Developer: Vladimir Belestsky, Mikhail shvachko
Publisher: Sometimes You
Platform: PC, Mac, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tested on: Switch
The Mooseman – Review
Every culture has its myths and almost every town has a legend or a myth that plays out nearby. These “stories” are written down but also told from mouth to mouth. Listening to (mostly elder) people telling you myths from their country, town or culture is always special and fun. The Mooseman is a game that will tell you the myths of the Finno-Ugric tribes. You will go on a journey with the Mooseman and see a world full of spirits. The Mooseman has been developed by Vladimir Beletsky, Mikhail Shvachko and has been ported & published by Sometimes You. We were given the opportunity to test this game and discover more about the myths from the Perm Chud’ tribes
Story
In The Mooseman, you step into a land full of myths. You play as the Mooseman who can see what mortal eyes cannot. You will journey through different layers of the universe starting with the lower world where the spirits of the dead dwell.
As you make your way through each layer, you will discover artifacts and mythical beings. When you discover a new one, the myth pops up in your collection. Every time you read the new myth, you either get another piece of the story or you get a hint for continuing your journey. Along the way, you will meet a few bigger spirits who tell you a bit about their story so you can glue more of the myths together and see a bigger picture. A lot of the story you will need to read yourself and puzzle together however it is fun to learn more about the myths from the Finno-Ugric tribes. Between levels, you get told a small bit about the layer you’re in which you can luckily re-read in your myth collection.
Graphics
The art style of The Mooseman is really nice. It kind of looks like cave drawings or typical tribe drawings came to life. The style of the game is also quite similar to Limbo. In the way, the background is designed it also appears a bit in the front. This makes it so you get a nice effect as if you’re following the Mooseman from a distance and gives the 2D style a hint of the 3rd dimension.
Sound
The Mooseman’s music sounds a lot like tribe music and fits perfectly with the atmosphere. More thrilling tracks start playing when something exciting happens. There is some voice acting present but this is only the storyteller. The storyteller combined with the music makes it feel like you’re at a tribe listening to someone telling you the myths. A lot of nature sounds are also present in the game at logical places which helps with the mood of the environment you’re in.
Gameplay
The Mooseman is an adventure and indie game where you go on a journey to the three layers of the universe. You will play as the Mooseman who can see what mortal eyes can’t. As you follow the path, you will encounter obstructions or puzzles which you must find a solution for. To use the Mooseman’s power to see the spirits, you will press the “a” button which then shows you the spirits present. In spirit mode, you can interact with some spirits which will help to clear the path. Spirits interact with you in different ways; some are more like decoration while others will follow you. There is, for example, a snake that will run away from you when you’re in spirit mode so when you push him until he’s over a hole in the ground and then go out of spirit mode, you will be able to go over the hole.
Along the way, there are totems. These are your save points, but they also give you the myth for the next part. It’s quite important that you read these as they often contain hints on how to solve the puzzle. At some points, you will also receive a myth when you see an important mythical being. These beings are almost like main characters in your journey of myths. They connect some of the myths together.
To be able to figure out what you need to do it will sometimes take some creative thinking. For example, some obstructions in regular mode can be ignored in spirit mode and some spirits that stand in the way can be ignored in normal mode. You will have to play around a bit to see what works. When you continue your journey, you will unlock different abilities which will help you for the rest of your adventure. One of these abilities is a sort of shield but once it’s hit it will need to be reactivated again. So, when you have a lot of spirits that can hit you, you will need to time it right. This can be quite tricky as you only see the light in the Mooseman’s staff when you press the shield button. The shield only appears when something has hit it, so you might accidentally turn it off while you meant to turn it on.
Artifacts are hidden everywhere in The Mooseman. When you find them, you unlock more information and the story behind the artifact. You will also get more information about where they got the inspiration for the artifact from.
Conclusion
The Moosman is a nice game full of cool myths from the Finno-Ugric tribes. As you play the game, you will almost feel as if one of the tribe’s elder is telling you their myths and the game serves as a base for the pictures they draw for you The art style of the game is pleasant and fits perfectly with the theme. The Mooseman is perfect for people who love myths and hearing more about them. A lot of action isn’t really present in The Mooseman. It’s more a storytelling game where you play the story. So, if you want to play a nice game and want to more about the myths from the Finno-Ugric tribes then give The Mooseman a try.
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