![]() Seriously, the animation is something else. Year Walk is part point-and-click puzzler, part horror survival, and 100% gorgeous. Reading blog entries and looking at photos sets this part of the game apart stylistically and breaks the fourth wall in a really interesting way. It also makes Daniel’s glimpse into the future much more real and offers the optimistic message that our fate is not set in stone. (There is a love triangle in play, after all.) However, its melodrama doesn’t feel out of place in context, and the game’s second ending was able to redeem my approval. After you think you have finished the game, you are given the opportunity to access the blog entries of a modern-day researcher who is learning the story of Daniel’s year walk. Knowledge is power!Īt times, Year Walk’s plot is kind of melodramatic. The scariness in the story comes from a place of fairytales and ancient spirits, which makes it more interesting to me than modern horror stories about mindless violence. In tone, Year Walk feels extremely reminiscent of the movie “ Pan’s Labyrinth.” The Encyclopedia, a built-in guide to explain the history behind the folkloric figures, makes each puzzle much more interesting. Often, the Encyclopedia is essential to help you solve the puzzles. Snarky descriptors aside, I am a huge fan of Scandinavian folklore, and I really liked this aspect of the game. The challenges you must face along the way are embodied in four figures of Swedish folklore: the Huldra (forest guardian / scary temptress), the Brook Horse (creepy equine who enjoys drowning folk), the Myling (freaky ghost baby), and the Night Raven (really angry bird). Many who attempt the Year Walk die in mysterious ways. If the walker is successful, he will see a glimpse of the future. ![]() Daniel decides to go on a “year walk,” or a traditional Scandinavian vision quest through the woods, culminating in an encounter with the Church Grim. Because of Daniel’s low status, Stina will not leave her fiancé to be with him. ![]() ![]() Stina, the woman he loves, is engaged to another man. Year Walk, by Swedish indie game company Simogo, tells the story of Daniel Svensson, a 19th-century Swedish man who is in an unfortunate situation. Stina doesn’t want you to go on the Year Walk. It only takes a couple of hours to complete. You do not need it for the computer version, as this content is integrated into the main game. I played Year Walk with Steam on my MacBook Pro. It’s full of great content, including the story’s second, real ending. If you do play on your iPhone or iPad, be sure you download the free Year Walk companion. I prefer the computer version to the mobile version. There are some slight differences between the two versions. Year Walk was released on iOS last year, and it was recently re-released for Mac and PC. If you have a teenager who is interested in scary games or movies, read on. It’s got great puzzles, fascinating settings, excellent story structure, and enormous artistic value. While I am perhaps not the first person to cover my face at any sign of gore, it doesn’t take much to make me leave the room, close my computer, snap a book shut, or turn off the TV. Full disclosure: I am not a horror game kind of person. Anyway, here’s 2012’s best PlayStation games.When I first downloaded Year Walk, I did not know it was a horror game. ![]() Oh, and Disney bought frickin’ Star Wars and LucasFilm for $4.05b too! Wow. It was the year of the London Olympics, the year Spain won their third European Championships (making them only the second team to be back-to-back winners of the trophy) and who can forget it was the year that Felix Baumgarter set the world’s highest skydive record, by effectively jumping from outer space! Speaking of space, 2012 was also the year that the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars! Who can forget 2012 was the year of The Avengers and The Hunger Games, while Microsoft rolled out Windows 8 while we vibed out to Carlie Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ and Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style.’ From a games perspective, 2012 saw the rise of Kickstarter, the launch of the WiiU and the PlayStation Vita, as well as the infamous Mass Effect 3 ending controversy, which saw industry stalwarts, the BioWare doctors (Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschu), resign from their long-time posts. 2012 was an interesting year, to say the least. ![]()
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