#year walk

[starry-tiger]

The joke is that the lack of sun gives us inspiration to make banger horror games

[videogamepolls]

Have you played Year Walk (2013)?

Yes

No

I watched someone play it

I've never heard of it

Voting ended onAug 11, 2024

Requested by anon

[now-winter-comes-slowly]

Misrule and martyrs: 10 dark midwinter traditions

This year, why not welcome the shadowy side of winter with an ancient ritual or two?

[miloscat]

[Review] Year Walk (Wii U)

A dark and compelling Scandi fairy tale… now with gyro controls!

After playing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, I was curious about Simogo's other moody puzzle adventures, especially this one which got an enhanced port to the Wii U. Now of course you can't buy Wii U games anymore, but there are more custom ways, and of course I supported the developer by buying a copy on Steam as well!

Year Walk leans into the developers' Swedish origins by portraying the old folk ritual of årsgång, where by deprivation and quest one might catch a glimpse of the future. This plays out as a short horror-puzzle adventure where you navigate a small forest, gathering clues and encountering dangerous creatures from Scandinavian folklore such as the Brook Horse and Church Grim.

Your surroundings are rendered like a bleak but beautiful watercolour pop-up book. Each screen is a simple 2D line with exits above and below, and occasional things to interact with. Year Walk keeps things fairly simple with the controls, but requires some note-taking to match up patterns and symbols. When you find one of the forest's monsters, things go beyond creepy fairy tale into the territory of jumpscares and slightly disturbing imagery, so be warned.

The ending is especially grim, but a post-credits scene hints at a deeper mystery that reveals a new layer to the story, explored via journal entries from a modern scholar of these cultural practices. I found it interesting, especially with respect to Lorelei which expands on similar concepts.

As a bite-sized but evocative puzzle game with some nice cultural ties it's a nice little package, but I found it rewarding to learn about the game's development history as well. Originally teased and hinted as almost an ARG, it arrived on iOS alongside a companion app with more background on the mythology involved, which does also have some gameplay relevance. A year later it received a computer port, which updates some things, integrates the encyclopedia, and adds a handy map. I found it worked well on Steam Deck with a combination of button and touchscreen controls. The Steam release also uniquely has achievements, some of which act as extra bonus puzzles.

The Wii U version came as a result of Nintendo courting indies in that era, with the porting help of Dakko Dakko. This goes all in on Gamepad features, with lots of gyro and rotation for basic actions, which I found strained my wrists a bit. There's an added interaction or two and certain notes and documents are now presented in Swedish with a translation for enhanced verisimilitude, but the use of the second screen is what makes this the definitive way to play for me, as it enables easy reference of the map, journal, etc. while keeping them separate from the context of the action in the forest. It also adds an in-built note-taking function, and an alternate more involved puzzle to unlock the second ending which even makes use of the normally dry Wii U digital manual!

I don't mind a bit of creepiness but outright horror and frights don't agree with me. But apart from these popping up infrequently, I found this very compelling, even clearing it multiple times for those Steam achievements. Unlike with Lorelei, there's no randomisation in the puzzles so each playthrough is more or less identical, but the game is most effective as a one and done in a single sitting anyway. The art design with its painted style and stop-motion-esque characters is strong and makes for a thick atmosphere; I also saw shades of Sayonara Wild Hearts in the more surreal moments… by the way, you can get that game, this one, and Lorelei in a bundle on Steam you know! They're all very good!

[theyoungwaldschrat]

This year's årsgång. Happy Solstice and Welcome Yule!

[peppermintlark]

Gods that was SO much fun! I knew I loved Year Walk but I'd forgotten just how much. Thank you to everyone who joined me!

I think for Unsettling Sundays I'd like to focus on indie horror games 🤔 It was really nice to have people who were obsessed with this game come in and talk about it, and show it to people who didn't know about it!

If anyone has any recommendations for indie horror games, let me know! (Please nothing that has people going missing as a major plot point or a big surprise in the plot)

[allmyuglyorgans]

Year Walk, a short and beautiful experience based on the Scandinavian tradition of Year Walking, otherwise known as Årsgång. "In the old days man tried to catch a glimpse into the future of the strangest of ways they locked themselves in dark rooms not partaking of food or drink At the stroke of midnight they ventured out into the night through the dark woods where strange creatures roamed To see if they would be wealthy to see if they would be happy to see if they would live to see if they would be loved"

[santospur]

The Church Grim and Its Watchers

(all gifs are my own! please credit if used)