And to reveal any more is to spoil this game's majestic mystery for the newcomer.Īnd if that's you, and you're one of the ten million Wii U owners in the world, download this when the first chance arises, as it's an immediate essential among the console's growing indie catalogue. There are secrets to Year Walk that only become apparent once morning's dawned-everything that happened, it can still be changed, and the watchers needn't always win. Even encountering him for a fourth time sends shivers through me.īut mastering the Grim's challenges of GamePad manipulation doesn't present you with the real end of the game-even after the credits have rolled, there's more to discover, and you're holding one part of how to unlock the truest conclusion in your hands, as you play. The final entity is the Church Grim, a goat-headed humanoid who says nothing but stares right into your heart. You'll meet four (well, five, but two come as one) of these beings during your Year Walk playthrough: the huldra is the first, and to satisfy her you must know your lefts and rights, and when to follow them, and have a keen ear for pitch. They will be useful later.Īnd now, with the game ported to Nintendo's Wii U, you can actually make notes without keeping pen and paper handy, as the GamePad menu has a tab that allows you to scribble down any hints you might find as you attempt to complete your "year walk." Or in other words, the Årsgång, an ancient Swedish means of divination, where participants went searching for clues to their future through strange rituals and encounters with supernatural creatures. The soundtrack-subtle, creaking, eerie, and enchanting at once-is a vital aspect of the game's hold on its player, likewise its freedom: while there's a set order to the puzzles that must be adhered to, you're free enough to wander the woods, crunching through the New Year's Eve snow under a midnight moon, noting down clues and directions as you go. It's deeply atmospheric, despite its visible limitations, its almost paper-art looks. It's also a horror game, all the more disturbing for its cuteness, its approachable twee aesthetic torn in two at a number of seat-edge-slipping moments. It's not a game that's easily summarized in a sales-pitch sentence-even describing it as I did above, "a two-dimensional first-person puzzle adventure," while ticking a lot of face-value stylistic boxes, fails to convey its complete nature. It was a jump scare I wasn't expecting-but more fool me, as the only way to really approach Year Walk, made by the small team at Malmö-based studio Simogo, is with all bets off.
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