Critical Play – Year Walk

For my critical play, I played “Year Walk”, developed by the Swedish game studio Simigo. Originally designed for mobile and later released on Wii and PC, I played “Year Walk” on mobile, which I enjoyed because I got to see how the game was originally intended to be played and because I generally prefer mobile games. 

In my critical play of “Year Walk,” I tried to take the perspective of a game designer and found that the game’s mechanics were baked into the storytelling on an intimate level that at first reveals only part of the needed information, then fully reveals said information through play. Each mechanic brought to life many different Swedish folklore creatures, with the game environment itself evolving as I progressed through the narratives. One example of the narrative being woven in is the use of both text and image to convey a story–the instance of the Mylingen character is presented first through a textual background that leaves holes in knowledge to promote mystery and is then learned fully as the player actually plays the Mylingen level. This structure creates a unique gameplay experience where traditional loops are absent, forcing me to continually adapt my approach to solving puzzles. The game generally preferred more of an “arc” based approach, which was better for weaving in narrative as it allowed the narrative to be slowly unfolded over time. The architecture of the game changes over time, going from quite simple and minimalist to more complex. In this sense, mystery is woven into the narrative through the aesthetics part of the MDA framework as well as the mechanics.  The dynamic environment of “Year Walk” was pivotal in my journey as a player. As the narrative advanced, the changing settings not only served as new stages for puzzles but also as narrative progressions within themselves. This approach ensured that every element of the game’s design, despite its relative minimalism, contributed to a cohesive storytelling experience, where the environment was both a backdrop and a character.

Compared to other narrative-driven games I have played such as Poptropica, where the story unfolds through dialogues and character interactions, “Year Walk” demanded more from me in terms of engagement with the environment and puzzle mechanics. It was not a straightforward game and certainly required more brainpower to observe everything going on. This made the narrative feel more profound since I was actively piecing together the story through my interactions/connections within the game world. 

Regarding issues/improvements, I had trouble with some of the sound-based puzzles, since I was playing the game in the library, as well as certain visual puzzles that were in a darker environment on the screen. When designing my games, I will make sure that puzzles, even if they are difficult, do not pose unnecessary strain on the player, particularly from an accesibility standpoint. Overall, “Year Walk” was a great way to experience how a game can weave in narrative into a mystery setting. From the mechanics and aesthetics of the environment to the interplay between puzzle mechanics and content (Swedish mythology), this game was quite informational regarding how I would design a mystery game in the future.