A Highland Track Overview – Overview

Developer inkle has a observe report for making experimental narrative-focused video games dripping with vibes, together with the sky-faring 80 Days, the reverse homicide thriller Overboard, and the language-translating Heaven’s Vault. Their newest recreation is the enigmatic mountain-climbing narrative journey A Highland Track. Set within the Scottish Highlands, you management the younger lady Moira who runs away from house in a mad sprint to achieve her uncle’s lighthouse and see the ocean. The essential plot is comparatively simple as your finish aim is laid out instantly, however via just a few dynamic replays, impactful revelations and a wealth of tantalizing narrative threads add a gripping emotional weight to the entire expertise.

A Highland Track tells a narrative that may solely be instructed in video games as a result of the best way it unfolds is all associated to your play, constructing as you uncover new paths and work out totally different connections. Moira initially has two maps that showcase two totally different mountain peaks with hidden paths close by. Matching the map to the precise peak provides you with the inclination of the place the hidden path is and as soon as you discover the trail, you’ll be able to transfer to a brand new space, discover a new map, and hunt down extra peaks and paths. It’s troublesome to parse out the total scale and scope of the world, however that’s a part of the general level. You and Moira are desperately piecing collectively the precise solution to the ocean and typically that may be disorienting.

Climbing and shifting across the hills and mountains is simple, that includes a whole lot of context delicate inputs that enable Moira to ascend, descend, run, and soar. Determining the precise solution to climb to a brand new top or safely get right down to a brand new path in a valley requires planning and timing. Or you’ll be able to simply say “eff it” and soar down and incur some quantity of fall injury (or lose all of your well being and fail). A day/evening cycle and climate additionally elements into your maneuvering, so you could maintain an eye fixed out on shelters to attend out storms and relaxation.

The circulate of the sport is wonderful, and as soon as I bought a cling of it I used to be mesmerized exploring the attractive countryside, choosing up intriguing clues and studying bits of wider lore that, at the very least in my time with the sport, led to some gratifying and heartbreaking payoffs. This can be a stunning recreation with watercolor-esque backgrounds, spectacular lighting, and lovely animation. The music enhances the visuals with stunning Scottish people music (from acclaimed bands Talisk and Fourth Moon). I really like the music, however I didn’t love the recurring rhythm recreation segments that highlighted the music. Particularly in handheld mode, it was troublesome to learn the variations between buttons as you moved throughout the bottom, tapping the precise button as Moira ran over it. There are a whole lot of choices to alter the problem of various points of the sport, together with the rhythm recreation elements, however I usually like rhythm video games and I used to be disillusioned to have a problem with it.

Even with my comparatively minor points, A Highland Track is a strong recreation crammed with a definite mystique. The general aim requires enjoying via it just a few occasions, however with every playthrough, you have got extra peaks and paths accessible proper from the get-go. This can be a recreation that’s about optimizing your method via the mountains but additionally grapples with the truth that that degree of optimization isn’t possible. That ethereal otherworldliness lingers all through each engrossing hour, beckoning you to seek out probably the most environment friendly path to the lighthouse whereas additionally tying up each unfastened finish. This can be a stunning, attractive recreation that shouldn’t be missed.