all very intuitive if you allow yourself to stop and think, though I would highly recommend a pen and a notepad for one or two of the later puzzles for jotting down clues scattered around the forest. The puzzles themselves are very inventive. There aren’t any inventory puzzles, combining inventory items: there isn’t even an inventory. It feels more like riddles, cryptograms, old wooden puzzle boxes.. you interact with objects with the mouse in a very intuitive, tactile manner, pulling switches at times or fiddling with old broken farm equipment. Each main puzzle is connected to one of the folklore tales in the book and eventually you encounter some of these beings. They are very mysterious, as forest spirits are, often mischievous and it’s difficult to tell whether they are friend or foe, adding a further layer of waryness and uncertainty. The game also offers a helpful in-game hint system which will very lightly point you in the right directly with a riddle or a vague statement; allowing you to still solve the puzzle yourself with satisfaction and helping one to progress the story for those who grow lost/impatient. Admittedly the game is rather short: I completed it in a little over two hours but your mileage may vary. I would have liked it to be a much longer, larger experience but given the sheer amount of love, attention and detail injected into every single scene, animation, music, sound, everything, it’s really a case of quality over quantity.

The story is really interesting and quite dark as you may expect, and some elements are open to interpretation. In fact I have sever theories about this game and what was truly happening to the protagonist. You learn more about the dark history of this peaceful patch of woods, and finally after all of the riddles are solves the game reaches a magnificent crescendo, breaking through that stillness of the game as you finally unlock the last chamber and shine a light on the long-buried secret. It’s a somewhat psychedelic experience, a mind-blowing conclusion comparable to something like Fez.

I purchased this game on sale a long while ago and I did not play it because I wasn’t sure about it. Looking at the screenshots and giving it a very brief 5 minute play I had originally dismissed it, but I was completely wrong about it. This truly is a unique puzzle/exploration game, with a setting like no other, with horror elements executed with masterful perfection, a satisfying story, brilliantly-designed puzzles like I’ve never seen. Most elements of this game are really unique, it is a game which has taken risks and chosen its own path completely in almost every respect. Though I think my favourite part was the Scandinavian folklore: first reading and learning about these haunting fairy tales and then, like an imaginative child, I close the book and wander the beautiful, eerie forest both dreading and hoping to see the manifestations of these unsettling beings.

This game is cheap on Steam, only $6. Some may say that’s too much for a two hour game, but I think the quality of the experience justifies it, and you’ll be left pondering the experience for days. The game is actually much longer because there are little collectables and other achievements and little things. After the credits it hinted that NG+ is somewhat different and that there are various secret rooms/areas to unlock and explore so there’s replay value and more content (and I will likely return to this game before long). I picked it up on special for around $2-3, and at that price it’s a no-brainer. I highly recommend this game, especially if you like great puzzles, classy sophisticated horror, immersive exploration and an interest in creepy Scandinavian folklore.