The Mooseman - our review

An adventure through the ancient Komi mythology.

The Mooseman is an indie title born from the minds of the boys of Morteshka, a name that derives from "Mort" (death in French) and "Matreshka" (matryoshka). This particular and almost esoteric name could not fail to lead to a title linked to the mystery and the afterlife.

From the first trailer it is clear that Mooseman turns out to be an undoubtedly interesting title, to the most attentive gamers, the game will certainly remember Limbo and Inside, great Playdead titles, but the atmosphere brings more to Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna).

Screen

The adventure begins with a deafening silence in a dark wood, suddenly you see a small hair of people, from which stands a man who slowly begins his journey.

This man is The Mooseman, a figure present in the legends of the countries near the Ural mountain range. This shaman is the only one who can cross the three worlds, that of the living, called the Middle World, that of the dead or the Lower World and finally the High World, the one populated by the Ancient Gods.

This hermit will learn during his journey all the various types of esoteric techniques, which will come in handy to face the enemies he will encounter during the arduous journey.

The narrated legends often remain vague, in order to stimulate the player's imagination to make this experience almost dreamlike.

Since the plot is the most important part of this game and any other word written by me could prevent you from fully experiencing the title in question, I interrupt the part dedicated to the narration here.

gameplay

The Mooseman immediately puts the player in the role of the protagonist, there is no need for long tutorials or anything else, you will find out what you need by walking towards the goal.

These myths will be transposed on the screen, through particular puzzles, based very much on the concept that the human eye is not able to fully understand the state of things.

You can solve many of these puzzles by activating a special view with the "X" key, which will radically change the environment around us. In some cases we will also be armed with a bow and arrow.

Many of the puzzles that we will have to face are quite simple, only in some cases there will be a need to "brainstorm", occasionally resulting in a "trial and error".

The game also has a system of collectibles, some hidden and others in plain sight, these rainbow-colored “objects” have a real counterpart, in fact everything we find is also kept in museums.

The title does not in any way put the anxiety and pressure, which often come from life bars or battles with endless hordes of enemies. Death itself is quick and painless, as the beating heart of the gaming experience is the pure pleasure of discovery and knowledge.

Audio / Video

The visual style is very particular, in this case there are no polygons or other elements of a technical nature of the triple A titles. The minimal imprint of the graphic sector stimulates the mind and the imagination itself.

As for the audio, the music that will accompany the adventures of this mythological figure manages to combine the typical melodies of the Russian tradition, skilfully mixed with electronic sounds.

The game could be penalized by some graphic choices, in fact the effects and transitions that appear on the screen seem little worked, but the commitment of the development team (composed of only two members).