Year Walk is an eerie indie game that blends 2D and 3D environments together to produce a horrifying education on pagan norse mythology. Written by Jonas Tarestad and developed at Simogo, the game plunges the player into a mysterious and surreal world where they must traverse the wintery landscape to unearth its unsettling mythos. For obvious reasons, this game is geared towards mature audiences where its disturbing content is distilled into an unnerving experience. However if you are looking for something that is truly visceral that will linger in your mind for days after you play it – this is the game for you.
Originally made for mobile platforms, Year Walk is truly in a genre of its own. Here, the protagonist is on a Year Walk, a Swedish tradition where people fast inside for 24 hours then walk to a church to get insight into their future. Here the player trudges deliriously through the snow, encountering various pagan mythological creatures, who all have terrifying stories of their own. The mechanics are incredibly unique, ranging from the way players can traverse the landscape to how they can interact with the environment. This of course, is complemented by the washed out paper mache art style, creepy ambient noise and the overall dreamlike aesthetic. The back and forth nature of the player’s path as they progress, along with the lock and key mechanics tell the delirious narrative as the player uncovers the mystery of the Scandinavian forest. This game has a narrative arc that starts out with curios eeriness, until it descends into extremely dark themes such as infanticide, ultimately ending with a depressing denouement. Just so, the mystery of Year Walk and its emergent narrative has allowed the creators to educate the players on harrowing Nordic myths in an extremely emotionally impactful way.
The evocative setting of Year Walk is fundamental to its immersive and haunting atmosphere. The game designers meticulously crafted environments that felt both surreal and foreboding, serving as a critical storytelling tool through its extremely evocative space. The snowy (and sometimes bloody) Swedish forest, washed in a monochrome palette evokes a sense of isolation for the player. Therefore even in spite of the general static background, we were on the edge of our seats waiting for something to spring out at us at all times. This paired with the repetitive act of walking through the forest encouraged some sort of introspection – what would it be like to trudge through a forest like this on my own. Indeed, one of the defining uses of narrative loops, as the journey progresses, players find themselves walking back to earlier points with new knowledge or items that change their perceptions and interactions with the environment. This narrative loop is not just a gameplay mechanic but a narrative device that simulates the feeling of being trapped in an eternal cycle, which is certainly a key aspect of the mythological setting of the game. Furthermore the use of stark visuals and subtle yet disturbing sounds helps in building a psychological landscape that mirrors the inner turmoil and escalating dread experienced by the character and as players. I also believe that the unique movement, and the simple design also was a major draw as we played through the narrative.
The game also embeds its narrative within the game mechanics and player interactions. Just so, the narrative is not delivered through traditional dialogues or expositions but is sewed deeply within the environment and various mythological elements along the journey. Each mythological creature we encountered had a story rooted in Nordic mythology, which was gradually revealed and expanded upon through gameplay. Each creature had a slightly different puzzle to solve, all of which engaged us with uncovering the mystery of this harrowing setting. This method of storytelling encouraged us to really piece together the narrative from our observations and interactions. At one point my friend and I even started taking photos of any symbol just in case it was needed for a later puzzle. As a result we became very invested in the game, making the unfolding mystery feel especially personal and profound. As we delve deeper into the forest, the game seamlessly intertwines these encounters with the main narrative arc, enhancing the emotional impact and leaving this long lasting impression upon us. Overall I believe that the game’s narrative arc is crafted to not only entertain but also provoke a profound emotional response from the player. But we can’t really put our finger on this emotion. It’s like a mix of melancholy, realization and a bit of confusion.
But it’s great.
