#Year walk steam Pc
#Year walk steam free

#Year walk steam Pc

Some puzzles which had required turning the touch devices upside down have been modified for the PC version and they mostly make the transition successfully barring one case where a certain puzzle unnecessarily breaks the fourth wall. There is a fair bit of backtracking involved in solving each of these puzzles and that is one of the few inherent criticisms I have of Year Walk’s design. The puzzles are reasonably straightforward and if you’re an adventure game veteran you will probably not have much problems. The aforementioned Encyclopedia (Companion App for those who played the original) fills in the background to a lot of these myths providing words to these abstract visuals and eerie emptiness of this snowy forest. Vague symbolism is commonly used in adventure games but the silent spaces that populate between the puzzles in Year Walk tell an equally eerie tale of a land beset by ancient pagan beliefs. Based on a Norse myth that’s expertly adapted from a script by Tarestad and research by Almsten, Year Walk may have a very simple story at the center of its dark heart, but the waters it charts as it narrates it are quite unsettling.

It’s not always apparent but when certain puzzles involve spinning or rotating, using mouse can feel quite clumsy compared to the natural touch controls.Īt the core of it, Year Walk is still a dark and enchanting game, capable of atmospheric horror, shock scares and persistent uneasiness creating a remarkable and unforgettable experience in its short span of two hours.

It’s reasonably minimalistic although part of the charm of touch controls is definitely lost in the process. In terms of controls, instead of left and right swipes, simple arrow keys or A & D are used for movement and the mouse for interaction. There’s also a map drawn in a fittingly crude manner but one which does serve to address few of the complaints directed at the original version. The hints are neatly divided in each section so as to give out only what the player finds necessary. This is entirely optional and used at player’s discretion whenever they may be stuck in a place unable to find where to go next. It’s also interesting to see that Simogo has addressed some of the complaints of the puzzles being too vague (and thus frustrating) for some players by including a “Hint” system. It contains a variety of options including the absolutely essential Companion App which is now integrated into the interface. One of the first changes you’ll notice to the PC version is a subtly placed interface on the top-right corner of the screen.

#Year walk steam free

Imitating that same experience on PC was always going to involve trade-offs but it’s reassuring to see that Year Walk on PC is very much an immersive experience almost free of any superficial distractions that break the spell which the game’s mystical and beautifully drawn layered art and eerie yet haunting score enrapture the player with.

Those who had played the iOS version would have had a very immersive experience courtesy the intuitive touch controls and the non-existent interface. While it’s not unusual for mobile games to make a transition onto PC, one of the biggest challenges for Year Walk was always going to be its interface and controls. Nominated for a few IGF awards and having scored consecutive App Store hits, they have finally graduated onto a traditional platform by releasing their Scandinivian mythic horror adventure from 2013, Year Walk onto Steam. As a duo who have made a habit of defying expectations, Simogo have come far since their early days of endless runners that smartly used the touch-controls of mobile devices.